where's d'scene? rolling soca, chutney, jab & other caribbean pop

The Toco Loco Riddim (posted at the tail end of the previous thread) is a great way to start the day. Make the shower your carnival!

Jab MADNESS

'Pick up something - Run wid it!'

https://www.facebook.com/MrKilla/videos/2171317776455741/

This is Mr Killa - Run Wid It. I think it's mandatory to pick up something when this comes on

http://www.looptt.com/content/more-criticism-mr-killa-over-soca-monarch-win

Sour grapes re Grenada’s Mr Killa?

I like Mr. Killa from Grenada’s “ Run Wild it.” His speedy ennuncation and the percussive rhythms. He’s gonna be in DC Sunday.

http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/238717/killa-slays-iwer-ism-crown-goes-grenada

Listening to David Rudder’s Catharsis album from a few years back. I like his lilting melodies, socio-political lyrics, and rhythms that aren’t quite as fast-tempoed as most soca hits

https://newsday.co.tt/2019/02/08/wheres-the-lyrical-artistry-in-soca/

Rudder, a singer/songwriter who won the Calypso Monarch and Road March titles in 1986, answered first.

Each generation reflects where we are in society, he said. Recalling that he had come up as a calypsonian in the tradition of Zandolie and Kitchener, the “Lyrics Man” said working with 2016-18 Soca Monarch Voice showed him that young writers see rhyme and lyrics differently from the older generation of calypsonians. He and Voice have a 2019 release called Madness....

...Calypso emerged from the songs of enslaved Africans in Trinidad and came of age in the poor, black, urban jamette culture of the early 20th century. Its anodyne lyrics often disguised subversive or vulgar double meanings.

There is no need to disguise such meanings any more, Rudder said. “It’s not by chance. It’s a very raw time.”

70-something Calypso Rose from T & T is performing in NYC tonight. Wish she’d come farther south to my locale

xp my Chutney-loving mate made the case for parallels between that style and country music. so many songs about break ups and alcohol abuse

Maybe so

From Martinique (and from 2016, but new to me, so yeah):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuFnsdjtCeU

M.O.B • KoKoLeCheL

This is from this year, slightly different title, completely different track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAgu-Bj-dtk

M.O.B • KoKéLécheL

(Spotify has them as by “Mob” and “M O B” respectively, but it’s the same guy)

https://www.okayafrica.com/how-afrobeats-global-rise-is-changing-carnival-rigid-genre-conventions-soca/

Interesting stuff. How come nobody ever told me about that Jamaican ”Mad Over You” rip?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUCTrcSGvsU
Ding Dong • Lebeh Lebeh

(sure, it belongs on the dancehall thread, but since everybody’s mashing things up anyway...)

Lebeh Lebeh is cute, but it's always bugged me that it cuts some of the best bits of "Mad over You" (which I adore)

breastcrawl, have you checked out the Walshy Fire album? I haven't gotten around to it yet myself but it's all stuff like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdCmVgPVT_Y

Mad Over You always reminds me of just how much I love music.

rob, I listened to the Walshy Fire album, several times in fact. I’m not too crazy about the Alkaline/Runtown track you posted, I like second single “Call Me” with Eazi and Kranium much better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsUlpNgvgvs

The dancehall-leaning tracks don’t do too much for me (a bit stodgy and waaaay too much Ice Prince - they must be very good friends). The fun is in the lighter tracks, notably “Outside” (Adekunle Gold/Nailah Blackman) (is this afrosocapop?) and “Amazing” (Timeka Marshall/Stonebwoy) with its wonderful steel drum coda, my favourite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?dWy7lxVK30Y

“Amazing”, again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWy7lxVK30Y

Afro-Caribbean collaborations that are at least as interesting:

How about some “palm whine à la bamba”? https://youtu.be/QNb0WlPe73Y

Juls ft. Agent Sasco • Slow Down

And this reggaeton bombshell, produced by Legendury Beatz: https://youtu.be/HcwEyLhwL54

J Balvin & Bad Bunny ft. Mr Eazi • Como Un Bebé

Reposting this from the Rolling Dancehall & Reggae thread, where vcrash posted it yesterday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6-tSYzqnXI
Bush Tea • Wiyah Waist

(She’s from the Virgin Islands)

has anybody had a chance to hear this soundway comp ?

Body Beat: Soca​-​Dub and Electronic Calypso (1979​-​98)

curious to hear a perspective from ilxors who have been keeping tabs on contemporary soca

sounds good on a quick spin. what would you call the high points on that collection?

yeah it's quite good. i mean, it's got very little to do with current soca sounds, but it's entertaining as a time-capsule in the way a lot of outernational music compilations can be. there's some nice crossover with funk and house music. well worth a spin

Not really listened enough times to pick faves.

Quite like D'Jab Jab Dance (Bad Lad Mix) which is the aforementioned housey tune

yeah, i haven't spent enough time with the comp to pick a favorite, nor do i feel qualified to point out the high points. that's why i posted here. you tell me !!

Fucking love that “D’Jab Jab Dance” track, but then it seems I’m genetically predisposed to like anything jab.

Case in point: two new (and very different) tracks from/with my to-go-to jab guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk6CVVyfYzo
Xpert Productions ft. Slatta • Wukking High

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcnpykSJ0Ac
Slatta • Bwa Neg Mawon

Miss Naija House Niniola crossing the Atlantic for some soca light:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pVa0GSCvzg
Niniola • Pocket

On the same Bittersweet Riddim:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9sbVvFHU7A
Nailah Blackman x Konshens • Slow Wine

Nailah's on a ton of collabs now. Love this one with Olatunji:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1upH9vnmR68

this is rad; one for the horrorcore soca fans:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMf-XgHpv88

(Blaxx, "Douen")

if you're into that, check this too: https://youtu.be/z140_ZhGhEQ

I was totally out of the soca scene in 2019 and feel like I need to catch up. What did I miss? And was there anything pollable outside of Run With It?

yes: Famalay, At Large, Trouble In The Morning being just three (I think they came out in 2019 or maybe late 2018)

Thanks! As long as they're Soca Season 2019 release dates are not a problem.

New thread, cos why not:

'We're Jamming Still!' - rolling Soca, Chutney, Dennery, Jab and the rest 2020

Why not— uh, read Rob’s intro to this one:

I'm leaving the year off because Carnival season doesn't follow the regular calendar anyway and the last couple threads didn't quite justify dedicated annual threads--

i'm interested in what's happening now. i detest history

but yeah, point taken. too late now

my approach didn't exactly stimulate posting so I have no objection to this!

reviving this thread for this superlative floaty track from Martinique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8UJl665mPM
70 SHIINE ft. Nacho • Domino

(courtesy of D-40 on the [cruel, cruel] Summer Jams thread)

you can’t stop the flow:

🀄️🀄️ Martinique to the world: 70 SHiiNE x Nacho • DOMINO 🀄️🀄️

https://www.nts.live/shows/death-is-not-the-end/episodes/death-is-not-the-end-9th-august-2020

Trini Calypso from the 1920s to 1940s .

https://nhcarnival.org/

Notting Hill Carnival August 29-31
Digital style

Don't often think of soca in a live band context, but Kes have released an excellent live album called 'We Home'. It's great to hear some absolute classics like 'Hello' and 'Savannah Grass' in this context

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djlSmc9RYXs

haha, I'm only now watching the video and didn't realise it was 'live in the studio' but that would make sense

Another French overseas department in the house - je kiffe trop!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFckB9WXVw
Poplane ft. Momo Wang • Mo Lé

Poplane is from French Guiana, I see him referred to as “le Wizkid guyanais”. Appropriately enough, the video was shot in Africa (in Senegal, to be precise).

starting my Friday with this loveliness

bump for this fun track from Aruba that I just happened across:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvLB6ngRaPQ
Ataniro ft. Steve Andreas • Dios Para Den

Tekisha Abel bringing the Suriname slackness, leaving a nation in disarray:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC6CrT1rIjU
Tekisha • Lolo Bal

I like this older one as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU75s_HgGFo
Tekisha Abel • Krin

enjoying this! don't get to hear much from suriname. i guess it's more reggae than soca?

Have liked Alison Hinds for a while, still need to catch up on many others in soca world

Super Blue just did a late night, poorly advertised gig in DC area .

http://tt.loopnews.com/content/denyse-plummer-has-died-calypso-world-mourning-again

RIP Denyse Plummer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FKMW-9DvC0

Fallon “ What do want Santa” posted on YouTube a year ago ,

Actually “Wey yuh want Santa” parang

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/made-in-trinidad-screening-with-filmmakers-natalie-hill-adele-bertei-tickets-736828272197?aff=ebdsshios&fbclid=PAAaYNqTa_prkW7lQHewckmuceJztgcuNCJCslKBozXuWDr8zZj7v0tcoy5LU_aem_AZaL0mJ5NxVkkfOYJj8HOo9thpm0b32VA-6vLBd4Fycu-osMndTBS9uGNnEuAgwf50Q

Natalie Hill and Adele Bertei for a very special screening (1st in decades!) of Made in Trinidad
Made in Trinidad (First Screening in Decades! Filmmakers Natalie Hill & Adele Bertei in Person!)
The Philosophical Research Society proudly welcomes producer and directors Natalie Hill and Adele Bertei for a very special screening of MADE IN TRINIDAD, their barely seen, incredible documentary on Trinidad’s Carnival celebrations. Produced in 2001, their film toured the festival circuit to acclaim, but did not receive distribution – a casualty of the early aughts film industry’s unfortunate indifference towards ethnographic filmmaking. Now, twenty-two years later, PRS is excited to share a rare screening of this wonderful film!

That’s Feb 17 in Los Angeles for that soca in Trinidad film screening

Vivien Goldman article on the assassination of Trinidadian Rebel Sixx , who she first started listening to while living in Jamaica during Covid

https://pioneerworks.org/broadcast/vivien-goldman-jamaican-bass-bad-mind

I still need to finish the article

https://www.bam.org/film/2024/one-hand-dont-clap?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_content=film-onehand-ig-o-post&utm_campaign=film

Restored doc One Hand Don’t Clap about soca and calypso showing in Brooklyn through Thursday March 14

Has there been any remarkable soca this past year? Trying to catch up....

I'm putting on a soca night in Bristol on Saturday, so I hope to hear some good stuff.

I've fallen off with soca recently. I omky really know Hard Fete and Anxiety from the last season

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ZRPtvSdjBvqTHqbW0gUCG

https://www.caribbeanlife.com/machel-montano-crowned-2024-tt-calypso-monarch/

Ooh nice thanks for this!

Machel Montano just recorded an npr Tiny Desk but I don’t think it’s online yet

I saw Montano years ago live and he and his band were great. I didn’t splurge for his pricey 50th birthday tour gig last night at the Kennedy Center and now after watching IG story clips on his page I wish I did. Oh well .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1f0WK9lsb0

Trinidad’s Machel Montano did the 1st ever soca NPR Tiny Desk and now it’s online

Great stuff!

The Fall soca/calypso song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EVf1BuGiYw

just delightful, thanks LightUserSyndrome

The instrumentation sounds more Hawaiian than calypso or soca.

Or high life.

Hawaii-life?

I like it, whatever

back to other recent post here - I saw Machel Montano live with a band circa 2005 in DC area Caribbean music club and they were great, and watching that Tiny Desk makes me kinda wish I had splurged for his recent Kennedy Center show here in DC ($100 tickets)

Love this Haitian track from last year

Tracy Magic Girls - Lajan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8tgHruhLmo

Also, this would be the perfect time to intorduce you all to my friend Stormy-J's absolutely RIPPING "Jab House" mix, where she mashes-up high-bpm house and Jersey Club sounds with Grenadian Jab Jab and Caribbean soca. Give it a listen:

https://soundcloud.com/stormy-j-radio/the-birth-of-jab-house-2024-mix-stormy-j