Veteran producer Richard Roache balancing old and new sounds

With an illustrious career that dates back to the 1990s, Richard Roache's name is synonymous with success, from production to artiste management.

Starting out by working in radio then at the King Jammys studio for five years, his breakthrough project was the Scanner rhythm. First released in 2002, it featured a superstar line-up of artistes such as Vybz Kartel, Mr Vegas and Beenie Man. Since then, Roache has worked his magic on several hit projects such as the Wireless rhythm, the Believe rhythm as well as Chronixx's breakout hit Odd Ras. A former manager for reggae recording artiste Teflon, Roache has collaborated with a slew of big names in dancehall and reggae such as Sizzla, Bling Dawg, Tanya Stephens and Voicemail.

"I try to create music for everybody. Music is like food; even if it's your favourite, nobody wants the same thing every day. Sometimes you want to hold a vibe and chill or the ladies want to dance. So I make music that's appropriate for different occasions," he stated.

With the ever-evolving trends and sounds in music, Roache is keeping his sound as current as possible while also fusing the 'older stuff'.

"I'm working on a new project right now and dabbling in the fresh sounds that we hear in music today. Some of it is not really up to my speed but at this age I want to produce music that appeals to all age groups. So that's something to look out for," he said.

Today Roache is expected to release his 15-track Reggae Genesis rhythm today under his Digital One Records label. Chuck Fenda, Luciano, Leroy Sibbles, Courtney Melody and Anthony B are among the artistes on the line-up.

"When I started this project, I wanted to have a lovers rock type of vibe - something that you could bounce and groove to. So the project comprises all of that with the balance of a message," the producer explained. "My hope for the riddim is for music lovers overall to be able to grasp it. For me and many others, music is meant to uplift, [and] help with meditation. It's overall good for the soul. This project has ingredients to cover all that. It's one riddim project but it is combined with various elements."