A great thing - Producer hails Sumfest's celebration of legends

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

After more than 20 years in music, the last dozen or so as a producer, Christopher Birch, is today, widely regarded as one of the best producers of dancehall.

Having worked with entertainers who have become legends in their own right, Birch stands on the threshold of greatness. This is among the reasons he is enjoying the fact that legends of dancehall are being celebrated at Reggae Sumfest's Dancehall Night later.

"It's a great thing," he said. "Sumfest is a popular festival for reggae music. It's a good platform."

Birch said that with the many negative things affecting dancehall these days, legends being celebrated is a positive thing.

"I like that and I endorse it," he said.

Birch started his career in the music industry back in 1985, when he was first inspired by his brother Winston Birch.

Winston Birch played keyboards in a band called Nasap that played at the Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay. Christopher joined the hotel circuit in 1990 and began touring in 1992 with Dean Fraser and the 809 Band. Gregory Isaacs and the late Dennis Brown are among the greats he has been on tour with.

Christopher Birch began producing in 1998, and since that time, has created some of dancehall's most memorable rhythms including 'The Sexy Lady', 'Military', 'Thriller' and 'Salsa' rhythms.

WORKING WITH WHO'S WHO

In that last dozen years, Christopher Birch also worked with a virtually who's who in dancehall, producing for the likes of Bounty Killer, Shaggy, Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Voicemail and Vybz Kartel.

He recalls back in the day when Kartel wrote for Bounty Killer, that Killer implored him to 'voice' Kartel. The rest, as they say, is history, as Kartel is arguably one of contemporary dancehall's biggest acts.

His journey to greatness, Birch revealed, had been inspired by many of the industry's players. Sly and Robbie, for example, just might be among the biggest influences on his career.

There are others too. People like Robbie Lyn, Jackie Mittoo, Clive Hunt and Dean Fraser and the 809 Band were described as major influences.

As far as Birch is concerned, he isn't even a producer.

"I am a musician that loves to play music," he said. "Being a producer is kind of like being in the kitchen cooking food."

The highly respected producer said he got pleasure from the journey rather than the destination.

"I am still learning along the way," he said. "The destination is good but the journey is the better part of it, because while the destination is good, it is also where the problems are. You know how the saying goes, 'more money, more problems'."