Trini producers featured on FIFA 2021 soundtrack

TWO TT producers now have their names included in one of the gaming and sporting community’s most anticipated annual soundtracks.

Beamer by Nigerian artiste Rema, produced by Jamaica’s Rvssian and TT nationals Richard “MRI” McClashie and Michael “Tano” Montano is featured on the 2021 FIFA soundtrack.

The game was officially released worldwide on October 9 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. This year’s cover features French national and Paris Saint-Germain youth star Kylian Mbappé.

FIFA soundtracks are a big deal. In addition to upgrades, the addition of players, rankings and graphics, it is one aspect fans of the EA Sports videogame eagerly anticipate with every release.

Hearing a particular song that was once featured sparks nostalgia and childhood memories for many.

Some classic tunes include Song 2 by Blur in FIFA 1998, Jerk it Out by The Caesars in FIFA 2004, Peter Bjorn and John’s Young Folk in FIFA 2008, Kids by MGMT in FIFA 2009, and Macchu Picchu by The Strokes from FIFA 2012.

Fans told Newsday their favourite tracks are Foster the People’s Call It What You Want (2012), Fatboy Slim’s Funk Soul Brother (1999), On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons (2013), Saint Motel’s My Type (2015) and Tubthumping by Chumbawamba (1998), among others.

The playlists also cause many underground and lesser-known artistes and producers to earn their big break or gain more exposure.

The last time a TT national was featured on a FIFA soundtrack was in 2015 when Bunji Garlin featured on Elliphant’s All or Nothing.

Montano was born and raised in San Fernando. He said he started producing in 2015 but he was “always interested in making music.”

He has worked with artistes like Kes the Band; Shenseea, Kalpee, Jimmy October, Destra Garcia and Mical Teja

“I really like being in the studio, it’s always a nice vibe and environment,” he said.

McClashie has produced for major regional and international acts such as Vybz Kartel, Post Malone, Cardi B, French Montana, Shenseea, and Lil Baby, among others.

He hails from South Oropouche and began producing when he was in form three at St Benedict’s College in La Romaine. Like many producers, he started with the computer programme FL (Fruity Loops) Studio as his digital workstation. Asked how it feels to continually be working with such major artistes in the music industry, he said, “It’s an absolute blessing to work with them, to begin with. I’ve worked with literally some of the biggest artistes in the world, so I’m grateful for those opportunities.

“And being so close to them in the room, working and seeing their process is very inspiring because you see these huge acts who already have such great work ethic...”

Montano said, “When Richard is in TT, which is not very often, we always link up in the studio and we would just work on beats – different beats every day and this is something we were working on. And we just put it in a folder for God alone knows who will be on it. Then someday I got a message from him and he was like ‘Yo, we got Rema’s new single.’”

The FIFA-featured Afrobeat and hip-hop infused track was officially released on February 20, 2020.

It can be accessed on all streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal and Spotify.

In the song, Rema is telling his romantic interest, “African girly, come and hop in my beamer (BMW) and the hook sung by Chrystel Bagrou says, “I like bad boys like you.”

The track was number one in Nigeria’s Apple Music charts for the first two weeks of its release. And the music video currently has over 11 million views on YouTube.

Montano said it feels great to have been a part of such a successful team effort, especially as a fan of the sport and the game.

“I’ve had all the FIFA games growing up, so it’s kind of cool to actually be on the soundtrack. It was one of my first PlayStation games, which was a long time ago. It’s a great feeling.”

The announcement of the track being selected to be included on the soundtrack wasn’t initially treated like a big deal, he said.

“Richard was just like ‘Yo, FIFA want the song for their soundtrack,’ and he said it in such a calm way and I was so shocked and just like, ‘Well uh…great.’ So we went through and dealt with contracts,” he recalled.

McClashie explained why he seemed so calm about it. “When I found out about it, it wasn’t 100 per cent confirmed yet, so I just told him about it. So I was hyped but I was also calm because I don’t like to hype myself for things that aren’t confirmed.

“But when I knew it was actually confirmed and it was actually happening, I was pretty excited. I used to play that game growing up in school. FIFA is such a classic game so it brought back a nostalgic vibe. I’m super grateful for this.”

Montano said he is grateful for the support of his friends, especially one he refers to as his “number one hype man” who sent the song to their WhatsApp group chat and hyped him up.

He said his friends were “going crazy” when they heard the news.

Working with a fellow Caribbean artiste and producer – Rvssian – was also very inspirational for Montano.

“He produces for people like John Legend, Shakira…Seeing another person from another island achieving those things inspires me like ‘Hey, we really have something special here.’ Each island has their own unique sound and I want to try to bring that out in my own way.

“Being a producer is kind of like being a mad scientist,” he joked.

The FIFA 2021 soundtrack also features Jamaican artistes Buju Banton, Govana and Koffee and is available on Apple Music and Spotify.