BACK in the 80s Fiji’s music industry was rife with colourful live acts so recording was the next big step. To have your song heard – you needed radio time.
Back in the day recording studios such as South Pacific Recording, Procera and Lali had the daunting task of recording multiple tracks to make one song. That’s why the sound man’s work was equally vital to the heartbeat of any hit song on the radio.
This week in BackTracks we meet another budding sound man, the brains behind the forming of VT1S – Music producer George Wasile aka Tropic Thunda, a name inspired to draw attention to a new Pacific groove. He is the self-taught music producer who began creating his own beats in 2008.
One of the highlights of his career was winning the Pacific Break, a Radio Australia’s Pacific Music competition in 2011 for the hit song Rue Ele Ele with his brothers and local rapper Nemoney and travelled to Vanuatu to perform it.
“I have always loved music and been trying to make a living out of it,” Thunda said.
In 2006 he was part of the popular dance group called BSQ – a group formed with his cousins and it wasn’t until someone suggested a software that produces music with an array of beats and sounds to choose from – that made him think twice about making a career as a producer.
“Growing up I’ve always been interested in music, particularly Hip Hop,” he said.
“When I was in Rotuma I used to record songs on cassette, whatever was playing on the radio.
“Listening to FM 96 and 2day FM playing a wide genre of music like reggae, hip hop, rnb, pop, I learnt to appreciate them all.”
Thunda who works from his home studio in Vatuwaqa has been producing tracks since 2013 and has produced beats for artists such as Mr Grin, Nemoney, Wilo, Drixstar, J Deuce, Mynlessme, Sikeli’s Vines and TSF to name a few.
Originally from Oinafa in Rotuma, Thunda has been making music for the past 12 years collaborating his experience with local artists and it eventually erupted into the volcano of youngsters forming VT1S.
“Steven Vereakula and I founded VT1S – a platform to showcase upcoming artists and help them get opportunities to earn for themselves through their talents.
“Nothing was planned, as we moved along things changed and we had to readjust. We met those artists through some friends and others during our work on TV jingles. They came in and did vocals for those jingles.
“So when they came to record their parts I played them some of the projects we were working on and they liked it. We should work on some music and so it went from there but the original plan was to make an album for each of them – we later readjusted for them to collaborate on one album.
“They are all individual acts on their own but together they are VT1S.”
When questioned about the making of Billy T’s Taqaniika and Ratu’s Yalayala track Thunda said everything was trial and error.
“For those two tracks Ratu’s Yalayala and Billy T’s – Taqaniika we met in the studio. It started off with some research – went on ‘YouTube’ and looked for inspiration, but not copy stuff, just getting inspired on the stuff we liked. We listened to what was trending and everyone had to agree on it.
“Billy T had to like that style and so too the composer, so everyone was on the same page.
“We are super grateful for what we created and appreciate the feedback from the listeners.
“It would be different if we had put in the work and people say nah your music doesn’t sound nice so we are grateful that people love what we’re putting out.”
Thunda says maintaining a successful career takes a lot of work, commitment and dedication so for him personally he does not really have a time frame or set aside a time for the work he does.
“I mean you cannot schedule creativity, when it comes I put it down. At times I could be doing chores at home and if an idea comes I have to get in the studio right away and jot it down! because if I don’t that idea will be lost.
“Whatever genre of music I listen to in the day, is what inspires me to work on.
Ideas come to me at anytime so that’s why there’s no set time given for making music.”
He admits that lack of equipment was one of the main challenges they faced while working on the album.
“Most of the equipment we’re using was sourced from family members who wanted to support us. We’re hoping to get good returns from the first album in terms of finance but it’s not really what we’re expecting any time soon – so getting new equipment will be delayed for us.
“This PC is slow and about to give up. For now we’re just putting in the work and will only stop when it dies on us.
I think when you offer the right people a chance to do their stuff this is what can be done. Before we didn’t have a voice the only people that believed in us were our immediate friends and family.
“Magic Factory approached us and asked us if we wanted to make music videos and all of that happened in less than a year and we are grateful for all those opportunities and look forward to whatever is ahead of us
Thunda thanked his close friends, family members, supporters and fans for believing in them.
“For followers of this VTbop movement we know you have a lot of expectations from us but we want you to know that we’re trying to make our own sound. Thank you for supporting our music, there’s more coming and we won’t be running out of ideas anytime soon.
The VT1S album was produced by Tropic Thunda and composed by SereNation (Steven Vereakula).
