Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

BLOOD, SWEAT and determination have gone into stoking the fire that burns brightly at Chimney Records in Mona, St Andrew. With the airwaves slowly burning with new, creative songs from Chimney founders and producers, Jordan McClure and David 'Hizzle' Hayle, the label is ready to blanket the industry with its unique sound.

A small, but equipped studio, which consists of a voice room, lounge and operating room, Chimney Records is one of several new labels that have proliferated in the dancehall in recent years.

Starting in 2002 with a component set, speakers and a computer, McClure and Hayle built the voice room and set up what they hope one day would develop into a lucrative business. Having a love for music since their days at Campion College, Hayle and McClure were constantly experimenting with new sounds and adding their own tastes to the music of the time, dancehall.

Serious about passion

Having both been classically trained in piano, the two producers have since taught themselves everything they know today. Hayle told The Sunday Gleaner, "Music isn't something we picked up and never followed up on. Every week, I would burn CDs and link Jordan who would write songs for it. Even when Jordan went away to school, I would still be making rhythms and email them to him."

It wasn't until 2002, however, that the duo decided to take its passion seriously, naming their label Chimney, and began looking for artistes to produce. After meeting fellow producer and artiste, Delly Ranx, things started to turn around. Delly Ranx introduced the duo to the industry, showing it how to get its songs out in the streets and introduced them to other artistes. They produced a number of rhythms for Delly Ranx, including Cherry Tree, Gangsta Prayer with Sean Paul's Play Di Music, Shooter with Vybz Kartel's Weh Dem Feel Like and Mavado's Threat Dem A Sen'. The rhythms continued with Troublemaker and Soul Seeker on which they voiced the likes of Bounty Killer, Einstein and Bramma.

First big hit

McClure commented, "It was during that time we built a good relationship with Kartel. Kartel was someone who looked like he really believed in us."

Vybz Kartel gave the duo its first big hit last year with Trailer Load of Money, of which a video was done immediately after voicing the track. Since then, the two have continued working busily on their sound and trying to differentiate it from others.

They are also working on Vybz Kartel's 15-track album, Trailer Load of Money, a joint venture with Kartel's Addijah Records. It will be the first album released on the Chimney label. They are also working on releasing Signature Singles, which will feature their most popular songs to date.

Ready for the journey

The two admire the work of countless other producers, including Stephen McGregor and DASECA, as well as veterans such as Sly and Robbie, Steelie and Clevie and Dave Kelly and, internationally, Timbaland and Quincy Jones. Producing a variety of sounds, Hayle describes Chimney's music as being "not exactly traditional, but a fusion of different genres. We have a love for all types of music. There are elements of hip hop and R&B, but dancehall is the foundation".

This melting pot of sound, the duo hopes, will be the medium to cross over into other markets.

"We're not close to where we want to be. In Jamaica, we're getting there, but Jamaica is a small fraction of where we want to be," McClure said.

Hayle added: "Success is a journey and we're on that journey, so we're on the way."