At age 14, emerging deejay Hot Vybes was saving his lunch money to record his first song, ‘Money Pree’.

Less than a month later, the Spanish Town-based artiste was making dozens of CDs, and printing T-shirts and flyers to promote himself.

Now, after some 10 years, the innovative Hot Vybes is celebrating his dream, his own recording studio.

“I used to record at several studios, and it wasn’t easy on my side. Now, I have my home studio since April 2024.”

He recalls some of the problems he had before. “Firstly, is the problem of cost. One full hour to book studio time can cost anywhere between four to fifty thousand dollars.

“Then, there is the problem of transportation and getting home. I may have to sleep at the recording studio, or risk trying to get to the nearest point of getting a ride which I can afford.”

“Another setback is that it is not easy for a young artiste to get bookings at recognized studios.”

“Music is my passion, so I will virtually live in a studio, enjoying all the different sounds.”

“I get a lot of riddims each week, so I am always experimenting to see which songs fit the best,” he adds

Hot Vybes, born Shane Taylor, had his laptop for years. He later purchased monitors, microphone, fast track, and amplifiers. He believes a good record producer needs to connect with musicians and weave their emotions into the music.

“Producers must be able to create inviting space, be versatile, become business savvy, and most importantly, understand the process of music production.”

Hot Vybes has recorded some ten songs for different producers. These include ‘Fame’ (Caado Records), ‘Try Stop Me’ (Dark Disciple), and ‘Tuff Love’ (Naseve Records).

His latest project is ‘Cyah Be Loyal’, a collaboration with artistes Lyan Turbo, Geppe Don, and Jenuin. This is on the Rich Code Music Production imprint.

(Photos contributed)