DJ Insaneo finds his rhythm

WITH more than a decade of experience in the industry, disc jockey/producer Javid “DJ Insaneo” Skeene believes he has found his footing.

“I am extremely pleased. I always say one step at a time and ultimately, you get to the goal. From playing in college, to playing in dances, to playing overseas, to playing on the radio, trust me, the growth is immense,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

He is on the promotional trail for the Daaze Rhythm — a collaborative effort between the Howard Group Entertainment and himself.

The rhythm was released on August 6 and contains seven tracks. The artistes include Mr Wellz, Tevwaldz, Ishadyz, Jojo Singa, Schedule Boss, Vybrid, and Khautionkush.

The collaboration was seamless, as he is cousin of the label’s founder, Barrel Howard.

“He called me out of the blue one day and said, ‘Let’s do this production thing again.’ I think that was a blessing because I was thinking the same thing and was planning to start taking steps towards that,” said DJ Insaneo.

Since its release, the rhythm has been gaining traction.

“The response has been great. A few ladies have taken to posting it. However, by October, we will receive a report from the various streaming and online sites that will give us an idea of the true number of downloads and streams,” said the St George’s College alumnus.

Based in Kingston, DJ Insaneo has been in the music business since he was nine years old.

“I started playing professionally as a DJ when I was 15. I started producing music at 19 but stopped after my musical mentor passed away. I am, however, back at it and pushing forward aggressively,” he said.

Balancing production with his current role as a radio DJ on Newstalk 93 FM, his past productions include Caribbean Princess by Langi, No Water by Lia Carbe (formerly known as Dahlia) and Blue Light by Duane Howard, which was also a collaboration with the label.

In the pipeline for DJ Insaneo and Howard Entertainment Group are several new projects and ventures.

“We have many more riddims. We plan to release a riddim with all females and we are working on EPs for Ishaydz, Tevwaldz and Kautionkush. We are also in talks to manage a few artists in New York,” DJ Insaneo told the Observer.