Ancil Harris: Trinidadian Creative Making Moves Across The Caribbean Saturday, February 5, 2022 By LESLEY HAYLES
Trinidadian director, producer, comic artist and overall graphic jack of all trades, Ancil Harris, formed the Ville Ventures Films in 2010, doing various interviews, TV shows and comics. In 2017, he started GT Network with a small group of young creatives who came together with the idea of developing a platform for upcoming artists and filmmakers. They have produced various content over the years but are focused on scripted TV series and movies. Harris then revamped his Ville Ventures brand in 2019 to Ville Ventures Universe in an effort to bring his characters and those of other Carib bean creatives to life.
The team has since expanded to now include more directors, actors and crew members, all young people working together in teams on various film projects. Harris is also currently working on mostly sci-fi type genres, like a series called Vaser Claw, which will be out in July. There’s also Solerra, Night Rogue and Sister Bond to be aired throughout 2022. Harris has been able to establish several
connections throughout the Caribbean, US, Canada and a few African countries to broadcast his shows and diligently working to gain access to South America in the not too distant future.
“One of our main aims is to form a kind of Caribbean Hollywood entity where we can highlight high-end Caribbean content to the world,” Harris professed.
Harris has also teamed up with Jamaican PR, Lesley Hayles, to revamp the now defunct Ville Ventures Magazine into CMix (Caribbean Mix) Magazine, which is celebrating their 1st anniversary since its inception in February 2021 and in time for Harris’ birthday on Valentine’s Day. The pair have worked together many times before on several projects since 2010 during the Ville Ventures Films era.
The media mogul has a lot on his plate but is also a family man, working alongside his brother and spending as much time as he can with his wife and children.
Instagram GT Network: https://www.instagram.com/networkgt Ville Ventures Universe: https://www.instagram.com/villeventuresuniverse CMix Magazine: https://www.instagram.com/cmixentmagazine
https://www.gtcaribbeannetwork.tv https://issuu.com/cmixmag
1st Anniversary
Year In Review
Issue #1: https://issuu.com/cmixmag/docs/cmix_mag_issue_1 Trinidad-based CMix (Caribbean Mix) Magazine was originally Ville Ventures Magazine before its revamping by Ville Ventures Films (now Ville Ventures Universe) owner and GT (Great Things) Network co-owner, Ancil Harris. Our very own editor and content manager, Lesley Hayles, from Kingston, Jamaica, was featured on the cover of the first ever issue published on February 18, 2021. Issue #1 introduced Hayles as a producer with her first release, Ride Me Riddim, with her cover photo taken by Stephanie Lyew, a journalist from The Jamaica Gleaner/Star, and included stories about Jamaican Dancehall superstar, Gage, and a song he did for upcoming producer, Wandr Productions, based in Florida. Mzs Quanny, a Philadelphia-based songstress with parents from St. Kitts and Jamaica, was introduced, as well as Jamaican Dancehall artistes Prospec and Varian Di-Best both based in New York, Lajik in New Jersey and Ras Demo from the UK. Jamaican producer California Clive in Maryland spoke about his label, Cali Cash Records, and upcoming female producer, Geminiss, from Gemini Management Records was also introduced. Harris, spoke about the release of the second episode of his superhero hit series, Magonolia.
Issue #2: https://issuu.com/cmixmag/docs/cmix_may_to_july
The second edition of the CMix Magazine was published on May 31, 2021 with the beautiful Guyana-born model turned actress, Aliyah Whatley, on the cover as we spoke about her transition into acting and starring in GT Network’s Black Land series.
It also introduced upcoming Jamaican artistes Paronyde based in Florida, Retstar from LDR Recordz, Miggz Meddi from the UK and the work he’s been doing with Haynes Records, Di Celebrityy in New York and his collaboration with Skillibeng, and upcoming female artist, Cay Z formally Lady Cay, who signed to Triple Bro Records, both based in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
The talented Mzs Quanny was also featured as she successfully charted with her album, Don’t Mean To Brag, and vying for the number 1 spot against the likes of Sean Paul.
Our New Music & Entertainment Tidbits section was added, which featured new music from Sandy Star based in New York alongside German producers Data Dreads, Gage for Nation Cry Music, a collaboration with Prospec and Munga Honorable, and the latest remix of a Dexta Daps track by Mixplosion’s DJ Ali Patch. New York-based artiste, Deadli, launched his radio station, Massive FX, in Guyana so we featured his ad, as well as the graphics for Sister Bond which is slated for release in 2022 by GT Network.
Issue #3: https://issuu.com/cmixmag/docs/cmix_august_-_october
On August 31, 2021 we published the third issue of CMix Magazine. The cover featured Jamaican female producer, Geminiss of Gemini Management Records, as she spoke about being signed to DJ Sin from the UK and her beginning to distribute music through Tunesick.
We introduced Jamaican Dancehall artiste, Zazzi Flames from Frassout Records, a first for Dancehall artiste, Paronyde, with the release of “Yeng Yeng/110”, and dancer Coote Boss who spoke about creating the sensational, internationally recognized dance move, the Rifle Walk.
In the New Music & Entertainment Tidbits section, the latest from Bramma called “Life” for Rush Records, Gage with “Dem Ago Fail” produced by Eye For Ann Eye Music, and New York-based Guyanese artiste, Deadli, with “Bounce” for Zulu Recordz as well as the ad for his Massive FX radio station in Guyana.
We also introduced the Jamaican creatives, Rhea Rampair, Frank O’Neill and Robert Davis, the co-directors of VYBE, a television superhero series for GT Network to fall under the Ville Ventures Universe umbrella. The Magonolia series was also advertised for return on November 3, 2021.
Issue #4: https://issuu.com/cmixmag/docs/cmix_no_to_january_2022
The fourth and final edition of CMix Magazine for 2021 came out on November 30, which went over into January 2022, as the publication is released every 3 months. We featured the first male on the cover, Xyclone “The Billboard Kid”, who topped the charts for a sixth time with his The Sounds of South America album outselling Skillibeng for the number 1 spot. One of the producers from the album, Ricky Peela, was also featured as he charted for his production of “Realness”, a collaboration with Amlak RedSquare.
Canada-based Kelard Tha Lyricist was introduced as well as his collaboration with Dipherence called “Real G’z”. We featured Star Quality, the second EP from Zazzi Flames which was produced by Frassout Records.
Jamaican songstress in New York, Sandy Star, made a comeback with a Reggae remake of the Bruno Mars hit “Leave The Door Open” and Jinyus, a Jamaican Dancehall artiste based in New York, teamed up with international Grammy winning producer, Scott Scorch, to gain major attention for his EP, Yuh Zimi. Our editor, Lesley Hayles, tested the waters of the Latin market with the release of “Ride Me Mami” on the Ride Me Riddim, a Spanish-language track featuring Balaguero and MC Dealer from Chile which was mixed and mastered by Dee Master from Columbia. The Vaser Claw graphics advertised the released date set for July 2022.
“The team at CMix Magazine would like to send its gratitude to all who have read, shared and have been featured in the magazine throughout 2021 and are hoping for your continued support not just for our editions in 2022 but also for years to come! Thank you and please stay safe during these times.”
Caribbean Mix Entertainment Magazine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmixentmagazine Twitter: https://twitter.com/cmixentmagazine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cmixentmagazine
To be featured in CMix Magazine, email: cmixentmagazine@gmail.com cmixentmagazine@hotmail.com
Lesley Hayles & 1 Leedah Team Up Again Sunday, February 6, 2022 By LESLEY HAYLES Female PR guru turned producer, Lesley Hayles, has once again teamed up with Dancehall artiste, 1 Leedah, on a rhythm compilation called the Dasani Riddim. The project is a co-production between Hayles’ Lesley Hayles Music and 1 Leedah’s SkyNation Muzik labels.
The pair has worked together before on Hayles’ first production, Ride Me Riddim, with 1 Leedah recording a catchy, hardcore song for the ladies called “Come Over” (also known as “Come Ova”) for the compilation album. This time around, 1 Leedah approached Hayles, asking her to join him on this collaborative effort. 1 Leedah sent the beat to her and she loved it! Hayles then happily obliged to help produce the tracks and to enlist a few of her artistes to record as well as her engineer, DJ Ali Patch, to mix and master. Hayles is always more than willing to support great talent and anyone who has supported her in the past.
Dasani Riddim is a traditional Dancehall beat infused with modern day Trap style. It will feature mostly upcoming artistes like Negus Tha Great from Jamaica, Ras Guru from the Cayman Islands and Prospec from New York, with Riigz from Montego Bay and Bramma from Kingston expected to record. Of course, 1 Leedah himself will have a track on the rhythm as well.
No official date has been set yet but Lesley and 1 Leedah are hoping for a 2022 release. Stay tuned to this medium for updates and follow them as well as their labels on social media for more information.
Instagram Lesley Hayles: https://www.instagram.com/lesleyodyssey Lesley Hayles Music: https://www.instagram.com/lesleyhaylesmusic 1 Leedah: https://www.instagram.com/1leedah SkyNation Muzik: https://www.instagram.com/skynationmuzik
Riigz “Ready Fi Chop” The Road With New Music Tuesday, January 25, 2022 By LESLEY HAYLES
Riigz, born Ricardo Leslie, is a Montego Bay-based Dancehall artiste who has been making huge strides in his musical career since bursting onto the scene in 2019. From collaborating with artistes like Squash, Ryme Minister and Delpero 6ix to recording on popular rhythm compilations by Attomatic Records, Hemton Music, Cash Code Records, HD 1Family Records, DanSky Records and 6ix Real Records, Riigz carved his name into every household in his hometown of Paradise Rowe who heavily pushed his music via his Formula Entertainment team, thus gaining hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world.
Riigz was also featured on the Top Boy Riddim, with a song of the same title in 2020, produced by DJ Crazy Neil and Johnny Wonder as well as the Cry Riddim in 2021, produced by FadaRoy Muzik, alongside Gage, Popcaan and Shawn Storm. However, due to personal reasons, Riigz took a short hiatus from music business towards the end of 2021, to fix the issues he was having, while focusing on writing new material and getting ready to “chop” the road again.
“Ready Fi Chop”, released on January 22, 2022 and distributed by Hapilos, was produced by Buzman Muziq and co-produced by S.Q.R Studio, a label owned by Riigz. It happened when mutual friends in the same circles wanted to invest in music. The suggestion was made to Buzman that Riigz is the right talent to connect with. “Ready Fi Chop” is available on all streaming platforms and also picking up traction on TikTok, as several persons have already posted videos of themselves “chopping” to it.
The video is out on YouTube, which was shot and edited by Marc Hugh in and around the Montego Bay area. It received over 11,000 views within the first 13 hours of posting, with up to a whopping 30,000 views at the time of writing this piece. Although Riigz does not uphold scamming, he believes wholeheartedly that this new trend of “chopping” in music will go a long way for him.
Riigz is currently working on more videos of tracks soon to be released, including other recordings for Buzman Muziq, FadaRoy Muzik, DJ Crazy Neil and hopefully for his sister-in-law, Lesley Hayles Music.
Riigz on Instagram: https://instagram.com/riigz_muzik Riigz VEVO: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCBSC7zSaGFrjuywqc6b2DVA
Watch “Ready Fi Chop” Official Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaRdNniCUn8
Purchase “Ready Fi Chop” on iTunes/Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/ready-fi-chop/1606272562?i=1606272571
Krvcial and Bramma Taking “Over In The City” Thursday, January 27, 2022 By LESLEY HAYLES
Dancehall artiste, Krvcial, has started 2022 on a high note. Teaming up with his GGod Records label colleague, Bramma, once again on the track called “In The City”, the Duhaney Park residents both believe this to be a sure hit. Released on January 7, 2022 and produced by Chike the Khemist for Collumbium Records, “In The City” is one of 5 tracks on the Code O Riddim EP.
The lyrically hardcore song is being distributed by Zojak Worldwide and promotional video has been uploaded on Krvcial’s YouTube channel since it’s release. “In The City” was placed on the latest mixtape, Vibes Check, by DJ Jacko from New York. It also featured another of Krvcial’s songs, called “Nuh Delay”, on the 21-track compilation. Krvcial is currently working on several other projects for 2022 and awaiting the release of “Chip Glock” which he recorded for Rush Records and Grinley Recordz. Both Krvcial and Bramma will be recording for their PR, Lesley Hayles, on her next rhythm album, Dasani Riddim, a coproduction between SkyNation Muzik and her label, Lesley Hayles Music.
Krvcial on Instagram: www.instagram.com/krvcialmusikggod Bramma on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brammaggod “In The City” Official Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHYgLAeJQAA
Purchase “In The City” from the Code O Riddim on Apple Music/iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-the-city/1600838989?i=1600838993
Stream “In The City” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/13RSGxRKTwgCk1W00oL2S2?si=20Rz5iEZTA-3U_KWzAeC-Q&nd=1
Colombian Billboard Producer, Dee Master, Gathers “The Dancehall All Stars” Wednesday, January 12, 2021 By LESLEY HAYLES Colombia-born and based producer, Dee Master, has been producing music for years but has always loved Reggae music and has now tapped into the Dancehall market with a compilation of several tracks from various artistes from different countries involved in Jamaica’s culture. The album is called The Dancehall All Stars and boasts an eclectic selection to suit every pallet.
“[The Dancehall All Stars] has great material [and is] a great album of 12 songs,” says Dee Master about the project that he began in 2021. All songs are produced and mixed by Dee Master and each instrumental is unique for each artist. The South American collaborated with artistes from Jamaica, Colombia, Chile and the United States, including Amlak, Diesel High, Mzs Quanny, Richie Loop, Balaguero and Billboard chart-topping hit-maker, Xyclone. The first single, a track called “Good Up” by Diesel High will launch on Friday, January 21, 2022. Then, Dee Master will continue to periodically release the other 11 tracks, one every 3 to 4 days, such as “A Ella Le Gusta” by Balaguero and Dynasty The King, followed by “All Night” by Amlak RedSquare, “Geek” by Mzs Quanny, “Pirata” by Makkenzie and “Pretty Gyal” by Richie Loop. The rest would soon follow. The Dancehall All Stars album was mastered by Prana, another Colombian producer. Dee Master hit the Billboard charts in October 2021 with a song he produced called “Percolate It” on Xyclone’s The Sounds of South America album. That within itself is a high achievement and along with The Dancehall All Stars, Dee Master hopes it will catapult his career further. He has also teamed up with Jamaican PR guru turned producer, Lesley Hayles, when he mixed and mastered her first Latin track, “Ride Me Mami” on the Ride Me Riddim for her label, Lesley Hayles Music. The track is performed by Balaguero featuring MC Dealer, both from Chile. Dee Master has immersed himself into the Dancehall culture and infused it with the South American sound, carving a niche for himself all his own. Relying on this uniqueness of his and his connections to Jamaica and Dancehall artistes, Dee Master hopes to become the go-to Dancehall producer not only in Colombia and South America, but also worldwide. Could Dee Master be the Colombian DJ Khaled? The introduction and released tracks of The Dancehall All Stars can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/0lQ0V_mogXE Follow Dee Master on Instagram @deemaster_oficial Track List 01 “Good Up” – Diesel High 02 “A Ella Le Gusta” – Balaguero Ft Dynasty The King 03 “All Night” – Amlak RedSquare 04 “Geek” – Mzs Quanny 05 “Pirata” – Makkenzie 06 “Pretty Gyal” – Richie Loop 07 “All Over Me” – Dynasty 08 “La Especialista” – Digital Dread 09 “Beautiful Girl” – Ciju Bless 10 “Like Diwali” – Xyclone 11 “Hot Gyal” – La Toya Linger 12 “Melanina” – Hola
NEW MUSIC + ENTERTAINMENT TIDBITS
KELARD THA LYRICIST On his latest project, "Set Mi Up", Kelard Tha Lyricist flows effortlessly about a topic of friendship, haters, deception and betrayal on a gritty, dark, Dancehall beat. The song takes you down a tunnel of a dark tale, with a plot twist in the bridge and wraps it up with a moral. Produced by DJ Lassco from GPA Production alongside Kelard’s Idiosyncratic Muzyk Inc. label. Though released from December 20, 2020 on the Side Step Riddim compilation of various artistes, Kelard is currently pushing “Set Mi Up” as a new track in February 2022.
Purchase: https://music.apple.com/us/album/set-mi-up/1540457761?i=1540457953 Stream: https://open.spotify.com/track/7jbfYBwRuUbfiPv9bBbFHZ?si=097cb40bd6ed4583 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgUb9rogA7k Business: lesleyodyssey@outlook.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tha_lyricist ----------------------------------------------------------------
The Billboard Kid, Xyclone, started a new company, Ejor Media Group, on Monday, February 7, 2022. It’s a PR firm, one that can help artists, producers, DJs, dancers, other entertainers, small businesses and just about anyone else who would like to promote themselves via various media outlets. They offer an affordable service that includes newspapers, blogs, social media, radio and TV promotion (however, not limited to just those). For example, the Bronze Package is a $600 valued package but costs less than US$30 per month. Though based in the United States, people from anywhere in the world can join this remarkable PR program. Early enrollment is limited. They are only accepting diligent clients that want to see themselves grow. Visit www.EjorMediaGroup.com to subscribe and find an affordable manageable payment method that suits you. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ejormediagroup Email: ejormediagroup@gmail.com
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