KINGSTON, Jamaica- Veteran music producer and artiste manager, Richard Roache is staying true to his promise of bringing back juggling riddims and bridging the gap between today’s hot acts and the musical giants who paved the way.

On the heels of his Roots and Righteous Riddim, Roache is today releasing another project in the hopes of continuing his mission of musical unity.

“I did say I want to release more juggling riddims and I am trying my best to commit to that. It’s not easy because sometimes the names and the talent that you really want to get on it, it doesn’t really go that way sometimes but I have been blessed over the past couple of months into a year, to at least get 50 per cent of the attempted acts that I want for each project,” he told OBSERVER ONLINE.

“Since getting back into the game full time, I have dropped about four to five jugglings. This one is the longest in terms of talent on it. So far I have about 19 or so acts on this one. I am committed to go with it, a lot of the artistes aren’t too keen on it but it shows versatility and what an artiste brings to the beat. It’s one melody and everybody brings their own flavor to it. That showcases mega talent in my opinion.”

Dubbed the Victory Strive Riddim, the project features acts such as Lukie D, Patexx, Teflon, Delly Ranks, G Whizz, Chico and a host of others. According to Roache, the body of work is “reggae with a little twist” and is fulfillment of a life-long vision.

“This project is really very special to me because I got to remake a classic that I always wanted to do and I’m glad I got an opportunity to,” he said. “The original beat is coming from the 70s with Ken Boothe when he did “My Heart is Gone.” It was modernised with John Holt who did a version of that song and then Shinehead flipped it and did Strive. I modernised the Shinehead version of it which was something I’ve been wanting to do.”

“Shinehead’s Strive has been an inspiration for me throughout my high school years. I grew up on that uplifting classic and have always wanted to do a remake of it since I started to produce,” he continued. “All the artistes who gave me a strength on this project wouldn’t even understand how big a deal this is for me and I want to thank them.”

Admitting that the music industry has become more selfish lately, Roache is encouraging players to take on more projects that showcases the versatility of Jamaican acts.

“Everybody in music has their own selfish ways and is has been that way for a while because people want to have things a certain way. What has happened lately is that things have become way more money-driven and the love of the craft is not much in it anymore,” he said. “But things have got harder and people haffi survive so maybe that’s not selfish but what I don’t want people to do is lose the love for the craft. I want our artistes especially the ones nowadays, to be more rounded. Don’t think you have to go one route constantly. Try different things, show off you versatility. I think that would help the industry and yourselves.”

Victory Strive Riddim is set for release today.