Mario C starts house music in Jamaica.

by DRW
(Jamaica)

Mario C gained notoriety on the Jamaican music scene a few years ago as the mastermind behind the 357 Records imprint. As producer, Mario C (real name Mario Campbell) scored a string of hits for the likes of dancehall heavyweights Beenie Man, Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man, Lady Saw and many others.

Known in party circles as a talented DJ behind the 3rd Dimension outfit, Mario C is ready to spread his wings and set sailing into the house music world. He has started a movement called Jam House which has already begun to reap benefits.

In a press release issued, Mario C highlighted the reasons for starting the house music movement out of Jamaica.

"My interest in house music began over 15 years ago while I was living in South Florida and attending college. I decided to produce my own spin on the genre in 2009 as my country (Jamaica) is now more accepting of the sound due to the recent mainstream popularity in America. I also wanted to familiarise dance music fans in Jamaica with the genre through my association with the 3rd Dimension sound system", said Campbell.

energy

In explaining the idea behind the name Jam House, Mario C pointed out "The name 'Jam House' is short for Jamaican House as the style is a combination of dancehall and house music. The energy and crowd response to both genres are very similar and the marriage seemed like a match made in heaven, so we took the step and based on the feedback that we have received so far, it seems this was destined to happen."

Mario C brought on board Grammy-winning Jamaican dancehall star Beenie Man for the Jam House project. Also featured on a track is gold-selling dancehall star Mad Cobra whose hit Flex rode several international charts in the 1990's.

The first single from the Jam House project is titled Contagious which features rising Jamaican singer Alicia and MTV VMA nominee Mr Lexx. But Mario C isn't stopping there. He plans to continue the trend of pairing up-and-coming recording artistes with established acts from Jamaica and the Caribbean.

The Contagious single is being offered as a free download via Mario C's website, Facebook, and twitter accounts.


"The first single is being offered free as part of our push to get the word out and to get persons interested in the product," said Mario C.

Cleantone Records out of Germany is distributing Contagious.

Mario C and his 3rd Dimension counterparts Kamal Bankay and Kurt Riley (a noted Jamaican disc jockey and DJ) aim to have the world at large moving and grooving to the Jam House beat. It is their plan to be competing on the same level with other established international DJs and house music producers.

And, based on what has been recorded so far, it doesn't seem far off for the trio to accomplish this goal.

Mario C gained fame with hits including Tease Her for Anthony B; Back it Up for Beenie Man; Breast Specialist for Vybz Kartel; and most recently a top-10 hit for Beenie Man titled Go Go Club.

Influenced by the work of house and dance music heavyweights including Daft Punk, David Guetta, Bob Sinclair and Avicii, Mario C aims to be among the top house DJs globally. "I really want to spread the culture of the Jamaican people and for the world to gravitate to this genre called Jam House", he explained.

After touring the world for years as Beenie Man's official DJ and experiencing the love that people all over the world have for Jamaican music, Mario C is confident that the dancehall brand can compete head and shoulders with music on the international scene if properly infused with house beats.

House music fans can look out for Mario C's first Jam House album in April of this year which will comprise 12 tracks from newcomers as well as established Jamaican and Caribbean acts.

"This is a very bold move for a dancehall producer to be taking on a project like this. The product will speak for itself and Jamaicans always seem to pioneer various trends from dancing, to sports and music. As long as they know we are creating something that will leave a stamp on the world and expose our culture to more markets, then they will give it the support", said Mario C.