WHEN Theodore Dalhouse set up his studio, the primary aim was to record himself.

He thought then that the only sure way to get his songs “out there” was to produce them on his own. It made sense.

The only problem is, after some 10 years Dalhouse has not made a single record featuring Super Ninja, his stage name.

Dalhouse, a native of Roselle in St Thomas, has instead answered a higher calling. His Xpanda Muzik Productions is serving a noble cause by reaching out to the parish’s musically talented youths.

“I planned to build the studio to voice and produce myself, but all now I have not done that because when I realised the kind of talent out there, I just started to focus on them,” he said.

Co-owned by the internationally recognised reggae crooner Tarrus Riley, the Morant Bay-based recording studio and production house is being a good corporate citizen, but not at the expense of performing its substantive role of identifying, harnessing and developing the musical talent of the parish.

“Our aim is to provide an opportunity for young and upcoming artistes who the major producers would not have otherwise seen… you have a lot of talented youths around here and they don’t have anybody to turn to,” said Dalhouse.

Being an artiste himself and having faced the proverbial snub of producers, the former Yallahs High School student is very much in tune with the struggles of the young ‘craftsmen’.

“Because I’m an artiste myself, I know about having talent and the struggle to find an outlet to bring this out, and that’s why I’m trying to put these youngsters on the road,” noted Dalhouse, who is also the studio engineer and producer.

Xpanda Muzik Productions, he claimed, is also serving as a social intervention medium, providing a platform for young men, in particular, to channel their energies in a positive way.

With few opportunities for self-actualisation, St Thomas’s growing and worrying culture of urban-style crime and violence is a tempting alternative for idle young men, but the promise of a career in music is equally appealing.

“This is one of a few places in St Thomas where a young man can come and use his energy in a positive way… and it is the only thing like this for the youths,” said Dalhouse.

In trying to escape the tough streets, many aspiring artistes — believing they are the next ‘big thing’ on the local scene — have streamed into the tiny Xpanda studio looking for that elusive break.

A good percentage of them, Dalhouse told the Observer, are diamonds in the rough who require polish and grooming if they are to forge ahead.

“A lot of youths come here with lyrics, but they don’t know keys,” he explained. “They don’t even know how to go on a rhythm, so we sit down with them and show them the way. We even help them to rewrite lyrics, so what we’ve been doing is teaching them without any extra costs.”

Many producers, Dalhouse noted, would have slammed the door in the faces of some these youngsters, but instead, he embraces them. And for those who are hopeless from a musical competence standpoint, the truth is delivered gently.

“A lot of the youths like to work with me (rather) than some other producers and engineers in the parish because we show them love here,” he stated.

There is no doubt, however, that St Thomas is pregnant with musical talent of the highest standards, and like those that have gone before them, it’s only a matter of time before the budding stars have their moment to shine.

“I used to have a club where I kept a talent show named ‘Ghetto Splash’ every Thursday, and the number of talented artistes that I see on a weekly basis is unbelievable,” he said.

“In St Thomas you have the next Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Vybz Kartel, Mavado and even Bob Marley — that’s the extent and range of the talent we have waiting to explode,” beamed Dalhouse.

At the moment, Xpanda is taking credit for coaching the promising careers of Koolant, Patex, Iloo, Bad Dawg, Oneil Shines, Freddie Smalls and Singing D who are all enjoying regular rotation on local and foreign radio.

Other St Thomas-bred singers in Bushman and Natty King, along with Louie Culture, are established names that continue to work closely with the St Thomas-based company.

And Riley, a son of the soil as well, has a new single on the Xpanda label due to be released soon entitled Never Wanna See You Cry — one of many hits recorded at the studio located at Morant Bay Plaza.

“It’s Tarrus why the studio is here right now, he maintains the studio… He’s the man behind all this, but we don’t deal with the boss thing here; we are a team,” Dalhouse said, giving an insight into the relationship and partnership.

Dalhouse, who also operates a sound system named Xpanda, revealed that his next move is to establish a radio station to keep authentic reggae music alive as he thinks that it is being gobbled up by the invasive dancehall mutation.

“The reggae music is dying out because a lot of the younger youths are not listening to it; they (would) rather listen to some songs that are promoting some derogatory things, and that’s why I came with the sound system where I could play some songs that are not being played,” said Dalhouse, who recently returned from New York after two engagements with his sound system.

“And that’s why we need the radio station because all these songs that the youths are listening to now are played for two weeks and you don’t hear them again, but the authentic reggae music plays forever,” he declared.