Producer DJ Spotlight Part 2 - Charles Martin Roane

In part 2 of our interview series, CHARLES MARTIN ROANE shares his full-time entry into running a recording studio while still producing hit songs.

When Charles' remixes started gaining major traction from both the wide exposure and the supreme quality of work, he was courted by the majors in short order.  "Labels were catching wind of what I was doing with the remixes.  Columbia Records was the next to reach out with a production deaI and then Virgin Records soon after that."  It opened up Charles' frequent flier miles to new heights, and soon he was shuttling between DC and NYC on a regular basis.

"While that was going on, I also got an opportunity to take over the studio in Jersey City where Lauryn Hill and Will Smith recorded. This would mean leaving the radio station (after 11 years).  After that studio closed, I co-founded Headqcourterz Studios in New York City.  That's the former [legendary] D&D Studios where most of the 90s Hip Hop was recorded. Everyone... from Biggie to Jay Z had recorded there. When we took over D&D in 2003, Jay Z came by to do a documentary on the making of “Reasonable Doubt”.

One studio connection that Charles made led to his winning his first major award. "I co-wrote, produced and mixed the Grammy Award winning song for Christina Aguilera, “Ain’t No Other Man”. During my 10-year run at Headqcourterz, I worked with everyone - Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Shady Records, Mariah Carey...".

Charles' NARAS nod opened his foray into the world of entertainment television.  He has a hand in notable tentpole productions including the Grammys and the BET Awards, and even specials like “Fab Five”, the award-winning ESPN documentary.

Televised performances always require the most discerning ear so that the artist shines their best.  Lending his golden touch to the sound of the greats, he recalls.  "I worked with artists on-set for performances such as Rihanna, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Carrie Underwood, Kane Brown, and on and on."  Charles stayed true to his Hip-Hop roots, though, and he's cemented his mark on the beloved genre by creating the sound of an iconic mainstay - the Cypher. He reveals "I became the music director of the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2006. I would pick the cypher beats, mix the cyphers, make show beats, make the music for the intro/outro and so forth."

Part 3 of this series will post next week, where we dive into Charles' work with Netflix and beyond.

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