AFTER several years compiling and pitching mixtapes, DJ Treasure recently moved into music production. He co-produced Missing You and Unexpected by singer Rad Dixon.

Both songs are co-produced by James “Tasjay” Smith for the Toronto-based Tasjay Productions.

DJ Treasure is from Spanish Town which, because of its thriving transportation hub nature, is a hot spot for mixtapes – multi-song CDs that are mainly played on buses and route taxis.

He welcomes the change in direction.

“As a producer we can dictate to the artiste the type of music we want. Before, anything the artistes brought to me I just put it out there,” he said.

In his capacity as mixtape pitchman, DJ Treasure (real name Rishardo Treasure) worked with Dixon, who is based in South Florida. He plans to use his experience on the ground to expose Missing You and Unexpected.

“People love good music and they still love singers in Jamaica. He has a refreshing voice and we’re trying to get him to the right places,” said DJ Treasure.

Though he built a reputation in mixtape circles since 2014, DJ Treasure was an established selector on sound systems in Spanish Town and Clarendon.

He makes the foray into music production when the mixtape, in his words, “is hotter than ever”, and added that it “is a good platform for big artistes and new artistes to get dem music out there”.

— Howard Campbell