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

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?

not lolo bal though. wow, i love this.

could have posted it on the dancehall thread ad well, but preferring to spice up this thread with the non-Jamaican goodness.

did you check out the Aruban banger I posted last month?

yeah, it's a banger!

t’is an Aruban banger!

added the most recent tracks posted here to this integrated Rolling Spotify playlist for all the Caribbean music threads (soca, dancehall, reggaeton/dembow/urbano, Martinique, other caribbopop). we’re 75 tracks in, feel free to follow:

ILM rolling Caribbean vibes 🥁🥁🥁

Thanks

new Tekisha Abel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaItVfBwHGI
Tekisha Abel • Né Krooi

https://newsday.co.tt/2021/07/14/brother-resistance-dies/

RIP Trinidad rapso pioneer Brother Resistance

I'd never heard of Brother Resistance before he died (I've never really attempted to fully grasp TT music). Grateful for this overview of BR/rapso by David Katz: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/21/rapso-discover-the-pride-and-power-of-trinidads-rap-soca-music

Now I'm listening to his debut and it's totally excellent: https://brotherresistance.bandcamp.com/album/rapso-take-over

The Kindred track in that Katz piece also sounded rad

RIP Brother Resistance

RIP Jacob Devarieux , guitarist from zouk band Kassav from Covid

http://tt.loopnews.com/content/gi-retains-chutney-soca-title-ramrajie-prabhoo-wins-queen-chutney

Chutney soca winners in T & T

seeing in twitter and IG that legend David Rudder just did a gig the other night in T & T

I tried a '22 soca mix the other day. I have to admit I wasn't super into it as a mix, but a few tunes caught my ear:

Kes x Dwala - Jolene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZWZWV8hGyk

GBMnutron - Down Dey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pTeX_43Ttg

Keshav - Move

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVG5IEu4SEQ

Nailah Blackman x Mical Teja - Dingolay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OffaL6SeiJE

I really really really like this one. feel it could have across-the-board appeal. should do well in a decade poll in fact:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FWHavH6IQw

thanks for posting these updates!

Yes thanks. I am also liking German-born, Barbadian vocalist Rupee's "First Wine" 2022 single. He's been around a bit and has a pop-soca and reggaeish feel on some cuts. He and Kerwin Dubois recently were in DC at a festival

xp I appreciate that, sean!

That is pretty nice, curmudgeon, thanks. I think you might be into this Trini-Haitian collab (so might we all in fact):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeMko3n-U7c

Kes x J Perry x Michael Brun - Liki Tiki

And speaking of Barbados, one thing I learned from my brief survey the other day was that this slice of Caribbean weirdness is apparently super popular:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WlQ-7QjBGc

Father Philis - Brawling

been a while since I treated myself to fresh soca sounds, so I’m very happy with this selection. the only one I was familiar with was “Jolene”. “Liki Tiki” is an instant favourite too, J Perry’s Kreyòl part in particular makes it.

that Father Philis track is intriguing. he’s got a new one out, “Face Beat”, that’s even bigger than “Brawling”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKg6b_Hezb0

Nailah Blackman just made a track with him (and Salty) as well, called “Teknique (Bum Bum Bum)”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJDazGrOgJE

I found some of the tracks posted last week on the Get Soca 2022 compilation on Spotify, and listened to the whole fun thing.

a couple of highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8CFjp6JMuc
Boyzie • Stage In Life
(on the Chips and Dip Riddim by jab masters Xpert Productions - Slatta and Lil Kerry are on it as well)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym1sqSc1414
Blaxx ft. Linky First • Rum Ina Me Head
(another jab track by the sound of it)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2KrqgzksD8
Raymond Ramnarine ft. Vicadi Singh • Mind Yuh Business
(which has clear Indian inflections - does that mean this is “chutney”?)

but my favourite discovery is this guy Umpa, who’s from Guadeloupe but is equally at home in the Anglophone and Francophone vernacular:

the sparse “Plat” (which leans slightly more Kreyol) was on that comp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS0j2yb0XQ0

…but then there’s also his most recent one, the maximalist “Bap” (mainly in English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQYNZP9PxEQ

it sounded exhilaratingly familiar and then I realised: it could have been a Ball J Beat! Ghanaian azonto producer extraordinaire of tracks like “Lapaz Toyota” (as well as “Pooley” after he had adapted his style)

(the man had that where’s my Grammy?!!!?!!! tag on his records long before Burna even entertained such notions (speculation, your honour!), let alone voice them)

I'm pretty out the loop for decent soca. Feels like 2020/21 were bumper years but even my soca-nerd pals seem more interested in stuff like amapiano and cruise-beat these days. What's good?

Don’t know. Here’s some random Bermuda dj’s Spotify playlist from earlier this year

Droppin' this here again for the ppl that need it this week 👍🏾😆

My 2022 Soca Top 20 Playlist https://t.co/gNykE8rocM

— DJ Rusty G (@djrustyg) June 13, 2022

cheers!

Awesome Machel Montano February 17 soca and afrobeats and more Carnival show in Trinidad

I want to go to Trinidad for this awesome February 17 carnival show with soca and afrobeats artists . Saw Machel Montano do an incredible show @ the since shutdown Crossroads in Bladensburg once or twice & have seen a few of the others but not all. pic.twitter.com/WcqzQGA3Wz

— Steve Kiviat (@SteveKiviat) February 11, 2023

Flyer for the show in the tweet

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