IF one were to seek for a music producer/arranger/composer of any merit on the Guyana shores, the name Darrel Pugsley would most likely be recommended. Lovers of Guyanese music would most likely remember him as one of the lead keyboard players with the Brutal Jammers and Heat Wave Band.

This happily married 33-year-old, who attended Sand Creek Primary School, President’s College and St. Rose’s High, operates between his native Guyana and Manaus and Sao Paolo in Brazil. He has played (keyboards) for, and/or toured with, artistes such as Serani, Cecile, Kiprich, Mr Easy, Collie Buddz, Spragga Benz, Jah Melody, Louie Culture, Turbulence, Natural Black, Natty King, Rupee, Peter Ram, and many other popular names; yet he remains true to the Guyanese music industry.

Operating out of his Mc Doom home studio (DP Records) almost weekly, Darrel churns out hit after hit, and these immediately invade and claim the local airwaves. Just ask song divas Lisa Punch or Michelle ‘Big Red’ King, ‘Isla Man’ or Jackie Hanover, amongst other Guyanese artistes, and they will confirm what is being said here.

He has also shared the same stage with other international acts such as Akon, Buju Banton, Sizzla Kalonji, Beenie Man, ‘Capleton’, Beres Hammond and Tony Matterhorn, just to name a few.

Boasting the enviable experience of working along with musicians in and out of studios almost everywhere, this dude, a former arranger/composer/producer at Brutal Tracks Studios, is presently similarly engaged at DP Studios, which he owns, and offers the total package of graphic designing, video editing, and audio engineering. His musical productions cover the genres of R & B, Hip-Hop, Dancehall, Reggae, Contemporary Jazz, Samba, Reggaeton, Soca, Forro, Indian, Soul and Pop-rock.

His work has definitely been heard, but many never knew the face behind the creativity. This musician/engineer/businessman has been in music professionally for more than two decades, having started playing the guitar as a child, compliments of his father. He also plays bass and rhythm guitars. He came to Georgetown, Guyana at age nine, happened upon music by accident, and has made it his career.

He composed and arranged seven tracks on Natural Black’s album titled ‘Guardian Angel’, which was launched in Barbados; and he has worked with a host of other artistes, including the likes of Mondale Smith, Tandy, Kester D, any many more.

Truth be told, this Guyanese all encompassing musician also own an online radio and television station, and is the voice behind many advertisements for most of the major companies in and out of Guyana. And he’s nowhere close to touching forty!

With an ever-increasing portfolio of accomplishments, he’s not one to blow his own trumpet. He humbly
Said, “My goal is basically to push the artistes that I work with towards much success…. It’s not about me, it’s about them and taking Guyanese music to the international arena in a professional manner, so that Guyana wins positive publicity.”

He has further stated: “It’s not about me…I started the record label for my artistes.”

In studio, he has worked with all of the bigger names locally. In the Gospel arena, Darrel has produced music for Psalmist Sean Sobers, Mariam Williams, Kester Dean, Bro Ravi, Solid Youth, and Bishop Qwame (live in concert); and he has done international Gospel collaborations with Jay Square, Jah Kiley, ‘Baby C’ out of Trinidad, Mr. Jay out of the Bahamas, St. Matthew out of Jamaica, and DJ Evangelist out of Canada, to name a few.

A point to note is that, for several years, his productions also won first and second places at the Schools’ Mash Calypso competitions.

While many producers simply have a studio, Darrel has a projector that a producer has at home to do projects after hours. Not so long ago, he worked on projects with artistes from Germany, the US, Brazil, Africa and Guyana.

Darrel started producing music while still attending school. He had much practice at home and at Zoe Media Productions owned by Obed James (best engineer,Guyana), and at Dominion Studios by Pastor King. He was paid courtesy calls after a major vehicular accident that landed him in hospital and dictated he was supposed to undergo brain surgery for a clot in his brain. Those clots gave him terrible headaches, which came with bleeding from his nose. However, he notes: “Music literally healed me as I was gonna study medicine en-route to being a medical surgeon. But I couldn’t study anymore, and listening to much music and spending time with the keyboard kept the headaches away.”

He said it was a miracle that he didn’t have to undergo surgery any-more. Thank God!

What keeps Darrel’s interest is, as he puts it simply, “The technology. I’ve seen it grow. I started producing when protools didn’t exist in Guyana as yet. I was very fortunate to have access to the very first protools digi01 system in the country, which was released in 1999. Now I’m privileged to be using protools 10 HD.”
His arrangements have always made the top ten of the Carib Soca Monarch competitions over the years.

By Alex Wayne