Thursday, February 4, Kingston, Jamaica (A.I.M Inc.): Musical interests both locally and internationally found 2009 to be a turbulent year for the industry; feuds, lackluster production and writing efforts aided in an even greater decrease in album sales. The flip side is that this tight squeeze around the neck of the entertainment industry allowed persons to dig deeper inside their creative engines to bring good quality music to float above all the undesirables, much to the delight of the fans. One artiste who was able to bring forth really good, quality filled tracks was DASECAs first artiste Bugle.
Bugle has found himself blessed with a writing/lyrical skill that allows him to bring forth songs that connect with people on a personal level; things that basically any and every one can relate to. In 2009 he stayed true to that form and worked with some of the industries talented producers to bring those songs to the ears of the fans. With the help of visionaries like Julia Braham (1456 Productions) and Jay Will (Jay Will Films) he was able to bring some of these stories to life. One of his last projects for 2009 was the song Pearly Gates produced by TJ White (Tj Records) for the Alter Ego Riddim. The concept for the video was coordinated by the team of Jay Will Films and it became one of the most memorable videos of the year. “I like working with Julia and Jay Will because of the creativity that they bring to the table, commented Bugle, he went on to say that “some of our directors are becoming monotonous, something that critics have repeatedly been saying, so it is a breath of fresh air that people like Jay Will can inject that creativity in their work and as Bugle looks towards working with other directors for the coming year he encourages them to tap into that creative energy that will help Jamaican Artistes get there messages/music across to the masses.
Good music truly knows no bounds; this was proved time and time again when promoters across the globe requested Bugle to headline tours, concerts and be present at events across the Caribbean, Canada, United Kingdom, Belize and Bermuda. Locally, though he was not in Jamaica to perform at Sting, he was privileged to have delivered an outstanding set at Reggae Sumfest, one that had the patrons hungry for more and set the basis for his intent to deliver an even bigger and better performance for the 2010 staging of the event.
For an industry that brings thousands of tourists to Jamaica on a yearly basis, industry affiliates and entertainers alike find it hard to understand why dancehall is still being hampered by our society. The Noise abatement act which developed some new muscle in 2009 is having a domino effect on the industry. “What will the jerk man do when him cah mek him money at the gate any more? How will the artistes feed their children, how will the promoters send their children to school? Bugle questions. He proposes that the government simply look into providing some greater means of support for all the people that will be affected, instead of imposing a law that does more harm for one of Jamaicas greatest assets.
Bugle says that “Negativity cannot benefit dancehall, thats not a new sentiment, however he feels that the uptown/downtown segregation and feuding between artistes are the driving forces that limited the growth of Dancehall on the world stage in previous years. It is a hope that
Keeping his Ears and Eyes Open
2010 may see Bugle releasing an album, with exclusive tracks that have already been recorded and never released. With his lyrical prowess and production from some of the industrys finest this album will definitely be a collectors item. Fans will have to wait until mid-year though after Bugle executes an extensive tour of Europe, a market he plans to take his music to a lot this year.
With his eyes firmly set on maintaining his momentum through 2010, Bugle keeps his ears open for good productions from established and upcoming producers alike; he continues to keep his eyes open for creative directors to work with and talented entertainers with an earnest love for the music to do collaborations with.
With Bugle and other artistes in this frame of mind our music culture seems destined for greatness.