Maximum Sound

It's just a little ironic that British reggae's most progressive dancehall producer should hail from the other side of the English Channel and bear the name of "Frenchie" . . . because, whilst many of his English counterparts were abandoning reggae for jungle, drum & bass, hip hop, r&b or garage during the early nineties, our adventurous young Parisian 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, where he not only learnt engineering and production skills, but developed an in-depth understanding of the reggae business as a whole. <P> Fashion was then a cauldron of activity, and home to memorable hits by Cutty Ranks (The Stopper and Limb By Limb), General Levy (The Heat and Wig) and Top Cat (Request The Style), among others. Encouraged by John McGillivary (of Dub Vendor) and Chris Lane, senior engineer Gussie P and local rhythm aces Mafia & Fluxy, Frenchie launched his own Maximum Sound label with tracks featuring both JA and UK acts, including Gorillaz' star Sweetie Irie. <P> 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 innovation - except where Frenchie couldn't help but indulge his love for classic dancehall and (with sound bwoys reeling in his wake!) recut the odd monster rhythm 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 modern, killer herb anthems from Starkey Banton (Ganja Baby) and Mykal Rose, whose Rush On The Tonic also appears on his Maximum Sound album, "Selassie I Showcase". <P> Frenchie's connections with top-flight Jamaican names such as Sly & Robbie, Dean Fraser, Richie Stephens, General Degree, Mr. Vegas, Red Rat, Future Troubles and Danny Brownie of Main Street began to lend his productions more of an international dancehall flavour from thereon, with most of the action happening in Kingston, rather than London studios. This not only helped align Maximum Sound with the latest musical developments from Jamaica, but also earned Frenchie a place alongside other up-and-coming young dancehall masters such as Richard "Shams" Brownie and Ward 21, even as he continued to spearhead the resurgence of reggae back in his native France with a succession of hits by local acts like Raggasonic, Daddy Nuttea, NTM and Neg'marrons. <P> It has been his commitment to furthering the music and developing young talent that has attracted the likes of Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel, Capelton, Sizzla, Anthony B., Wayne Marshall, Sean Paul, Chico, T.O.K. and Italee (now known as "Ruud") to his label, and has cemented his friendship with Kingston-based musician Stephen "Lenky" Marsden, whose playing can be heard on numerous hits for Penthouse and Buju Banton. Both share a daring willingness to experiment (as witnessed on original Maximum Sound rhythms such as The Itch, Desert Storm, Fuzzy , Space Invaders, The Jedi riddim, The Ice, The Chizzle or more recently Jumbie and Blue Steel) and the desire to convince others that reggae dancehall is still the most vibrant, relevant and exciting music on the planet!