Hailing from the old English town of Mandeville, within the Parish of Manchester , Jamaica , Christopher Plummer  otherwise known as DJ Chris , leaves no doubt in ones mind that he truly is a leader . 

Whether or not you choose  to believe in astrological mumbo jumbo, this charismatic  and innovative young man , proves without doubt that he is a  natural born lion. Standing proud and oozing  confidence Chris who was born in August 1981, has finally  found the time to sit still for five minutes , and allow us , his fans and the industry mogul’s , the privilege  of getting to know the man behind the unique sound that is Disc Jockey and Producer extraordinaire DJ  Chris.

Still  relatively  young at a mere 26,  Chris  is notoriously well known  in Jamaica, recognised not only for producing, promoting and re-mixing  some of the biggest and  best artistes the island  has to offer. But also fulfilling his  main passion of disc jockeying , and spitting lyrics that entertain the masses  at some of Jamaica’s leading parties, clubs and dance venues  on a regular basis.. 

DJ Chris with all the humility of a new born lamb, is the first to admit that as a youngster he pretty much flunked out of school with no recognizable  qualifications. However, if it wasn’t  for his candour , one would be none the wiser. Chris is an articulate and well spoken  young man, who has an edge  which I am sure makes him extremely alluring to the ladies, and highly respected amongst  men , honest and   forthright would  be words I would use to describe the way Chris  responded to  the interviewee’s questions .

With quick wit and   humour embelished with  moments of obvious consideration, he has  done nothing  but do himself and his “art” full justice and  we at Reggae Movement , wish him the best of luck with all his future endeavours.  Background Information… 

DJ Chris comes  from a Sound System family, both his grandfather and uncle  were  “sound”  men and Chris says “it was a natural progression”  for him to  get involved. His uncle Paul Grant , took over a system from his father and re-named it  “Zodiac  Disco”. Chris , from the tender age of six years old, could often be caught up during the night hours, practicing his scratching techniques  and mixing styles on the decks.

Quite the little  bad boy, by all accounts  many a night  Chris  would sneak out of the house to go to a local party or dance hosted by Zodiac. Until, at the age of   fourteen Chris was finally given his first break, an opportunity  offered by his uncle Paul,  to hold the crowd and  Dj on his own at a local house party. One can clearly tell by the wide smile on Chris’s  face that this   event holds  some extremely fond memories , and was obviously the one that got him “hooked” passionately  on his  now legendary penchant  for entertaining crowds of people at clubs and events across the island.  

From that point on DJ Chris has built his reputation  by playing out at all manner of  special events, including birthday parties, barbeques , school fetes , dances and wedding receptions.  In 1999 , at the age of 18  DJ Chris was accredited with the title 1st Place Winner in a local Remix  Competition once  held annually at Ward 21 night club in Mandeville Jamaica. DJ Chris now owns the sound “Zodiac Disco” and is progressively making a mark in the industry both as a DJ and a rapidly upcoming  reputable and popular  producer. DJ Chris further put  his skills to the test in 2006 when  along with   his friend and fellow producer  Mark “Arab” Chang, they formed the  Independent Record Label  MegaZodiac (MZ) Productionz   

As business partners both DJ Chris and Mark ‘Arab’ Chang, share responsibility right  down the line,  DJ Chris says,

 “We agreed from the offset that we would function jointly as producers. As a producer for MZ Productionz I  rely heavily on all past musical experiences and have realized  the invaluable amount of  knowledge I had  gained from functioning alongside my uncle Paul on Zodiac Sound. Selecting on Zodiac Sound as a professional DJ from 1994 really helped in enriching my knowledge, adding to my experience and aiding  exposure to  all the  vital attributes  one needs to posses in order to  excel not only as a DJ but also as a successful producer and businessman.”  

With so much under his belt already, and  with a fan base stretching from Mandeville  to the UK , USA and Europe, “RM” are proud to be able to say they have the questions we all want to ask , straight  from the horses mouth , so to speak.   

RM:   If you had to pick one over the other  Chris, music production or disc jockeying, which would come out on top? 

DJ Chris: I must say that’s a very “tough2 question, but I honestly  think I would have to rate DJ’ing  over production, as its always nice  playing  for a huge crowd , who I can see appreciate  and love the music. It brings me personal joy to know that I am  pleasing their individual souls  musically.  

RM: Describe what it is you consider to be unique  about your style as a DJ, and was that unique quality learned over time or something you think you were born  with? 

DJ Chris: Ok, well for me the music is an inborn concept. There was always a sound system in our house  as I  was growing up. Starting with my grandfather (“may his soul rest in peace”)  and continuing down to my uncle. It was he , who taught me  practically everything I know about music. So I would have to say my knowledge and understanding of music, my ability to mix seamlessly , my unique scratching technique and my original  re-mixing skills are all part and parcel of what makes DJ Chris  an absolute one –off  DJ .

 RM: Unifying sounds with samples, and or building tracks from foundation can be extremely hard work, have you any formal kind of training at all, or again is all that you are so talented in doing  simply something  you have without a  doubt been blessed with?.. 

DJ Chris: You’re right both  building tracks  from foundation, and unifying sounds with samples , is definitely hard work, and I don’t have any formal training at all when it comes to beats. I have never studied studio engineering nor have I studied the basis  of producing music at college. For me it is truly all a natural  thing, from my passion for music to the influences of both my grandfather and uncle.  

RM: Having the World Wide Web as a forum to air  your music , must have tripled  your fan base in a relatively  short period of time. Are you able to produce new sounds and quality re-mixes equally as  fast , in order to keep your following “crying out  for more”. 

DJ Chris: Music is my thing, I live and breathe  music and so yes, I’m nearly always working on something new, whether  it’s a re-mix or totally new beat. The web has definitely  expanded my fan base, and obviously widened both field and scope that my music reaches to, I am grateful to my loyal Myspace fans who often pass on my details to their friends and so I continue on a daily basis to reach more people globally.   

RM; When at work as a producer Chris , how  do know when you have hit the lick, the one  that’ll be a big seller.? 

DJ Chris : For me that comes naturally. If I’m making a beat  and I find myself  nodding my head  to the  first 30-60 seconds , then I know right then and there that it’s going to be a hit .   

RM:  Working out of Jamaica, means you have an awful lot of competition, there are an abundance of good producers and disc jockeys  alike, how do you maintain stability at the top of your game?  

DJ Chris :Yeah, there is a lot of competition over here in Jamaica. But to be honest with you, I am not in this business to compete with anyone at any level. I see all aspects of the industry as my mission, not a competition. To maintain stability  at the top of my game, as I have already explained to you, its my passion, this is what I live to do. Therefore I set my standards and stick to them, hard work , determination and persistence will lead me to accumulate award/ rewards and accomplish whatever  goals I aim to be working towards.  

RM: Name an International artiste  you would like to feature  on a  DJ Chris dubplate, maybe RM can help hook  you up in the not too distant future.  

DJ: Chris Id love to feature T.I no  doubt about that !! See  what you can do for me RM , it’d be highly appreciated.  

RM:  As a producer you’re not signed to any label, if  you were approached by one of the majors, would  you consider signing up. Or do you prefer the freedom  you have to express yourself as and how you choose at the moment, with completely unique and undiluted sounds and mixes?  

DJ Chris: If I was approached  by a major record label I would love to be contracted, I obviously enjoy my artistic freedom as it is now ,and I guess  that  all would be negotiated in terms and conditions of contract.  

RM: How  soon can we expect a  CD / LP  of Dj Chris’s  productions  for the fans to purchase?  

DJ Chris : Ummm I haven’t  set a release date as yet, but my latest production  rhythm , should be available  for the fans to purchase early in 2008. 

 RM: As a man who both  produces music and plays out, what does DJ Chris do to unwind , to chill out and have fun?  

DJ Chris: Well. I like to chill out at home with a nice home cooked meal, a good dvd , chilling out with the family or that special someone and of course clubbing , parties the movies, the beach and general stuff like most other people. I have to admit I really  do like to party and have a good time though.   

RM: Its been an absolute pleasure DJ Chris, thank you so much  for making time in  your busy schedule to hang out and give the fans a little insight into  your life.  

DJ Chris: You’re welcome, and if anyone out there wants  to link me , they can do so on Myspace at www.myspace.comzodiacdisco

As Dj Chris has said if any of you readers wish to get further information about his gigs , releases, or simply just want to hook him up, you can hit him up on the Myspace  forum. Where coincidentally  you can also listen to his music and  download his biggest hit to date the “Tranquilizer  Riddim” , which featured practically every artiste of reputation in Jamaica, includingCapleton, Sizzla, Beenie Man, Vybz Kartel, Lady Saw, Little, Hero, Teflon, Perfect and many more (listed below)

 This lick was played all  over the globe BBC 1Xxtra  shouted its popularity from the rooftops till Europe caught the bug too.

Lady Flame - “Hot Walk”
Tamar - “Gimmie What You Got”
Beenie Man - “East West”
Teflon - “Must Prevail”
Hero - “From Yuh Bless”
Mad Sam - “Flossing”
Ricky General - “Cola”
Perfect - “Got To Get That”
Adi Di Teacha - “Enjoy Yuh Life”
Sizzla - “Bullet Bullet”
Viper - “Ride”

  So don’t be left out , catch DJ Chris before he goes platinum and you have to join a queue round the block to get a look in. myspace.com/tranquilizerriddim              

 zodiacentertainment@hotmail.com   

rawpatois@yahoo.com     One Love Peace and Stay Blessed