music producer who has worked with some of the world's top recording artists is back in Bermuda to spread a little joy through music.

Abimbola (Bim) Bademosi left the Island for 15 months to become a music producer ? that was almost ten years ago.

Mr. Bademosi has worked with artists like Maxi Priest and Soul to Soul, and he has produced music for Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee, for former South African president Nelson Mandela, Virgin Airlines owner Richard Branson and for Prince Charles.

He was successful on the international scene and his aim is to give the same driving force to young Bermudians who are interested in learning all about the music business.

He is currently working with Joy Barnum and the band Silhouette. He teaches music at West End Primary and Southampton Glebe and under the Ministry of Youth and Sport he teaches young children about songwriting and music production.

Before leaving the Island Mr. Bademosi and his brother Oluremi ran both a studio and an entertainment company called, as it is still known, The Feel of Music.

In 1992, he had outgrown the studio and, although teaching, knew that he still had much to learn.

"What I really wanted was for someone to teach me," he said.

"I didn't feel that I could learn anything else from anybody here. I was 23 or 24 and so I couldn't get that knowledge down here and my family literally kicked me out of the house.

"I went on September 5, 1992, I will never forget that day and I started school September 7."

Mr. Bademosi began studying The School of Audio Engineering, in London. He learned about all aspects of studio and live recording, sound reinforcement, how to record live bands, how to record music for movies, anything to do with recording or audio, basically, anything to do with sound.

"My first class was physics and I hadn't been in school for years," he said, "I was there for 15 months and I got a diploma and within a week I got a job at Soul to Soul."

He said Soul to Soul had already peaked and they were on the decline in as far as being recording artists, but in music production they were thriving.

"They went through a couple of different metamorphosis and when I was working there they were working with Karen Wheeler, who was their original singer," he said. "They had a disagreement and she removed herself form the project.

"But that was an excellent learning experience for me and I came to find out that all the other engineers there went to the same college as me ? the school has some good pedigree.

"So I learned a lot there and everything that I learned in college I just put it to real life practice. It was a lot easier than I had expected, because college is a lot more intense than the real world."

Mr. Bademosi worked for six months with Soul to Soul before moving on.

He said: "Educationally, engineering wasn't something that I wanted to do, but in order to be a good producer you have to know about engineering.

"My primary goal was to become a good producer so I went through the engineering aspect because you have to understand how to get your sound to try to recreate a sound of your own.

"So I left there and I enrolled in Goldsmiths College, London, and took up music theory, music history lessons, just to become more well rounded when it came to composing music.

"I spent a year there and then I enrolled in University of Westminster and they have helped me out tremendously."

He said through the University of Westminster he performed for world leaders and business executives.

"The course leader and I had developed a really really good relationship, and the last thing that he hooked me up with was the Queen's Golden Jubilee," he said.

"I had to put together a group of urban kids to celebrate 50 years of black music in England and they wanted to demonstrate it through young urban kids so I had to find the kids to perform and we hooked up a nice 45 minute performance for the Queen. That was at Berkeley Square in 2002."

He said leaving the Island has not only broadened his musical horizons, it has also been "pretty cool".

"Leaving the Island has did a lot for me," he said, "I went for 15 months to do my engineering degree and I ended up staying ten years.

"Educationally those type of things I've done, but musically and professionally I did a lot of work with Maxi Priest and I ran his studio.

"He was the one that really introduced me to the music industry and I met him on the day I got in England and we have been great friends ever since.

"He introduced me to the world of music in England and he took me to Japan and all over Europe.

"I groomed some of his artists on his roster, wrote numerous songs for his artists, I was also in charge of musical direction for when artists went on tour across England, Europe and Japan."

He said the experience was really incredible and what he and his brother are trying to achieve is to transplant it in Bermuda.

"We are trying to create a much needed entertainment industry on the Island," said Mr. Bademosi.

"We feel we need to do this. No disrespect to the people who have been here and done that, but we need to groom and develop the younger talent, because no one is looking out for the younger kids.

"That's why I talk about my music programme, where I am teaching ten, 12, and 14 year olds how to produce music, how to develop their ear, how to develop the training programme.

"Nobody is doing that, but everyone is complaining about the failing or flailing music industry, but if you don't nurture you can't reap the rewards.

"With all of the experience that my brother and I have had this is what we are trying to do with Joy Barnum and a group called Silhouette that we are trying to work with.

"It is all part of the development stage, you get them out there and we just keep doing it," he said.

"It is basically what I call the Motown philosophy. You get young, hungry, enthusiastic singers together and nine out of ten they have no clue what the music industry is like, traipse back to the 1960s these guys are green.

"They all came from the same neighbourhood, more or less, and Barry Gordy just worked them. But he went about it a little underhanded, but we are trying to do the same thing, but to include them and let them know that this is what you need to do and these are the sacrifices that you need to make.

"For instance, if you don't sing today and you are not singing until next week ? what are you going to do, just sit around and wait for your next concert? You just have to train and when the opportunity comes you cannot say that you are not ready."

He said one thing he learned in college was that he always had to be ready.

"My lecturer would say 'tomorrow we are singing for Prince Charles'," he said, "'I'm playing for Prince Charles and you need to be ready'.

"It is the same thing about not nurturing our talent, we berate them and we don't show them the way.

"This is what we need to do and plus being a teacher also, I have no choice."

He said it was important for young artists to learn about the music business "so that they don't get ripped off".

"I was like I don't need to know all that nonsense, I just need to know how to make my songs," he said.

"But after a while, suppose you do make a hit record and you do have millions of dollars coming in to you, you don't want to be like Toni Braxton and not have any money left. You need to be able to handle your affairs.

"Remember it is called the music industry or business music, but the business is first ? these guys want to make money and they will screw you anyway they can.

"And if they see that you're ignorant ? Lord have mercy."

Mr. Bademosi said so many artists don't know anything about the music business ? they just want to sing.

"It is a good lesson in legalese ? they use different terminology to trick you a little bit.

"Read the small print and get a lawyer."

He said he could not understand why Bermuda could not be like Jamaica or other Islands, which have a thriving music industry.

"Even Grenada, small as they are, have a music industry any Island has a place where you can go or where a kid can go to develop their craft," he said.

"In Jamaica on any given day you can go to a recording studio and see at least 15 people outside the studio.

"They are not recording they are hanging around there waiting for an opportunity for these guys to say, we have 15 minutes ? show me something.

"They cannot say that they are not ready, you have one opportunity ? it is no such thing as can I come back tomorrow.

"But we don't have that type of passion or hunger down here and we would like to try to create that. A hunger for something that you would really like to do."

Mr. Bademosi said everyone keeps saying that Bermuda entertainment is poor.

"But they need to think, why?" he said. "We need to try to figure out why is it such. I ain't got the answers, but I am saying that this is one was in which we can try or at least make a small impression to try and fix the problem.

"We are not really an Island of steel pan players, but this is the way we are being portrayed because we have no true indigenous music.

"We are trying to make people feel the music and hopefully it will go from strength to strength."

He said it really does not matter what people want to sing as long as it is not satanic or demonic.

"It's got to be on the level ? a little profanity I can take, but so long as you're not talking about 666 or any of that nonsense," he said.

"Any type of music can be good music if it is produced well, you can be saying kibbles and bits all day long.

"Look at R Kelly, he can make anyone sing anything because it is produced really well and he understands the essence of songwriting and production.

"This is what we need to try and in still in our people down here ? to make it presentable for someone to consume. That is the true art of producing."

Mr. Bademosi said if you do not go after what is truly burning inside than you will live a miserable life.

"It is difficult ? I guess we were fortunate," he said. "I assume that a lot of people had that same passion and desire as I do, but I am coming to realise that a lot of people don't and everyone is not the same as you are.

"If you don't push that go-getter attitude in people than they wont do it. I am a risk taker and I am happy to say that they have not been disasters. But you just don't know until you try and my mama always told me don't stop until you can't do it anymore."