Philip Smart: New York Reggae Foundations

In 1982, the same year Bambaataa dropped “Planet Rock,” Smart established the HC&F Recording Studio (the letters in the name represent the three families who invested in Smart’s dream) in Freeport, Long Island, which quickly became the nerve center of New York’s indigenous reggae scene. Strategically located a short drive from JFK International Airport – where most Jamaican artists book their hotels, to reduce the chance of missing their flights home – the studio became the go-to spot for local talent as well as visiting dignitaries like Shabba Ranks. But Smart says the choice of location was primarily motivated by security concerns. “Brooklyn was under siege,” he says, referring to the street violence that plagued the borough during the height of the crack era. “Plus most of the studios in Brooklyn were specializing in dubplates. We wanted a place that was focused on making records.” He first set up shop in his brother-in-law’s Long Island basement. “We had a dub-cutting machine and we had an eight-track board and we had a drum set. But then the neighbors used to complain about the noise.”