Music producer emerges through self-discipline

Jamarie Stapleton is a self-taught producer and musician who is proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the soca arena.

Stapleton, who goes by the stage name ‘L Plank,’ is creating waves and causing a buzz with his two hit tracks, ‘Jab Jab session’ and ‘In the water’.{{more}}

The 25-year-old Cane Garden resident told SEARCHLIGHT in an interview yesterday that high studio fees led him to learn to produce music.

“I usually go by other studios when I was younger and tried to get recordings, but the prices were very high. So, I decided to try and organize my equipment, do a little study on the music and start my own music production,” he said.

His song ‘Jab Jab Session’ is one of the tracks he produced.

He noted that because of his experience, he is willing to work along with artistes who may not have the funds to pay him at the moment.

“If an artiste cannot come up with certain funds at the time, I am the person that can work with them. I am a reasonable person.”

He noted that to incorporate a little bit of ‘jab jab’ in J’Ouvert, he created the song ‘Jab Jab session’.

“In the Water’ was done for Wet Fete specifically, because when you go wet fete you don’t really hear water tunes.”

This year’s Carnival has seen an increase in music from younger and newer artistes, and in many cases they have given the more seasoned artistes a run for their money.

Stapleton believes that this increase in involvement is due to the fact that Carnival was ‘heading downhill’.

“The youngsters saw that and they tried to uplift it a bit.”

“I just tryna do whatever it takes; I have no specific role; I just wanna do whatever it takes to bring back Carnival alive and do my part,” he added.

Stapleton noted that one of his biggest musical influences is St Vincent’s own Mason, stating that they both have a similar flow in their music.

The upcoming artiste, however, does not want to be known as a Carnival artiste, as he plans to release music for the summer and even has a song for Independence on the books.

He noted that the reviews for the song have created a bit of pressure, but he is trying to keep a cool head.

“It’s been wild, some places I have to sign autographs…its wild.” (CM