Ghanaian music producer Appiah Dankwah, widely known as Appietus, is urging experienced producers to host masterclasses for emerging talents in the industry.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, Appietus noted that many up-and-coming producers lack the foundational skills needed to achieve professional sound quality in their work.
“My feeling is that we, the professionals, must come together to help these guys. Maybe we can all decide to organise a masterclass to guide the younger ones. I believe they genuinely want to learn because people often ask me, ‘Appiah, the song you produced 20 years ago still sounds so good — why doesn’t mine have the same quality?’ They keep buying equipment and software that do not really help them,” he said.
He emphasised that without mastering the basics, new producers will continue to face setbacks.
“They first need to understand what they’re doing, but they don’t. So if we don’t step in — and by helping, I mean organising a masterclass — nothing will change. Of course, we’ll get paid, and if the government comes on board, people like Kwame Yeboah, Zapp Mallet, JMJ, Ubeatz, and I can all share our ideas and help them improve.”
Appietus acknowledged that such training initiatives could be expensive, but suggested that collaboration between musicians’ unions could make them feasible.
An award-winning producer and sound engineer, Appietus has worked with some of Africa’s biggest music stars. Known for his signature “Appietus in the mix” tag, he has produced numerous hits across hiplife, highlife, and gospel. With a career spanning more than two decades, he has built a reputation for exceptional sound quality and innovation in music production.