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Exclusive Interview with Stand Out Selector
Conducted on April 10th - 11th, 2003

Reggae Crew: What are you future plans for Positive Sound Massive, your record label?

Selector: The idea of a strictly conscious label has always been my dream... It has been 10 years in the making and when we first started out I think we were the only conscious crew around. Now after 20 releases and the world the way it is, I think we are finally "riding the wave" rather than "being ahead of it".

As for the future of PSM... Well I can only really talk about the next few years right now as I would not want to get to ahead of ourselves...

Reggae Crew: With the surfacing of dancehall artists like Shaggy and Sean Paul do you think it is possible for a conscious artists to break through into the American mainstream market?

Selector: Of course I think that artists like Sean Paul and Shaggy have knocked
down some doors... I think that they have helped educate folks to Dancehall music as a whole. I am glad that they came out when they did but I do think now is the time for Conscious dancehall artists everywhere to rise up in the ranks... The time for slackness in reggae is done. Not to say that the music coming out of Brooklyn or Kingston will not have some slack overtones but I think that the day of it being the norm are over.

Reggae Crew: Who do you see making that crossover?

Selector: As for a next artist that may be able to reach this new found "Dancehall Crossover" audience. Well I am betting my money on Rocker-T. I know that I might be a little bias but I think that Rocker is someone who could reach the masses... He has so much going for him... He is an American, born in Brooklyn, He is a sing-jay which is in my opinion the most "Crossover" style, and he is into so many styles of music, that I think on some levels he must reach the mainstream.... (His next record is a Hip Hop album with special guests on every track... Maybe on PSM maybe
not...)

Reggae Crew: So would you say people need this "new" dancehall that the general American public has not scene, conscious dancehall?

Selector: Indeed, I think that music takes a cue from life... People want more nowadays... More bang for the buck... More deep lyrics, and something that families can share together. That is kinda why I started PSM in the first place. To make a home for people who are trying to make a change... To Edutain... no just to entertain...

Reggae Crew: Alright, man, thanks for your time. Big up to PSM!

Selector: Peace and Blessings to you. Respect.

Background info provided by PSM's Website:

Stand Out Selector, aka Steffen Franz is well known as a dancehall innovator. As a DJ/Producer/Remixer and the owner of PSM Recordings, he has been bringing his conscious reggae vibes to throngs of people from New York to the Hawaiian islands (and San Francisco in between).

Over the past few years, SOS has DJed at hundreds of shows throughout California, Nevada, Washington, New York and recently in Australia & New Zealand, where he played opening and break sets for the Beastie Boys "Hello Nasty" World Tour. He has produced three dozen multi-artist stageshows and the Nicodemus "Dancehall Giant Tour", as well as the last two Barrington Levy west coast tours. He has remixed tracks for artists such as: Barrington Levy "Work" (MCA), Capleton "Wings of the Morning" (Def Jam/RAL), Beenie Man "Tear off Mi Garment" (Island JA); as well as produced tracks for artists such as Nicodemus, Ras Michael, Barrington Levy, Rocker-T., Jamalski, Wookie J., Jr. Robby, DJ Collage, Sister Sara and SF local hip hop group New Dealers.

Visit PSM's Website at www.psmrecordings.com
Positive Sound Massive Recordings
2261 Market Street, PMB 487
San Francisco, CA, 94114
(415) 835-4799 office/voicemail

100% pure conscious dancehall
plus a whole lot more!!!

During this interview Selector also mentioned future and current releases for Positive Sound Massive:

2003

Rocker-T "More Luv" (In stores now)
This is the long awaited follow up to If Yu Luv Luv Show Ya Luv". It
features 15 new songs from Brooklyn's own "Tru Ganjaman"... Pure
Positive messages and peaceful vibes over some amazing new Roots and
Dancehall tracks.

biL: "Magic Thumper" (Due out at the end of April, might be the first
week of May)
This album is a hybrid of instrumental music featuring hip-hop and
dancehall riddims mixed up with the Bass and Git of SF Surf group the
Mermen. It also features all kinds of "Worldly" percussion and
scratching by DJ Quest (Space Travelers, Live Human) and Coup D' Ville.
Half of the album was mixed by Dan Nakamura aka Automator (Dr. Octogon,
etc).

"Western Edition - 10 years of Positive Messages" - Artist Compilation
(September)
This project features some great name artists in both Reggae and Hip
Hop... Tracks are in production with Shinehead, Yami Bolo, Rocker-T,
Jamalski, Zion I, JS-1 (Rocksteady Crew NYC) Soul Majestic, Karney,
Crocodile Tears (NY Rock Group) and some other folks... All over PSM
style beats.

2004

Riddim Please 2.... More Beats!!!
Another pure Instrumental album... Some dub and some pure instrumentals
from the past 10 PSM releases... DJ Conscious for Conscious DJs...

Dancehall Legend - A Tribute to Nicodemus
This album will feature many of the PSM stable, as well as some very
known special guests paying tribute to the "Godfather" of Dancehall
reggae... It may feature some remixes of tracks off "Dancehall Giant"
our first full-length artist CD from 1996

Johnny Blaze... the Sea Tortoise - Stand Out Selector
This is going to be my solo project... it will have tracks from like 10
or so projects that I have been a part of... It will also feature a
hidden 14 minute track called the "Railroad Symphony"

Plus about 3 more before the end of next year...