Kashif
Kashif was born Michael Jones in 1959 in Brooklyn, NY. Later
he took the Islamic name Kashif Saleem, under which name
he became famous. During his early years he played first
trumpet for Robert Wedlaw at JHS 35 in Brooklyn. When he
was 15 he started his main career as a member of the street
funk band BT-express where he played keyboards. He
left the group in 1980, just before BT-express' disco funk
album "1980" was released, and became a successful
producer and songwriter.
In
1981 had Kashif, keyboardist Paul Laurence and producer
Morrie Brown created the production company Mighty M Productions.
Kashif's
sound, whether he worked within the Mighty M Productions
company or by himself, was characterized by a clever mix
of the soul and R&B emphasizing much on slick guitar
and synth grooves and a clear extension of the hypnotic
SOLAR sound of Leon F. Sylvers III. Despite the appealing
sound Kashif's productions were sometimes a bit to repetitive.
Kashif
main producer career started In 81 when he produced
the strong female vocalist Melba Moore's album "What
a women needs" including the hit "Take my love". In
81 Kashif Saleem, now a Muslim, also wrote and co-produced
the hypnotic "I'm in love" with Evelyn King taken
from the album with the same name that was partly produced
by Morrie Brown and Mighty M Productions.
In 82 he produced and wrote the smash hit "So fine"
with Howard Johnson but left him the year after for
other engagements. The debut album of Johnson also included
the lovely and soulfully dance gem "So you wanna".
That same year he really was in the middle of the heat.
Once
again he produced Melba Moore's new album "The other
side of the rainbow" with eternal and great gems like "Love's
comin' at cha" and "Mind up tonight". He also wrote three
tracks and co-produced a second album "Get loose"
with Evelyn King including one of the best tracks
ever, the brilliant "Love come down". In addition,
Kashif worked as an assistant producer on High fashion's
Popdisco debut album "Feelin' lucky" in 82 under
the mighty wings of Jacques Fred Petrus (see High fashion's
full biography at my new site here).
Kashif wrote two tracks on their album including the catchy
"Hold on".
In
83 he produced for the third time an album with Melba
Moore "Never say never" including hits like "Keepin'
my lover satisfied" and "Love me right". In addition
to all that he also got time to release his own brilliant
debut album from 83 full of hits like soulfunk inspired
"I just gotta have you (lover turn me on)", "Stone love",
and "Help yourself to my love". In 83 he also was the executive
producer of the controversial jazz musicians Kenny G:s
fabulous and dreamlike jazz soul album "G-force"
and the old guitarist George Benson's album "In
your eyes" including the hit "Inside love (so
personal)". Kashif did also some work with the young
soulstar Stacy Lattisaw. Since Kashif debut he recorded
for Arista until 1985, and then for Capitol in 1986, and
finally return to Arista again in 1987.
His final hit was "Love me all over," another duet, this
time with Meli'sa Morgan from 1987. This made it
to the number two spot on the R&B chart in 1987. The same
year he produced Whitney Houston's album "Whitney"
and produced the track "Love changes" (a duet with Meli'sa
and Kashif) on Meli'sa Morgan´s album, "Good love".
That lovely track did also appear on his own album with
the same name that year. In 88 he wrote and produced just
another duet (the man loves duets ;) with Melba Moore,
"I'm in love" on her album with the same name. Kashif took
a hiatus from recording in 1990, devoting his time to holding
seminars and conducting classes for aspiring performers
about the music business but he couldn't get his hands from
the studio. Because in 1998 he released a souljazz album
named "Who loves you" on the UK label Expansion
records exclusively for the UK. A soft and gentle piece
for more contemplative moments.
In
January 2004 an exclusive 2 CD set release hit the market
featuring the entire first album and 15 new studio songs!
Catch it! ~
Patriks soul funk special
Kashif's
discography
A
list over his productions as a producer and songwriter (not
as a musician) 1981-2003 as far as I know. If you got anything
to add please feel free to send me an e-mail to:
PSFS
Artist
|
Title
|
|
-
Productions 1981-2003 (not complete) -
|
Melba
Moore
|
What
a women needs (LP) (P&S)
|
1981
|
Evelyn
King
|
I'm
in love (LP) (P&S) * |
1981
****
|
Tavares
|
Love
line (LP) (S)
|
1981
|
Average
white band
|
Cupid's
in fashion (LP) (S)
|
1982
|
Evelyn
King
|
Get
loose (LP) (P&S) *
|
1982
****
|
High
fashion
|
Feelin'
lucky (LP) (Co-P&S) *
|
1982
****
|
Howard
Johnson
|
Keepin'
love new (LP) (P&S)
|
1982
***
|
Melba
Moore
|
The
other side of... (LP) (P&S) *
|
1982
****
|
Passion
|
Don't
stop my love (LP) (S)
|
1982
|
Zinc
|
Street
level (LP) (S)
|
1982
***
|
Alfreda
James & Billy Ray
|
Back
to love (12") (S)
|
1983
***
|
George
Benson
|
In
your eyes (LP) (S) *
|
1983
***
|
Kashif
|
Kashif
(LP) (P&S)
|
1983
****
|
Kenny
G
|
G
force (LP) (P&S) *
|
1983
****
|
Melba
Moore
|
Never
say never (LP) (P&S)
|
1983
|
Shawn
Jackson
|
Loveline
(12") (P&S)
|
1983
****
|
Kashif
|
Send
me your love (LP) (P&S)
|
1984
|
Bobby
Mardis
|
Keep
on (12") (S)
|
1985
*****
|
Dr.
York
|
Don't
stop my love (12") (P&S)
|
1985
|
Kashif
|
Condition
of the Heart (LP) (P&S)
|
1985
|
Kenny
G
|
Gravity
(LP) (P) *
|
1985
***
|
Whitney
Houston
|
Whitney
Houston (LP) (P&S)
|
1985
****
|
Lushus
Daim & the Pretty vain
|
More
than you can handle (LP) (P&S)
|
1985
|
George
Benson
|
While
the city sleeps (LP) (P&S) *
|
1986
***
|
Johnny
Kemp
|
Johnny
Kemp (LP) (S)
|
1986
|
Stacy
Lattisaw
|
Take
me all the way (LP) (P&S)
|
1986
|
Melba
Moore
|
A
lot of love (LP) (P)
|
1986
|
Giorge
Pettus
|
Giorge
Pettus (LP) (P)
|
1986
|
Troy
Johnson
|
Getting
a Grip on Love (LP) (P&S)
|
1986
|
Kashif
|
Love
changes (LP) (P&S)
|
1987
**
|
Meli'sa
Morgan
|
Good
love (LP) (P&S)
|
1987
***
|
Whitney
Houston
|
Whitney
(LP) (P) *
|
1987
***
|
Dionne
Warwick
|
Reservations
for two (LP) (P&S) |
1987
|
Johnny
Kemp
|
Secrets
of flying (LP) (EX-P) |
1988
|
Melba
Moore
|
I'm
in love (LP) (P) |
1988
***
|
Debbie
Allen
|
Special
look (LP) (P) |
1989
|
Kashif
|
Kashif
(CD) (P&S)
|
1989
|
Kashif
|
The
best of Kashf (CD) (P&S)
|
1992
****
|
Coming
of age
|
Coming
of age (LP) (P) |
1993
|
Whitney
Houston
|
I
have nothing (LP) (P&S)
* |
1993
|
Kashif
|
Who
loves you (LP) (P&S)
*
|
1998
|
Kashif
|
Definitive
collection (CD) (P&S) *
|
1998
|
Jermaine
Jackson
|
The
heritage collection (LP) (P)
* |
2000
|
Whitney
Houston
|
Love
Whitney (LP) (P&S)
* |
2001
|
Kashif
|
Best
of (CD) (P&S) *
|
2002
|
Kashif
|
Music
from my mind (CD) (P&S) *
|
2003
*****
|
All original release years
|
*)
In print (P) = Producer (S) = Songwriter Sources:
Stéphane Baratin, Francis Depuydt, Yves Le Page, DJ
ED, Michael Krogh and Ayadi Farid. Copyright © 1999-2025
Legal
notice
|
|