Chutney rising with hit-maker Fareed

Adesh Samaroo’s massive hit “Rum Till I Die” would probably have died, and we may have never heard of Carlene Wells’ “Mother-in-Law Pressure” if it were not for the intervention and  foresight of Fareed Mohammed. Many of the new and rising chutney stars heap praise on Mohammed for giving them the opportunity to record their songs which has allowed them to breakthrough in the fierce music industry. If it were not for Mohammed’s commitment to helping local artistes, some of the chutney hits would not have seen the light of day. Mohammed, manager of FM Studios, is also responsible for the production of Vedesh Sookoo’s  “Dhal Belly Indian,” Ramdeen “Falko” Maharaj’s “Take Some Wood,”  and Sarah Ramkallie’s “Horn Song.” He has also assisted top bands like JMC Trevini, TTEC Gayatones and Dil-E-Nadan.

Mohammed opened his modern, fully digital recording studios just two years ago at Mohammedville, El Socorro Road in San Juan. Included among the top acts he has produced is 2004 Chutney Soca Monarch, Rooplal Girdharrie, whose hit songs “Long Time Chutney” and “Saara Ra Ra” were recorded at his studio. Mohammed puts in the extra hours with his engineers to ensure quality production for the artistes. “I had to invest the time and money in this field because I saw there was a need to give the artistes the opportunity to record their voices for radio. The East Indian frequencies were multiplying and I knew that there will be many local stars with material to be aired,” he said. While he was growing up, Mohammed always maintained a keen interest in recorded music. He was always fascinated by the recording system and worked at perfecting recorded music sounds by purchasing instruments and equipment to balance sound.

He also harboured a love for assembling musical instruments so he began reading about the technical compositions of the electronics. Soon, he was able to fix a broken radio, television, as well as other electronic gadgets. His first job was as a clerk and technician at Soundtronics and later at Disco Track. Through the years, he has been involved in mixing music for many people, but did this as a hobby until he opened the studio, which has kept him busy. “There are those from the religious arena who would come in for bhajans and qaseedas and then there are those who just want to do an advertisement.

To each piece of work we have to apply the same patience and understanding and effort in order to get an excellent end-product,” he explained. Mohammed’s fulfillment and happiness comes when he turns on the radio and hears one of his recorded songs. “I feel like I have accomplished my goal. I feel good to know that my efforts have not gone in vain,” he commented. Struggling artistes have benefited tremendously from his help. He is willing to take the time with the amateurs and see that they are given a fair chance at making it big with their recordings.

Mohammed is also very happy that many of his recordings have made it to the cross-over stations. “In the case of ‘Rum Till I Die,’ we took a chance on Adesh because he was not financially equipped for this venture. He was bubbling with excitement and we gave him a chance and it brought him tremendous success. And I believe that his success is really ours in a sense,” he said. He recalled another occasion involving the young Sarah Ramkallie who went on to become quite popular. “It was a clear case of a young lady with a talented voice and no money for recording. I had to reach out to her and the rest, as we say, is history.” Sarah’s songs hit the local charts within a month and she received bookings for many shows in the months that followed. Some on the many artistes who spend quality time in the studio include Ronnie McIntosh, San Jose Boys, Rasika Dindial, Rakesh Yankaran, Heeralal Rampartap, Marcia Miranda, Nazimool Khan, Anil Bheem, The Ramnarine Brothers and Devanand Gatoo.

Fareed is thankful to Devindra Kalpoo who is his assistant for directing the music for the  CDS. “It was Devindra who assisted Adesh Samaroo to get the right type of sound for the hit song, ‘Rum Till I Die’,” he said. An artiste may have the talent but he or she needs a proper recording studio to put together the compilation and this is where Mohammed comes in. He is willing to take the time with the amateurs to see that they are given a fair chance at making it big with their recordings. Mohammed continues to spin out the correct notes for the many hits — chutney and other songs — made in TT. He is happy that he is finally in a good position to use his talent and skill to bring these works of art to the forefront for the thousands who will enjoy in TT and many other countries of the world.