july 5, 2007
jamaicans.com

ruff cut records releases ‘my time’

Ruff Cut Records, based in Washington D.C., released its first album: Hutchy – My Time in April of 2007. The album, produced, recorded, mixed, engineered and mastered by Michael Hutchinson a.k.a Hutchy, is an original and unique sound mixed with sneer echo and dub, reminiscent of King Tubby.

The first 15-track album released on Ruff Cut Records: Hutchy – My Time is all Hutchy’s creation. “This album has been in the works for 3 years. During that time I learnt engineering while making the album. This is also my first time singing. My singing style is unique and involves a score of different techniques. My style is distinctive because I manipulate sounds to suit what I want. Ruff Cut Records is originality and experimentation.” Says Hutchy.

Hutchy, the founder and label head of Ruff Cut Records, was born and raised in Jamaica, and moved to Washington D.C. with his family in the 1980’s where he became a renowned DJ, selector and promoter on the D.C. music scene.

Hutchy works in a variety of musical genres and plans to have Ruff Cut Records reflect this. The label is not just relegated to reggae, but to many different genres of music. “My Time has a mix of a lot of different styles and genres, but Reggae is most dominant. Reggae is my roots, my heritage and that’s why I had to do a reggae album.” Hutchy explains.

“I spent a lot of time on this album to get it perfect. It’s a quality production that I’m very proud of. The sound has a lasting quality, and can be listened to 10 years from now.” Explains Hutchy. “The message is global, one of love, the current world situation and the system we live in. It’s clean, no profanity or violent lyrics.”

Hutchy – My Time has already been receiving tremendous airplay in the U.S. Within the 1st two weeks of its release, the album was added to over 100 College and Pacifica radio stations’ rotation. The CMJ Charts, who monitor radio stations, reported that Hutchy – My Time was the 4th most added album, two weeks in a row. DMX cable network added seven tracks from the album and XM Radio added five.

https://news.jamaicans.com/ruffcutrecordshutchymytime

Hutchy released the 1st single: Hard Core in early 2006 and his 2nd single: Bad Boys Run The World in the latter part of that year. He is now focusing on the 3rd: Take Charge and has plans to shoot a video within next month. Ruff Cut Records’ 15-track album, Hutchy – My Time, will be released in the UK this month.

For interviews, pics or additional info, please contact:

Alison Young
Entertainment Publicist
ALYKHAT PR

AUGUST 15, 2008
BAJAN REPORTER

Hutchy Feels Gas Pains - Jamaica’s Enigmatic Dub Reggae Singer Hutchy Has Returned With A New Single

Washington D.C based Dub Reggae singer Hutchy has gone out of the box to create a timely and relevant social commentary on the present situation of high gas prices. Known for his gritty dub tunes and his innovative style, Hutchy dug deep and has also created a humorous video to go with the song. Most Jamaicans and people worldwide have been grappling with high gas prices for the passed few months; with this in mind Hutchy thought it would be a good move to chronicle the plight of the masses the way he knows best.

“He who feels it knows it, I have to fill up each week and every week is a higher price, gas prices gone up wicked. Everything is connected and I know that I am not the only one out there going through these issues worse if you have a SUV.” Hutchy, Ruff Cut Records recording artiste observes, “My life is like everyone else’s, we all face the same trials and tribulations in life so when people listen to the lyrics of Gas Prices they will walk away with a better over-standing of their current situation, even if it’s just to make them dance because the music is wicked“.

The video for Gas Prices was directed by Robin Bell and filmed in Washington D.C last month. The video features Hutchy and some of his friends grappling with high gas prices. In the video Hutchy is faced with a choice between filling his Hummer with petrol or buying dinner for his girl, Hutchy chooses his hummer which results in him losing his girl to a Chinese man on a bicycle. The video is hilarious and takes jabs at the present gas crisis. The song Gas Prices and its video will be released simultaneously on the nineteenth of August in Jamaica.

Hutchy is presently working on a new Electronica album, a follow-up to his dub album My Time album which was released last year on his Ruff Cut Records label. The artiste has been touring consistently, promoting the My Time project and sees the Gas Prices song as a labour of love. “I think the song is impeccably good and people will enjoy the video. It might even sooth a few gas pains,” laughed Hutchy, Ruff Cut Records recording artiste.

NOVEMBER 5, 2007
TOUCH MAGAZINE

SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT…

Something a bit different from this JA born but USA residing artist and producer. Hutchy was a big DJ and producer in Washington, DC during the Nineties playing everything from house to hip hop to funk. A few years later and the first collection of tracks is ready for a full release - the album has a sound of its own; slightly spacey in the production with a reggae foundation of bass and drums and an end product that does not behave like regular reggae. It is the house element that makes it different but The War On Terror track is one of the standouts for me and that just drops like killer dancehall.

3 out of 5 stars.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2007
UPDATE UK

THOUGHTFUL AND UPLIFTING…

Hutchy is a Jamaican artist receiving plenty of airplay in Washington, DC, where his fusion of reggae and dub seems to be working a treat and has seen him for with the Thievery Corporation amongst others. The immediate singalong potential of the song-based material is evident in ‘Get A Whole Of Yourself’, with a bright, wide open sound that goes well with the vocals. Meanwhile ‘Bad Boys Run The World’ works well with its solo and response, while ‘War On Terror’ is not afraid to confront some very pertinent issues. Thoughtful and uplifting at the same time.

BEN HOGWOOD

Each week our reviews have the world famous dancing men give a rating out of 5. Hutchy earns 5 dancing men, as this album is Essential.

JLUY 30, 2007
CLASH MAGAZINE

CLASH REVIEW’S “MY TIME”

Hutchy is Michael Hutchinson, a Jamaican relocated to Washington, DC back in the Eighties and who has been active in the music scene ever since. From heading up the legendary eclectic Exodus night in his new hometown, with Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton and Brian Transeau AKA BT, he enjoyed great local success but backed away from music business becoming disillusioned with the attitude.

He continued as an integral part of the scene and it was people’s constant queries about his own music that gave him the incentive to get it together and finally release this debut album. Proudly enforcing his label’s ‘no profanity’ stance, this is conscious reggae in a number of styles from dancehall to dub with his own electronic touches and characteristic vocals. Although technically a debut, ‘My Time’ shows Hutchy as a man of experience, musically and personally, whose time it indeed is.

My Time is out now on Ruff Cut Records.

Nick

JLUY 16, 2007
beatz base

“MY TIME” is classic

dancehall..

“My Time” is a classic dancehall, dub and reggae masterpiece from Hutchy (aka Michael Hutchinson - founder and label head of Ruff Cut Records).

Hutchy’s been on the music scene since the 90’s, establishing himself in Washington, DC after relocating from Jamaica, incorporating everything from hip hop to funk into his DJ sets. In fact he’s been so busy since then, that it’s taken him this long to release this, his debut album.

If you’re a dance hall, dub reggae fan, you’ll want this in your collection!

JLUY 9, 2007
one week to live

“my time”

Hailing from Washington, DC via Jamaica, Hutchy is not only the founder of Ruff Cut Records, he is also a prolific producer of boom-ting reggae tunes. He’s been knock them out for nigh on a decade now, yet this is his debut album. Ah well, better late than never. Skanking out of the traps first is ‘Get A Whole of Yourself’, which employs a subtle hip hop beat and squelchy bass synth, before the introduction of a choir and the reggae licks. It sounds like something I heard on holiday in 1983 - a touch of Typically Tropical mixed with Big Mountain perhaps. But not in a bad way. For ‘Take Charge’, more of a dub flavour comes to the fore, with an odd guitar effect played over the standard high pitched Hammon style organ to good effect. ‘If It’s Love’ takes things a bit more dancehall, yet remains melodic and not too guttural, while ‘Bad Boys Run The World’ sounds like Jah Wobble at his best - plenty of echoes, glitches and whip-cracks - one to skank to, definitely. A more spartan approach is taken for ‘Flowers’, which tends to rely on the vocals to provide most of the track, but when they’re this good, they do the job rather well. ‘In the Mood’ is a languid affair, with an occasional high pitch tickle from the piano, providing a good counterpoint to the proper dub bassline. Dancehall sounds are catered for on ‘War On Terror’ and ‘Love Plot’ with the former’s staccato beats fulfilling the role of a backbone for a diss on the so-called “War on Terror” (how do you declare war on a noun anyway?). Things return to the lighter reggae style for the happily bassed ‘Get Away’, and the uplifting cadences on ‘Lotion’ are bathed in a smooth synth, with a subtly plucked guitar underlining it all. Nice bit of reggae with some wise words. Well worth getting.

5/7

JLUY 9, 2007
DJ Mag

DJ MAG REVIEWS

HUTCHY’S “my time”

Debut dubtronica opus.

Hutchy is Michael Hutchinson, a Jamaican-born, Washington DC-based producer who does a fine line in electronica-tinged dub and reggae. This is full of warm yet rugged dub outs, ragga-esque rubs and rocker riddims. It’s melodic while ‘real’, and will appeal to anyone into dub-edged sounds.

Paul Sullivan
Mint track: ‘Flowers’
Album: 3.5 out of 5.0
5/7

JLUY 6, 2007
OUT OF HAND

HUTCHY // “my time”

Any fan of the Trojan back catalogue will fall head over heels with Jamaican born Hutchy. My Time is pure dance hall vibes, mashing scattered electronics into the mix with traditional reggae and dub to create a barrage of sun drenched sounds to shake your booty too. Tracks like ‘In The Mood’ and ‘Making News’ are reminiscent of the sounds going on in the reggae scene in the late eighties when a new sense of fusion and musical cookery were pumping out of a valve amps up and down the county.

Noel White

june 30, 2007
musicweek

“my time” (ruffcut003)

Hutchy, aka Michael Hutchinson, is a renowned Washington, DC promoter and DJ, most famous for his roots-influenced club night Exodus and this shows in the first offering on his own Ruff Cut label.

With a flavour ranging from Gregory Isaacs-influenced lovers rock on Lotion through to more dancehall-coloured tracks like Love Plot, the album charts a suitably mellow path.