When many Jamaican artists are looking for a fresh sound, they usually head home to get hip beats from the hottest producers. Michael Dawkins wanted something different for his new EP. Something way different.

He found a like-minded collaborator in Gita Puspita, a rising musician/programmer from Indonesia. Her touches can be heard on ‘Long For Brighter Views’, his EP, which was released in May.

Dawkins, who lives in New York, gave Puspita’s contribution the thumbs-up.

“The satisfying aspect is that I was able to branch off into new terrain and pull in a younger and diverse listenership base. The Indonesian producer brought in her pop expertise to help shape a new sound that will resonate across the world,” he said.

‘Long For Brighter Views’ was initially released in April by Orchard, a subsidiary of Sony Music. After a falling-out over distribution, he switched to DistroKid, which re-released a remastered version of the five-song project one month later.

David Downie of Hilltop Studio in Brooklyn, New York, played bass and drums on the five-song project. The title track, ‘Celebrate’, ‘Feelings of The Heart’, ‘You Are So Fine’ and ‘Africa Rise’ are the songs on the EP.

Dawkins is originally from Kingston, Jamaica. His recording career started in the 1980s and has so far produced ‘Don’t Give me No Crack’ and a cover of Bread’s ‘Baby I’m A Want You’.

WRITTEN BY HOWARD CAMPBELL