Flourgon

b. Michael May, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. May began his career on the sound system circuit, performing with Stone Love, Small Axe, Rambo Mango and his own Sweet Love set. He often performed alongside his DJ sibling, Red Dragon, with whom he nurtured the careers of Buju Banton and Terry Ganzie. May released a succession of combination hits, including ‘How You So Hot’ with Brian And Tony Gold, ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ with Thriller U, ‘Go Sit Down’ with Clement Irie, ‘Dungle Lover’ and ‘Madly In Love’ with Sanchez, ‘Jump And Spread Out’ and ‘Turn And Stab’ with Daddy Lizard, alongside the favoured ‘Million And More’ and the chart-topping ‘Zig It Up’, both of which featured the enigmatic Ninjaman. Following May’s successful combination with the controversial DJ, Ninjaman curiously released the contemptuous ‘Last Of The Flourgon’. The latter, however, had little impact on Flourgon’s career and his distinctive gritty voice continued to grace a profusion of vinyl releases. He enjoyed a notable partnership with Mikey Bennett and Patrick Lindsay, primarily for his version of the ‘Oil Thing’ rhythm, ‘Bow Ting’. Other solo hits included ‘Tender Touch’, ‘Bounce’, ‘Fret And Worry’, ‘Trophy’, ‘Live Good’, ‘Bad Boy Tune’ and ‘Follow Me’. In 1994 Jamaican producers, inspired by the dancehall trend of mixing various DJs over the same rhythm, began recording various artist singles that often featured Flourgon, including ‘Can’t Stop The Dance’, performed by the ‘Yardcore collective’, which incorporated the talents of General Degree, Tony Rebel, Papa San and Buju Banton, among others, while ‘Informer’ featured Snagga Puss, Anthony Malvo, Anthony Red Rose, Frankie Paul, Lizard and Flourgon’s brother Red Dragon. By the late 90s his output was lost in the flood of dancehall releases, although his combination with Freddie McGregor, ‘Bless My Soul’, enjoyed some success. Although his career has been overtaken by the young contenders, Flourgon is regarded as an influential DJ who inspired a wave of sonorous vocalists.