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Daseca: The rhythm gurus
DEBRA EDWARDS, Observer staff reporter edwardsd@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, October 05, 2007

Daseca (from left) David Harrisingh, Craig Serani Marsh and Craig Andrew Harrisingh.

Laughter is the only audible noise momentarily blaring in the studio of production gurus Daseca. It seems that not only are they musically adept, they happen to have a tinge of the comedic bug.

That was surprising, as just a mere hour before, on entering Daseca's Red Hills Road studio, the trio seemed somewhat weary of an individual whose job happens to involve asking so many questions.

Daseca was formed in 2001 after Sts Peter & Paul Prep School friends Craig Serani Marsh and Craig Andrew Harrisingh, while enrolled in their first year at the University of Technology (UTech), agreed that school no longer piqued their interest, and that music happened to be their calling.
"I always knew I wanted to do this, even as a little boy," says Marsh.

When the duo left UTech to pursue music production full time, Harrisingh's brother, David Anthony, 26, who was attending the University of the West Indies, also decided he too wasn't cut out for the books, and joined them.

Daseca (from left) Craig Andrew Harrisingh, Craig Serani Marsh and David Harrisingh.

"We had to follow our dream, and yes, my parents were not necessarily happy with my decision at first, but later worked with it because they realised that I was serious," said Marsh.
The Harrisingh brothers got the opposite reaction from their parents. "They just wanted to make sure we would be able to make a living," explains Craig Andrew.

The name Daseca is coined from the initials of the trio's Christian and middle names. DA (David Anthony), SE (Serani) and CA (Craig Andrew). "It means unity, because it is the union of all our names," says Serani, before a witty David chimes in, "it also goes in order of intelligence."

With a name 'in the bag', the trio immediately got to work, envisioning making a name for themselves and producing the "best of the best" in the business.

The road to success, they quickly realised, was no walk in the park.

"We rented a spot, bought a few instruments and began mastering our craft in what we called our studio," says Craig Andrew.

"Sometimes we even slept there, 'cause we were too tired to go home," adds David.

Respect was also hard to come by, a fact which all three claim they understood and grasped from the get-go. "In this business, you have to prove yourself and we understood that," says Serani.

While trying to establish themselves, Serani was approached by Craig 'Leftside' Parkes to be a keyboardist in Wayne Marshall's Martial Arts Band. He gladly accepted, wanting to expand his scope. The group then got the opportunity to play on other producers' tracks (including popular producer Don Corleone), learning the ins and outs of the 'biz' along the way.

Daseca began to come into their own shortly after releasing their first rhythm, Safe Sex, in 2003.
Never heard of it? Many didn't, as it hit the streets with less than stellar reviews, and as Craig Andrew puts it, "that rhythm gave us a lot of trouble". The 'trouble', however, clearly taught the production trio a lesson that served them well as they released their second rhythm, Anger Management, named by the 'warlord' himself, Bounty Killer, in November 2004. Ruling the '04 Christmas season of rhythms, Anger Management also presented a fresh-from-NYC Alaine, and continues to garner heavy rotation on radio to this date.

Anger Management made the young trio a force to contend with. "That is when we began to get noticed," says David.
Enter sound man Foota Hype, who introduced to them a young man with an incredible voice who lived on a gully bank and who uses the moniker Movado. "When we heard the voice we knew he had something special," says Serani.
They immediately voiced Mavado, giving him his first hit, Real Mckoy, and the rest, as they say, is history.

On many occasions producers (without ample musical chops) long to be artistes themselves, and give it a try, to the public's dismay. And although the need and urge to sing has hit Serani hard of late (he is featured on Mavado's Dying), after listening to his singles Doh, featuring Bugle and She Loves Me, a song for the ladies, it's clear Serani has a good voice.

"Is dat mi dey pon now, taking my singing and wi artiste Bugle to the top," he explains.
Bugle is another artiste who went virtually unnoticed until joining forces with Daseca, who are behind his hit, What We Gonna Do (Exercise), which has become a local street anthem.

And, as Serani puts it, "wait till di rest a dem release".
Are they satisfied with the recognition that they have attained?

"I don't even think we recognise how many people know about us," says Craig Andrew. And even though the new-found popularity has their phones ringing, and the girls 'jocking', they make it clear that their popularity comes second to recognising talent and honing it.

"Alaine, Movado, and now Bugle have gotten popularity and are in high demand because of voicing on songs that we have produced, and we are just happy that we were able to help, and would like to continue doing this in the future," says David.

To say that Daseca has arrived would probably be jumping the gun. That they have played a major role in producing quality hits that make the masses gyrate, and are building a strong future would be more accurate.

"We are taking this to the top; foreign wi dey pon," says Serani to nods of approval from Craig Andrew and David.


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