Unassuming and low-profile, Syl Gordon has amassed a formidable resume as a studio engineer and music producer. A protege of producer Gussie Clarke, he prefers to let that reputation do the talking for him.

Gordon, who co-founded Cell Block Recording studio and label with Buju Banton in 1993, recently broke his silence to chat with reggae-vibes.com. At the time of our interview, his co-production of ‘A House is Not A Home’ by Hopeton Lindo and Marcia Griffiths, went number one on the South Florida Reggae Chart.

That reggae cover of Dionne Warwick’s classic is co-produced by Lindo. It is from the singer’s album, ‘This Song’s For You’.

“My approach has always been to focus on delivering top-notch work, rather than seeking to draw attention to myself. As a respected engineer and producer, I’m confident that my projects will continue to speak for themselves, and that’s all the recognition I need,” said Gordon.

It is a milestone year for the Kingston-born veteran who learned his craft at the feet of Clarke, Steven Stanley, Soljie Hamilton and Bobby Digital. July marked 30 years since the release of ‘Til Shiloh’, Buju Banton’s epic album, on which Gordon worked as an engineer and producer.

‘Rampage’, one of the songs from the album, was the first production from Cell Block. ‘Til Shiloh’ has a special place in Gordon’s heart.

“Most of the tracks were first recorded and produced by Mark (Buju Banton) and I. However, the record company, Loose Cannon, had issues because we were young producers. The company suggested that we let other name brand producers work on this project so the company can better market the album, hence the various producers used,” he revealed.

Gordon says he first met Buju in the early 1990s at the Kingston compound that housed Clarke’s Music Works company and Donovan Germain’s Penthouse Records. At the time, he was a recording and mixing engineer for both camps.

During the 1990s, Gordon toured as Shabba Ranks’ engineer. As his credentials grew, he worked in a similar role for Buju and also mixed ‘Who Say Big Man Don’t Cry’, the singjay’s monster hit with Beres Hammond.

Gordon also had a fruitful run as chief engineer for producer Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell’s Xterminator label. He manned the boards for hit songs such as ‘Yardie’ by Buju, Beres Hammond’s ‘Full Attention’, ‘Alms House’ (Capleton), ‘She Loves me Now’ (Cocoa Tea) and ‘One Way Ticket’ (Luciano).

‘House Call’ by Shabba Ranks, ‘Don Dada’ (Super Cat) and ‘Banana Boat’ by Junior Reid are some of the other songs Gordon worked on as an engineer.

With ‘A House is Not A Home’ topping the South Florida Reggae Chart, the laid-back Gordon takes his latest success in stride.

“There’s no better feeling than knowing your work is appreciated, and I’m optimistic that radio enthusiasts globally will be inspired to show their support as well,” he said.

(Photos contributed)