By GERMAINE SMITH, Staff ReporterTHE PENTHOUSE RECORD label is considered an integral part of Jamaica's music industry. With the 'brand name' artistes and engineers who have passed through its hands, the music outfit could be likened to an institution. Names like Dave and Tony Kelly, Buju Banton, Marcia Griffiths and Tony Rebel are only a few on a long list of those who have at one point or another been at Penthouse.
And the man perched at the head of this label is Donovan Germaine.
Germaine is not the typical Jamaican producer. From his approach to music to his professional ear for quality, he has not done things the traditional way. For one, he did not get into the music business along the same route that many local producers did.
He worked as a sales clerk in a record store after migrating to the United States at 18 and first got involved in record distribution. With a deep love for the music, he fell under the tutorship of producers Gussie Clarke and Lloyd Campbell. After learning about that aspect of the business, he finally delved into production himself.
"I entered this business from the other end," he muses. "Most producers learn producing first, then they get into sales and then distribution. I came the other way around."
That approach, it seems, has worked well. In the 1990s Penthouse was responsible for many of the most popular dancehall and reggae hits. Groovy tunes like Fire Burning by Marcia Griffiths and Feeling Lonely by Beres Hammond, scorching tracks like Buju Banton's B...y Rider and Mad Cobra's Yush were only some of the products of Penthouse's tireless engineers and artistes, working alongside Germaine.
The secret behind the label, he argues, is the approach he takes in grooming the artistes who come there looking to get signed. "The first thing I do is ask them what they want out of the business," Germaine explains. "Do you want a little period of hype in the business, or do you want to develop properly so that when the success comes you can handle it?"
Discipline
"We teach them to be business minded, because this is a business without pension. Today you are a star and tomorrow nobody knows you. They have to learn that they can't be the top man or woman forever. Someone will take your place, so you have to be prepared," he said.
With this is mind, Germaine enforces rigid discipline in his camp. Many an artiste has been turned down due to their inability to comply.
This image of Germaine the enforcer is almost in contrast to him as a person. He is soft-spoken, easy going and dabbles in the kitchen every now and then. He enjoys watching a good game of football and avoids 'hyped up' situations.
A striking peculiarity about Germaine however, is his reluctance to take the spotlight. He has not allowed his face to be plastered across magazine covers, like those of his artistes; neither has he granted many interviews.
"I am a very conservative person and there are some parts of my life that I want to protect," he explains. "I am a person who sometimes wants to go somewhere and nobody knows who I am. I value that very much and I guard it."
Added to this he says, "being an artiste manager also you don't want to compete with them; you want them to get the spotlight, not you. Ultimately, their work is a reflection of you."
This point of view, he says, comes from the deep-rooted love he has for music and his commitment to helping other artistes to develop. This attitude, he feels, is lacking from several players in the business.
"One of my main concerns is the lack of development in the artistes and no new musicians in the business. Everybody seems to be into the drum machine and computer business. These are fine, but we need more live musicians around," he said.
With his concerns also come criticisms. "There are some who think that as long as you make a hit song you are a producer. We don't make hits; we just make a good song. It is the public that makes the hits. That's why we don't even name our rhythms. We prefer the focus to be on the artiste rather than the rhythm," he said.
For his musical future, there is nothing but more music for Donovan Germaine. In terms of retirement, Germaine does not see when that day will come. "They will have to drag me out screaming," he jokes.
"I will not retire from something I love so much, not yet. My idol is Sir Coxsone in terms of the quality of his work. So much of our music industry is built off him, and he has not retired yet," he said.
