Reggae music has lost a significant figure, Radio personality in Philip Smart of New York who died from cancer Tuesday night.....The first hit recorded with Pro Tools was Dirtsman's "Hot This Year....He later produced and worked on "Rikers Island”" by Cocoa Tea and Nardo Ranks, making the edits in the system. Later that year, Shaggy recorded "Mampie" with Philip; Red Fox and Screechie Dan's "Pose Off"; and "Shot Mek You Wiggle" by Junior Demus

Reggae music has lost a key figure, personality in Philip Smart of New York who died from cancer. Philip has been battling cancer for quite awhile in New York.

Smart's career spans over five decades. While in high school, he produced his first record with reggae instrumentalist Augustus Pablo and vocalist Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Philip Smart at the Radio Controls

The transition to recording engineering came when the Augustus Pablo's album Java was being recorded. Errol Thompson was the project engineer and Philip was taught how to record to sixteen-track tape machines and how to make rough mixes to two-track tapes. This was followed by working with King Tubby and then for producer Bunny Lee, who gave him the nickname Prince Philip. He was in fact King Tubby's first trainee, recording and mixing such hits as "None Shall Escape" byJohnny Clarke, "Jah Love" by Yabby U, and most of Dr. Alimantado's albums.

HC&F Recording Studio was built in 1981 and opened in 1982. The first recording project was with the group Monyaka, titled "Go Deh Yaka," which was an instant hit, and reached #14 on the UK charts. Since that time, the studio had several very successful projects such as Jah Life Productions, which featured such artists as Sister Carol, Scion Success, Barrington Levy, and Carlton Livingston. He is also known for his work with artists under labels other than his own, such as Island In the Sun Productions artist Horace Andy; Narrows Records artist Mr Easy; Donovan Germain Productions artists Audrey Hall, Owen Gray, Tanto Irie, and Johnny Osbourne; and Witty's Music Master Productions artists Shelly Thunder, Junior Wilson, and Barrington Levy.

With the nineties came digital recording and the introduction of Pro Tools' two-track computer-recording program to the studio. The first hit recorded with Pro Tools was Dirtsman's "Hot This Year," which was released on TanYah records. He later produced and worked on "Rikers Island”" by Cocoa Tea and Nardo Ranks, making the edits in the system. Later that year, Shaggy recorded "Mampie" with Philip; Red Fox and Screechie Dan's "Pose Off"; and "Shot Mek You Wiggle" by Junior Demus, which was later used in the film "Dancehall Queen". During 1993–1999, Shaggyrecorded five albums from with Philip, which included "Boombastic" and "Hot Shot."

As dance music got bigger in 2000, multitrack Digidesign Pro Tools TDM was in demand, along with 24-track tapes. Mixes such as "Headacke," "All Out," and "Blue Drawers" were synced with 24-track tape and Pro Tools technology to achieve fatness and warmth placing emphasis on digital mixing and editing features. Philip's early Pro Tools and analog technology knowledge gave him a cutting edge in the 1990s, which provided reggae artists with the ability to record Jamaican-quality sound in New York.^[1]