Words by Saxon Baird—
Philip Smart, veteran reggae/dancehall producer and engineer and the mastermind behind the New York’s most notable reggae recording facility, HC&F Studios, has passed away at the age of 54.
The name Philip Smart may not be immediately recognizable to many fans of Jamaican music. But that may be due more to his long-time residency outside of Jamaica than his lack of contribution to Jamaican music for the past three decades.
Smart’s Long Island-based HC&F Studios made a name for itself recording hits such as Barrington Levy’s “Murderer” and Carlton Livingston’s “100 Weight of Collie Weed” in the early ‘80s with Smart at the controls, establishing HC&F as a required stop for visiting Jamaican artists. The studio would go on to record massive hits like the original cuts of Shabba Ranks “Mr. Loverman” and Super Cat’s “Don Dada” as well as popular riddims into the early 2000s like “Hard Drive” and “Hot This Year.”
Smart’s HC&F studio was foundational in establishing and cultivating New York City’s often-overlooked but thriving dancehall scene in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Labels like Jah Life and Witty regularly utilized the studio to record while international superstar Shaggy would record some of his biggest hits with Philip Smart behind the soundboard.
Smart was born in Kingston and first cut his teeth working with Augustus Pablo at King Tubby’s studio where he witnessed sessions that would comprise King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown. Smart began assisting for Tubby and eventually mixed the tracks for Johnny Clarke’s “None Shall Escape the Judgment.”
Smart relocated to New York in the late 70s, and eventually founded HC&F Studios in the Long Island, New York town of Freeport, just outside New York City. The studio found its niche at the dawn of the digital dancehall-era, becoming a mainstay for years to come. In 2005, LargeUp editor Jesse Serwer visited HC&F for the XLR8R feature “Philip Smart In The Studio.”
“Dancehall represents originality to me in terms of music production,” Smart said at the time. “But I think the original era of reggae needed to be represented.”
Just last year, in an article for Red Bull Music Academy, Smart expressed his thoughts on the future of Jamaican music and showcased his desire to help it continue to evolve, stating, “Everybody’s searching right now but I don’t think anybody has really found it […] but we’re searching for something that’s gonna be different. Maybe it will happen and become a new era of reggae.”
In honor of Smart’s legacy, we’ve pulled together (along with some help from Deadly Dragon Sound) both deep cuts and colossal hits from HC&F’s massive list of recording credits. Read on.
Monyaka – “Go Deh Yaka” (1983)
The reggae band out of Brooklyn helped build HC&F Studios and cut the first track ever recorded there. That track,“Go Deh Yaka” went on to become something of a hit outside of reggae circles, charting at No. 14 in the UK and cracking radio rotation at WBLS in New York City. The success of the single was a good omen for the things to come for Philip Smart and HC&F.
Barrington Levy — “Murderer” (1984)
Recorded at HC&F Studios by Jah Life and engineered by Philip Smart in 1982 for his label of the same name, “Murderer” was one of the first hits by a Jamaican artist to come out of Philip Smart’s Long Island-based studio. Re-recorded, remixed and sampled countless times, the original “Murderer” showcases Levy at his peak over the vastly used, minimal Hot Milk riddim.
Carlton Livingston – “100 Weight of Collie Weed” (1984)
Arguably reggae’s greatest contraband smuggling anthem, Carlton Livingston‘s “100 Weight of Collie Weed” details the movement of marijuana through Jamaica (from St. Ann’s, in particular). But the track was recorded for Brooklyn producer Jah Life on the same Hot Milk riddim used for Barrington’s “Murderer.”
Garnett Silk – “Retreat Wicked Man” (1992)
Smart’s Tan-Yah label was nearly as prolific as the constantly rotating doors of HC&F. One of the crowning gems of the label’s catalog is this haunting recording from the late Garnett Silk featuring Smart as the producer.
Shabba Ranks – “Mr. Loverman” (1988)
In search of an international sound, Mikey Bennett and Shabba Ranks came to Philip Smart to cut the original version of Ranks’ biggest dancehall crossover hit. The track would later be re-recorded with Chevelle Franklin at Penthouse Studios, but the original was done at Philip Smart’s HC&F studio.
Super Cat – “Don Dada” (1990)
Later remixed by Bobby Konders, “Don Dada” catapulted Super Cat into the mainstream musical consciousness of America and earned the Jamaican-born DJ a life-long nickname. The original was recorded in 1992 at HC&F with Philip Smart as the engineer. Super Cat would eventually relocate to an area of Long Island right near the studio, making him a frequent visitor.
Terror Fabulous – “Body and Shape” (1993)
The same Jamaican DJ that brought the massive crossover dancehall hit “Action” also leant his energetic vocals to this deep cut of slinky and slim digital-era dancehall for Smart’s Tan-Yah label.
Sammy Levi – “Come off the Road” (1988)
Over the Peek and Poke riddim from Jammy’s Computerized Dub LP, Smart was the producer for this thinly eerie early digital offering from the criminally overlooked Sammy Levi who tells the tale of a licked down soundboy with a vocal nod to Sade’s “Smooth Operator” to boot. The track was included on 5 Borough Fire, a 2005 compilation collecting rare recordings from HC&F.
Dirtsman – “Hot This Year” (1991)
Little over a year before being gunned down, Jamaican DJ Dirtsman recorded the big tune “Hot This Year,” on the riddim with the same name. Produced by Smart for his Tan-Yah label (it was reissued by Digital B and Tuff Gong), the riddim utilized Pro Tools and, it has been said that it was the first dancehall hit to use the now-pervasive recording program. Yet another example of Smart’s recording genius and ability to stay relevant despite Jamaican music’s constantly changing styles and sounds.
Red Fox and Screechy Dan – “Pose Off” (1991)
Another example of the vitality of the New York reggae scene nurtured by Smart and HC&F, Red Fox and Screechy Dan’s classic “Pose Off” was made on Hot This Year riddim, the same Smart production as Dirtsman’s hit by that name, at HC&F. “Pose Off” showcases these two members of the Ruff Entry Crew at their respective peaks in 1991, while the lean energy of this riddim would be a signature of Smart’s sound during this era.
Shaggy – “Oh Carolina” and “Boombastic” (1993, 1995)
The international superstar scored his first crossover hit with the Sting International-produced single “Oh Carolina” cut at HC&F studios. Just a few years later, Shaggy—another Long Island neighbor—would return to the creative well of Smart’s HC&F studio to cut one of the biggest hits of his career in “Boombastic.”
Elephant Man – “On Line” (Hard Drive Riddim) (2002)
In 2002, over 45 Jamaican DJs offered their vocals over the popular Hard Drive riddim, though it’s perhaps Elephant Man’s “On Line” that stands out the most. The riddim was recorded not in Jamaica but at HC&F Studios ,over 20 years after it originally opened.
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