Kejo gets off the mark with Life Wonders
This is the final in a 10-part series on ‘Generation Next’ of Jamaican music producers.
HALF of Kevin Scarlett’s 28 years have been spent in recording studios. He has done the gamut, from studio rat to engineer, now producer.
Known as Kejo, he got off the mark as a solo producer last week with the Life Wonders ‘riddim’. Recorded last year, the beat is on his Advance Records label.
A solid cast of musicians including saxophonist Dean Fraser, guitarist Paul ‘Wrong Move’ Crossdale and Andrew ‘Bassie’ Campbell played on the uptempo track.
Scarlett, played keyboards on Life Wonders, previously worked as an engineer on songs by Mr Easy, Terror Fabulous and Junior Reid. Life Wonders is his biggest project to date.
“Its my first major release with the assistance of a publisher. Mi do it last year after mi dey home an’ get a vibes,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Life Wonders is driven by songs like Tarrus Riley’s Don’t Shoot, Same Day by Nesbeth and Asking Questions by upcoming deejay Orthodox.
“Mi pick the artistes miself ’cause it important as a producer fi have dat input. Yuh have to be hands-on,” he said.
A graduate of Jose Marti Technical High School with five CXC passes, the diminutive Scarlett is from Grants Pen in St Andrew. He was introduced to recording by Ramone, a friend, shortly after leaving school.
He went on to a course at IWEN, where he learned techniques of studio engineering as well as different aspects of the music business including publishing.
His next stop was the Rise And Shine Studio in Portmore. During a six-month stint there, he worked on songs by Mr Easy and Terror Fabulous before moving on to Reid’s JR Productions.
Scarlett got his first crack at production on Reid’s recently released album, Junior Reid: The Living Legend. He worked as engineer on most of its songs and co-produced the track Better Must Come with the singer.
With Life Wonders on the market, Scarlett has branched out and is eager to establish Advance Records.
“Me’d a like set up mi own studio an’ get mi ideas out there. But wi not rushing, it all come down to patience,” he said.
— Howard Campbell
