Chimney Records Producer David Hayle Endorses The New Sound Of Dancehall

Jamaican producer David Hayle of Chimney Records says he supports experimentation and the new sound of Dancehall. “People will always have their opinion, but Dancehall will live on, and it will always evolve and change over time,” Hayle told DancehallMag at the recent launch of Govana’s Legacy album held at the Courtyard, Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in Kingston.

He added: “No one person can say where exactly it’s going to go and where it should go, or not. But, it (the changes) will continue.”

Hayle, along with Jordan McClure, are the masterminds behind Chimney Records, the label known for riddims such as Aircraft and Style A Style, and their work on Shenseea’s debut album, Alpha.

The two, who are both past students of Campion College in St Andrew, started out producing rhythms for deejay-turned-producer Delly Ranx. Now, after almost 20 years in the industry, their most recent project was Govana’s Legacy, which they executive-produced.

As a producer, Hayle has constantly had to move with the tides of a dynamic sector. However, he shared that he has never been deterred and is encouraging other producers to remember why they started amidst the noise.

“I attribute my success to the love of music, and accepting music, and being a part of the musical environment in Kingston and Jamaica, generally, as part of your essence,” he told DancehallMag.

“If your essence is to be a musician, you’re gonna wake up everyday and seek out music, and if you seek out music and you’ve been doing that consistently, you’re going to gravitate towards people that do the same things. So, you’re gonna end up making hits. Also, try to make better and better and improve things over time. You’re going to find that you’ll link up with the right people to make something special.”

Govana had a similar stance when quizzed on his thoughts about the evolution of Dancehall. He says he is all for the younger generation’s sound.

“Dancehall is fine. Coming out of Ska and Mento, I’m sure that all of those guys used to cuss Dancehall for what people a seh dem miss now. It’s the evolution… At the end of the day, we still see Skillibeng doing numbers and creating wonders. We still see Skeng and Rajah Wild dem filling up places and all dem ting deh. At the end of the day, mi cyaa seh it a fail because mi see fi youths dem a rich offa it same way,” he said.