By Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Italian reggae artiste Alborosie. - Junior Dowie

"Di music has no barriers, as long as your sound is up to di time, it all about personality".

As an Italian singing reggae and DJing with the best of them Alberto Dascola aka Alborosie crosses all barriers in the music business. He is an international producer who is branching out with a new reggae album Soul Pirate.

Although many Jamaicans have just begun hearing about Alborosie the artiste, he is not new in the business, having had a band called the 'National Reggae Tickets'. Working in Europe since he was seventeen, Alborosie crossed over to the reggae capital, performing at Reggae Sumfest and Reggae Sunsplash.

Making music in Europe wasn't enough, Alborosie decided to come to the roots. He says "I get tired and seh the world is big and my country small, so I decide to come to Jamaica. After five years of production wid people like Wyclef, Les Nubian, Jewel, Sisqo, No Doubt, Mario, and European artistes. I decide to go back to the original roots which is artiste and I made my album," Alborosie said.

The album is Alborosie's conscious reflections on his life in Jamaica, a life which he views as pirated, hence the name. "I play like six different instruments, I'm a engineer and I mix, so basically the album is me. Its reggae mixed with hip hop, soul and I call it Soul Pirate cause I'm a pirate", he said.

Critics may think of pirate as a form of theft, a European stealing our local culture. Alborosie says he does not intend it as a theft, but capturing a forgotten part of Jamaican past.

"Jamaica is a tradition with pirates, to me being in Jamaica you have to be a pirate as a European. I don't really steal music, I see the pirate as a wild person, a rough person as I sail into the ocean, you don't know where you leaving or when you coming back. My soul is a pirate. Soul Pirate is basically my diary. Five years in Jamaica for me, fifteen songs from reggae to hip hop ".

His songs have already created a stir, the video for his first single Herbalist has been banned from TV. "The herbalist tune is just a story of his guy who sell weed from him likkle to big to get rich. Di tune is a big tune in the sound, in the dance. I have a new video dis tune called Call up Jah, its coming out the middle of September. It's a spiritual tune. Internationally I'm gonna release my new tune which is gonna be a big budget video".

His promotions start from what he terms his 'roots', releasing his album in Jamaica from the dances up. "I'm close to di people, if I'm doing it for di people, I'm not doing it for myself. I'm close to the inner-city communities. I want my music uplift di people. I want to really take it to the bottom, starting the promotion from the roots," Alborosie said.

His European roots are still strong though. He says "back home, I'm still a big man, any time I going back I mash up the place. Like MTV mainstream, last show was like 35,000 people just for me. When I'm going back music never dies. When you catch the people's brains you live wid dem after life, that's the beauty of music, cause people remember you not because you have big house and big cars".

"Its nice to see people come from different sides of the world and speak patois. As a producer I establish links wid different artistes. I don't see myself as Alborosie the Italian artiste. I see myself as Alborosie the artiste, music is a universal language," he said.

The language works in the dancehall, having produced for Beenie Man and others. Alborosie's newest reggaeton/dancehall riddim is blazing the scene. Beenie Man, Sizzla, Wayne Marshal, Voicemail and many others are featured on the track.

His album is expected later this year featuring Morgan Heritage, Jimmy Cozier, Luciano, Kymani Marley and more.