Black Angel

PRODUCER PROFILE: BLACK ANGEL

At 15, Black Angel, born Joseph Buchanan, was attending boarding school in Switzerland and meeting people from all over the world as part of his education. As one of four black students in the school, Joseph's interest in music was encouraged by his friends and he began experimenting with Rap as the genre was on the rise in Europe at the time.

Based on the Angel nickname he acquired at school as a kindhearted counselor to his friends, he assumed 'Black Angel' as his artiste identity and began moving with his friend's rap group known as the 'Sic Crew' which included rappers from Germany, France and Switzerland. Motivated by his exposure to live hip hop shows he attended on the weekend in Zurich, Black Angel and his friend Kai organized a three day recording session at the end of the school term which produced 10 tracks performed by the 'Sic Crew' including Black Angel.

Although unreleased, the experience boosted the confidence and interest of the 15 year old as he left Switzerland to return to Jamaica via New York. In New York, Black Angel reunited with his eldest brother Little D, owner of John Shop Records, and recorded a single in the label's studio called "The First Stage of Life".

Returning to Jamaica to complete high school, Black Angel continued writing and producing new rhythms as a way to express his creativity and communicate his feelings and ideas. Empowered to fly freely through space through music, Black Angel's creative influences include Hip Hop, Dancehall, R&B and Jazz that he fuses in developing his unique sound.

It became apparent to Black Angel very quickly that his efforts to create music would be enhanced if he had more technical skills to work with so he began training at the Edna Manley College where he studied piano theory for one year before enrolling for private instruction with David and Mary John, a husband and wife team associated with the Royal School of Music. Disciplined to practice at least three hours a day, with the guidance of his teachers, Black Angel has achieved Grade 5 in Theory and Grade 4 in Practical and has incorporated the rules and dynamics of music into his creative process.

While he trained musically, Black Angel also learnt more about the art of modern music production and participated in several Pro Tools training workshops offered by Anchor Recording Studio about the globally popular production software. With the support of his family, Black Angel has established a label and digital home studio where he is able to create new rhythms and work with a stable of young talent from Future Fambo to newcomer Kritical to produce new music for their generation.

Black Angel is one of Jamaica's Generation Next talents who are conscious of the discipline, skills and passion it takes to achieve success and to make music for the world.