What does it take to create a new genre or subgenre? The answer, according to producer Dale ‘Dizzle’ Virgo, whose multi-faceted career began on this tiny island, “is a change in his whole outlook.” Whether working from the comfort of a studio or a tech-driven commercial space, his efforts are always to breathe life into and contribute to the ever-growing soundscapes that emerge from the island. It all started with the producer’s Holy Ground Records (mostly gospel music productions) and Dizzle Lab Productions, which evolved into DZL Records.
Virgo has always seen the importance of properly cataloging music in reggae and dancehall, especially as they merge with other genres. While producing music over the years he has formed a distinct style of merging soul, reggae, trap and dub elements, but it was much later that the decision came to officially give him a name, ” with the hope that people can recognize the style, â€he said The Sunday Gleaner.
While on a business trip to the United States, Virgo said his fellow music professionals reinforced the importance of putting music into their different categories. Or, as it relates to his latest creation, which taps into soul, reggae, dub, dancehall and several other sounds used by other genres, to give it a name – hence the birth of DubSoul.
Although examples of DubSoul can be found as early as 2010 on Gyptian’s single mom screams and on the collaborative EP of Virgo and Jamaican artist SeanResy titled Rocky path, released in July 2021, the subgenre was born during the pandemic, he said. Virgo believes DubSoul will have “sustaining power” and that new talent from around the world will emerge to push it to unprecedented levels.
‘HANS ZIMMER OF JAMAQUE’
His modest goal, as leader of DZL Records, is “to be the Hans Zimmer of Jamaica” using the created instrumentals, “for the purpose of being innovative and meeting challenges in an ever-changing world” . After all, if the German composer could incorporate traditional orchestral arrangements with electronic music sounds into more than 150 films, Virgo sees nothing wrong with aiming even higher with his latest musical exploration.
“A few months ago, when I was in Los Angeles and New York, I received the best advice from colleagues in the music industry who also asked me to send them the instrumental or dub version of my projects that I had released over the years, â€shared Virgo.
He added: “I am working on several film projects, I write the score, the mix and the works and I receive an increasing demand for music for film. I find it even bigger [importance] to categorize music, as this helps formulate descriptive metadata for movie sync purposes.
Recording artists can still record in the DZL sphere, but Virgo is ready for his special project which could fully exploit his capacities as a producer and those of the label. He is intitulated DubSoul Beat Tape Vol 1, and it consists of seven pieces, including the instrumental for mom screams.
“This rhythmic band includes instrumentals created just 12 years ago. We plan to have artists record on the rhythms. If they decide they want to fully produce a song or release a song that they have made, they will have to contact us and we can negotiate or find the way forward, â€he said. “I did my research and saw that there is a great demand for instrumental music, but not a lot comes from Jamaica. I believe I will be more proficient in delivering more high quality Jamaican fusion music to international sync libraries. From there I can present the instrumentals to film libraries and sync companies for use in movies and TV shows, â€he said.
Some of the most notable tracks are Despair, Run away, and Xie xie taking the listener through melancholy emotions, the first of the two named appearing inspired by despair and the search for solace in the dark. The mood of the music ends up turning into an eye-opening experience, which can leave someone calm, happy, excited, alive or inspired while revealing the complex, sad and depressing side of the same room, he said. declared. Xie xie, which translated from Mandarin means ‘thank you’, sparked tears.
“Music is my life and is also a representation of my current state of mind. If I feel sad, I can create sad music. If I am happy, I can create happy music, and so on. I can create music according to my mood. I use my mood, my environment and my life experiences to inspire my music, â€explained Virgo.
The past three years have been eventful, filled with many obstacles as the producer defended his child’s constitutional rights in Supreme Court when his school denied him access due to his dreadlocked hair. The face on the DubSoul Beat Tape Vol 1 the artwork, while unintentional, also represents what he fought for, laying bare the image of a model depicting the moving feel of black culture and the natural aesthetic of the surroundings. He explained that he uses music as a coping mechanism and that there is a lot more to share than can be shared in a single project.
“Music is my source of healing and motivation. I lock myself in my studio and make new music in my free time to ease my pain. I worked on each instrument individually, added musical elements, used a combination of selected samples and my own voice to give each one a distinct feel, â€he said.
“It’s a great feeling to express my deepest emotions to beats, as well as to inspire and showcase my talent while doing it. The overall process felt gradual and fulfilling, especially for the team as well. It was very different from what we are used to posting, and we are gradually creating a workflow, â€continued Virgo.
