American music producer Freddy Browne is keen on bridging Jamaican music with house music.

What he calls J House (Jamaican house) is about to bear fruit with the release of the various artistes project, tentatively titled
The Freddy Brown Project.

“J House stands for Jamaican House, which is a fusion of Jamaican artistes on house music tracks – hence the term J House,” Browne disclosed in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

Browne added: “I have always loved and respected the creative genius of Jamaican artistes. The biggest artiste in the world, of all time, without apology is Bob Marley. So, Jamaica is the root. House and EDM music were borne out of Jamaican dub originally. The godfather of hip hop is a Jamaican DJ Kool Herc, and there is continuous Jamaican influence in all genres. So it makes sense to have Jamaican artistes as a central part of the global movement of house music.”

The project was recorded last week, and it included sessions at the famed Big Yard Studio and Romeich Entertainment Studio.

Among the artistes who have already recorded tracks are Beenie Man, Agent Sasco, Wayne Marshall, Ding Dong, Munga Honourable, Bling Dawg, and Tessanne Chin.

Asked what the experience has been working with these artistes, Browne said: “Man it’s just like a dream project. It was through a conversation with my new manager, Zachary Harding [who’s also the executive producer if the album] that we came up with the idea of me producing a 100 per cent dance music album, with a Jamaican artiste on each track. It’s never been done before, and Zachary has a steady stream of the most amazing names coming through as well as being in studio lending his own ear as a DJ.”

He continued: “The artistes have far exceeded what I thought would be possible in this short period of time. Each one has a unique flavour and the skill level is insane. They had melodies, lyrics, and hooks in a matter of minutes. So far, we have seven songs completed. That’s seven songs in 24 hours. We have 20 tracks ready to go and we are putting magic in them.”

The first single from the project is expected to be released in April.

Browne recalled how he was first introduced to reggae music.

“I saw Sting and the Police in concert and they were heavily reggae-influenced. The band that opened for them was Black Uhuru, a legendary reggae band who was being produced by Sly and Robbie. A bit after I heard Grace Jones’ Pull Up To My Bumper and found out that she too was Jamaican, and that it was a Sly and Robbie production, and they became my idols. I made it a goal to work with them over my career and have several times since. In the mid-2000s I also was involved with an international roaming club event called Brand New Machine hosted by a Jamaican Steve Wilson, and I’ve visited a few times to perform at his events here in Jamaica. So, it has been a lifetime love affair,” said Browne.

The producer has worked with Jamaican artistes such as Shaggy and Devin di Dakta. He is known for highlighting multicultural acts from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean by incorporating them into his core house genre.

Browne has arrived at a time wherein many local music pundits have been concerned about the decline of dancehall’s global visibility and influence.

After visiting Jamaica in September 2023 to get an authentic feel for the music, he has returned to create an album that will highlight the voices of dancehall artistes.

“Music leads all my conversations, and the sounds of Jamaica have really ignited me. The talent here is overwhelming and I’m ready to dive in, fusing the hypnotic feel of house music with true Jamaican energy and accents. This is about true musical creativity. We want to build something that will bring the raw dancehall sound to new audiences. I can see Ding Dong performing for the first time at a festival like Tomorrowland. That crowd on its own is nearly a million people,” Browne said.