– says producer Walter Fraser
Walter “Wally” Fraser is the mastermind behind ‘Vizion Sounds Records, which is an independent international recording company that has been taking Guyanese music places for over 25 years.
At age 16, Fraser who is now 75-years-old left Guyana for London. This is where he would grow up around producers and musical legends such as Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs, among others. He would also travel a lot to Jamaica.
These legends have exposed Fraser to the world of music which allowed him to learn the trade that has become one of the biggest businesses in the world. “I learnt music without really being taught. I learnt by watching and listening what was happening and then by being there doing nothing you end up helping out when there are shows. You would turn up and assist to make things go right,” Fraser told Village Voice.
He would also travel a lot to Jamaica and be among one of his inspirations, Trevor Douglas, called “Leggo” who is a well-known Jamaican musical producer. In 1992 Fraser would register his very own recording company in London under the name ‘Nu Vizion’, trading as (T/A) Vizion Sounds Records.
With the aim of promoting Guyanese artistes while giving them the platform to make quality music, Fraser re-migrated to Guyana and brought Vizion Sounds Records with him. The Robb Street, Georgetown recording studio was registered in Guyana in 1995 and could have only held about six persons at a time.
Fraser would then put on epic shows in Guyana with international top-notch artistes such as Dennis Brown, Luciano, Sizzla, Gregory Isaacs, Freddy McGregor, Buju Banton, among others. Additionally, he would start working with artistes such as ‘First Born’, ‘Alabama’, ‘Big Youth’, ‘Shelly G’, ‘Big Red’, Taurus Riley, ‘Natural Black’, ‘Jah Cure’, ‘Beenie Man’, ‘Mark Batson’, ‘Lil Red’, ‘Heatwave Band’, Celeste David and a list of other artistes, some of whom have made international hits.
Recording at home
The record label went from having to take artistes to places such as Jamaica and London to record music, to having them record their music right in Guyana at its studio that can now hold about 20 persons.
The recording company has definitely made a name for itself and has been a blessing to Guyana’s music industry. Vizion Sounds Records is registered with the Performing Rights Society (PRS) in London which allows its artistes to register their music to get their royalties.
Promoting young talent
Apart from being one of the oldest functioning recording studios in Guyana that produces great music, Fraser said that his record label is also genuinely interested in young people and promoting their talent.
He explained, “a lot of music companies are in for instant money, soon as you go you have to pay upfront but when I see talent I invest in a lot of artistes and in their music. I give them the opportunity even though upfront money may be lacking,” Fraser explained.
Complacency
Over the years, Fraser has observed that some of Guyana’s artistes tend to become complacent after making a hit song which oftentimes result in their downfall. He said that artists need to be more patient and consistent. “What I think happens to some of Guyana’s artists is that they start off good but soon as they get a bit popular they feel that they have accomplished stardom already. They start to believe the hype and I think this causes the problem because it becomes hard to guide them and they do not remember that the promotion is a part of the plan and journey to stardom,” the musical producer said.
In addition, not having a updated copyrights laws in Guyana has been one of the most challenging things for the country’s music industry. He said, “the music industry here is kind of crippled and it is so unfair to the artistes and the people who invest in the industry. In places with the laws you get money for your music; your music plays all day here and you get nothing.”
Copyright law protects original creative work and allows authors and inventors to benefit from their works. Fraser disclosed that the issue of not having updated copyright laws in Guyana has made the country become blacklisted from the international music industry, another reason why Guyana’s musical industry is being stifled. The veteran has called and still is calling on the Government of Guyana to address the issue.
Fraser said that his company will continue working to produce good music with hope that the government will use money from the new promising oil industry to rectify the copyright problem in Guyana. He said that Guyana can expect more quality music and big projects coming from Vizion Sounds Records in the future. Fraser disclosed that the company is also working towards producing an international hit song that will musically place Guyana on the map for good.
