The Frenchie Connection
A Voyage of Discovery
It seems ironic that British Reggae's most progressive Dancehall producer should hail from the other side of the English Channel, having spent part of his formative years in America, and go by the name of Frenchie.
It was his brother's record collection that first sparked Frenchie's love of Jamaican music, which was undergoing a revolution at the time as the island's producers set a chain of often-thrilling experiments with computerised rhythms into motion. British Reggae too was at the forefront of such changes, which necessitated frequent trips to London by the adventurous young Parisian. Whilst many of his English counterparts were abandoning Reggae for Jungle, Drum & Bass, Hip Hop, R&B or Garage during the early nineties, Frenchie was busy putting his love and enthusiasm for Revival and Dancehall Reggae to good use at Fashion's "A Class" studio in Forest Hill, South London. It was there that he learnt engineering and production skills, as well as developing an in-depth understanding of the Reggae business as a whole.
In Fashion
Fashion was then a cauldron of activity and home to memorable hits by Cutty Ranks (The Stopper), General Levy and Top Cat, among numerous other JA and UK acts. The Bogle and Slow Jam styles ruled the dancehalls as more commercial tracks by Michie One & Louchie Lou and Tenor Fly reaffirmed Fashion's ability to make crossover hits. Yet Frenchie also worked with Reggae legends such as Augustus Pablo, Horace Andy and Alton Ellis whilst at "A Class", thus underlining the true extent of his apprenticeship. Encouraged by John McGillivary (of Dub Vendor), Chris Lane (senior engineer), Gussie P and local rhythm aces Mafia & Fluxy, he then launched his own Maximum Sound label with tracks featuring both local and international acts including current Gorillaz' star Sweetie Irie.
Delving Into Dub
As the sequence of releases unfolded from 1993 onwards, his agenda couldn't have been clearer. The emphasis was to be on youth (rather than reputation) and also innovation except where Frenchie couldn't help but indulge his love for classic dancehall. With sound bwoys reeling in his wake, he would recut monster rhythms from the past such as Tenor Saw's Chill Out, Chill Out, Bob Marley's Waiting In Vain or Horace Ferguson's Sensi Addict. The latter inspired two killer herb anthems from Starkey Banton (Ganja Baby) and Mykal Rose, whose Rush On The Tonic also appears on the Black Uhuru singer's Maximum Sound album, Selassie I Showcase. This highly-rated young producer has continued to delve into his dub box with deadly alacrity ever since, such as when revisiting Barrington Levy's Here I Come for the best-selling Intercom rhythm for instance.
International Dancehall
Back in the mid-to-late nineties Reggae Dancehall was at a creative peak, yet it was still struggling to get fair representation despite a wealth of fresh acts and progressive ideas. Frenchie's connections with top-flight Jamaican names such as Sly & Robbie, Dean Fraser, Richie Stephens, General Degree, Mr. Vegas, Red Rat, Buccaneer, Future Trouble and Danny Browne of Main Street began to grow steadily during this period, lending his productions more of an international Dancehall flavour. Where Maximum Sound was concerned, most of the action was now happening in Kingston rather than the London studios. This not only helped align his label with the latest musical developments from Jamaica, but also earned Frenchie a place alongside other up-and-coming Dancehall masters like Richard "Shams" Browne, Stephen "Lenky" Marsden and Ward 21, as rhythms such as The Itch, Desert Storm, Fuzzy and Space Invader strengthened his reputation for making cutting-edge music. Lest we forget, it was Frenchie who served as executive producer on Mr. Vegas' two albums for Greensleeves (including the classic Heads High); who recorded two tracks on Buju Banton's Inna Heights set for Penthouse; and assisted Lenky with two of his biggest-selling rhythms, the Diwali and Masterpiece. Named after an Indian religious festival, Diwali was the rhythm that powered international hits by Sean Paul (Get Busy) and Wayne Wonder (No Letting Go) and spectacularly aided the popularity of Dancehall in America.
Tending The Roots
Not forgetting his roots, he continued to spearhead the resurgence of Reggae back in his native France with a succession of hits by Raggasonic, whose futuristic approach made them the most succesful French Dancehall group (more than 500 000 albums sold in france) and a cult status. But Frenchie's ties with the French Reggae scene did not stop with his involvement with Raggasonic; he has produced albums with Daddy Nuttea and Big Red; recorded tracks with France's biggest ever rap group NTM and, more recently, his collaboration with Neg'marrons gave birth to a top 14 spot in the French national charts featuring Mr Vegas with Tout le Monde Debout.
Developing Young Talent
It's been Frenchie's know-how, vision and professionalism that has attracted well-known stars like Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Capleton, Sizzla, Anthony B, Bounty Killer, TOK, Sean Paul and Vybz Kartel to his label. Yet he has also continued to assist the development of young talent by recording the likes of Chico, Psycho, Taz, and Desperado on beats such as Jumbie, Blue Steel, and Fowl Fight which Greensleeves have released as part of their renowned Rhythm Album series in more recent times. All three albums have maintained his place at the forefront of the Dancehall scene, even as two remarkable albums with Anthony B (Powers Of Creation and Black Star) and another one-rhythm set, World Jam, have served to reaffirm his credentials as a producer of more traditional Reggae hits. He is someone who can get the best out of his artists, no matter what the style of music. The material on the Anthony B albums incorporated Roots, One-Drop, Ska, Nyahbinghi and Dancehall, whereas World Jam was a brilliant reworking of Ini Kamoze's World A Reggae Music, as popularised by Damian Marley's international hit Welcome To Jamrock.
Growing New Roots
Artists like Richie Spice, Jah Cure, Jah Mason, Luciano and Roots music newest sensation Gyptian had entered the fold by now and Ras Shiloh, Da Ville, and Lukie D would join them as rhythms such as Sunshine Justice, Good Over Evil and Zion Train underlined Frenchie's mastery of the contemporary Roots idiom.
Reaching Fresh Heights
Lukie D's album for Maximum Sound, Deliver Me, is the best yet by the Jamaican vocal star, whose style embraces Soul, Gospel, R&B, Reggae and Dancehall. His delivery can send chills racing down the spine on occasion, and this is something that happens frequently on this mesmerising collection which opens with a spellbinding acapella rendition of the Jamaican national anthem and then encompasses Roots, Reality and Lovers' material as well as songs of praise. It's as if both artist and producer have reached fresh heights simultaneously, with each responding to the other's creativity and deepening sense of maturity. The result is something of a masterpiece and a milestone in both of their careers. It was followed by a third album with Anthony B, Higher Meditation, again confirming his and Frenchie's winning partnership; a strong set by Jamaican sing-jay Jah Mason; as well as several cuts to a new hit One-Drop rhythm called Jah Powers, featuring Natural Black, Fantan Mojah, Ras Shiloh, Turbulence, Da Ville and Anthony B. As the trend for more traditional Reggae style songs continued, Frenchie compiled two best-selling compilations for Greensleeves, namely The Biggest Reggae One Drop Anthems (volumes 1 & 2). Both were stacked with classic Roots and Rub-a-Dub releases, although his trademark versatility remained unaffected since, by then, he'd also produced another batch of exhilarating Dancehall sides for his own label, including storming remixes of the Intercom rhythm featuring Bounty Killer, Wayne Marshall and Burro Banton among others. Never one to let the grass grow under his feet, he also contributed the title track to Junior Kelly's best-selling Tough Life set and worked with the sensational French Rap group 113, whose album went gold after Frenchie had teamed them with Jamaican Dancehall star, Buju Banton.
Cutting Edge
You'll find Maximum Sound at the cutting-edge of Reggae music no matter what the style of rhythm or choice of artist, yet Frenchie's appreciation of Revival Reggae also began to make its presence felt back in 2002, once he'd formed the Maximum Pressure label with Pete Holdsworth of Pressure Sounds. This label has so far released compilations of classic Roots and Dancehall material by the likes of Bobby Digital, Xterminator, King Jammys and Techniques and is proving indispensable to those wishing to catch up on the vibrant Jamaican scene of the eighties and early nineties.
Making Good
The nineteen year old, who used to make regular pilgrimages to London searching out classic Studio One, Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae Dancehall tunes armed only with love, enthusiasm and a driving hunger to learn, has long made good. Looking back on his still-growing catalogue of hits, it's fair to say that he's surpassed everyone's expectations by a very wide margin indeed.
Reggae music, especially the corner of it that is forever English, can justly take pride in his achievements.
Biography by John Masouri 2007
Artist Photography ©Tim Barrow