Life's 'X' Factors: Reggaefusion on the rise: Jamaican producer Mafia working official Reggae Fusion album

Mixing techno, dancehall

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Mafia at work in the studio. - Sadeke Brooks

Moving away from the regular dancehall rhythms, producer Mafia is putting the finishing touches on a funky house album with dancehall artistes that will be released in Europe.

Mafia, whose real name is Germaine Clarke, explained that funky house shares similarities with techno music, but there are some differences. And, it is completely different from dancehall.

"Techno has everything playing at one time and there is not much vocals. Funky house has vocals but not much. It starts with drum and bass and when it reaches 20 seconds, it start build up to the full rhythm," said Mafia who records many of Busy Signal's songs.

Jamaican artistes

The album, which is called Protected By Bass, features several top artistes like Busy Signal who did a song calledWinners Make Love with an upcoming singer Onaje, which is already getting some promotion locally. It also has D'Angel withSexiness, Wayne Marshall's Can't Stop We and former TV host Amelia 'Milk' Sewell who recorded her first song called Fresh Milk. In addition, each track has a different rhythm.

While there are only Jamaican artistes on the album so far, Mafia said he wanted to get artistes from other nationalities on it as well. However, that is yet to materialise.

Mafia says he also feels that his idea will sell in the European market to which it is geared.

"It different and it is commercial. It don't have the raw chaw patois so people can understand it," Mafia told THE STAR.

"Wid di whole heap a madness weh a gwaan with dancehall, mi decide fi try something new. Mi haffi try fix it. It (the album) is really an experiment and mi consult couple people inna Europe before mi do it and dem seh it would be good for the artistes as well because they would get more exposure in Europe."

In addition, he said the response has been good from one of the officials at the Ministry of Sounds in the United Kingdom through which he is negotiating a deal to release the album. If the negotiation process is completed soon, Mafia will release the album by the end of summer.

"Somebody from there did hear the Onaje and Busy and seh dem love it. So mi have mi fingers crossed," Mafia told THE STAR

http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20090406/ent/ent1.html

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