2021 Soca Season: Carnival is cancelled, but the music keeps flowing

“See Dem” gives me the feels too. the irony being that the song is about people who are *not* your friends

btw, dog latin, from a different thread, but have you heard Busy’s “Bring Rum”? it has the exact same vibe you just described imo

worth reposting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh_SpwmQj2M

Ola's "Riddim We Want" is pretty banging:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdHzgXZqVU8

him and System32 have a somewhat similar borderline chaotic vintage makeover tune too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDEBYQFZpo8

"Don't Stop Carnival"

I swore I already posted this (it's on the same riddim as MM's Private Party), but Skinny Fabulous's "Act Normal" also works as an opening up anthem:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etxx6GsfSRQ

Xps yes it only just struck me how antisocial "See Dem" is. I don't pay attention to lyrics on first or second pass so I'm actually a bit disappointed that this song I'd attributed to "yearning" (and I know there's a Trini word for this specific feeling which I can't remember right now) is actually about distrust and solipsism. Never mind, it's lovely.
And yes, "Bring Rum" is fantastic

you're probably thinking of "tabanca"

btw, I'm listening to Bring Rum again and liking it a lot more than the other day (my pop music ears have been messed up by pandemic/lockdown is my theory)

"Tabanca" was what I was thinking. It was on the tip of my tongue and yet it kept reaching for "parang", lol

"Drunk History" is so much fun. Soca's killing it right now, but I guess it always is

Apparently this is from 2019 so might be old news to some of you, but it's worth posting about since it's the first time I'm detecting an SA house vibe on a soca riddim.

Here's the Bantu Village Riddim mix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpKiv8eu2B0

Orlando Octave – Beauty
Marlon Asher – Party Started
Benjai - Say What They Want
Lady Lava – Feeling Away
Shea Shea – Love Come Down
Dale Ryan - Give Thanks

WE GOIN' ALL DAAAAAY
JACK BAUER DEM CALLIN' WE

(lol just caught that second verse)

Looooool didn't notice that

'All Day' sounds better every time I hear it

Also, every time Machel on "High Life" sings: "Hope you have a good day and everything is o...kay", it hits me so hard in the feels I get pinpricks behind my eyes.

I like the occasional steel drum pings on the Machel Montano cut too. Some of his flow and melodies just hit you, as noted .

Saw him live some years back and it was a great late night gig. While some soca acts just tour using backing tracks , he had a full band . Big crowd and lots of energy. Montano had lots of charisma onstage

not really hearing the SA house in the Bantu Village Riddim, but I love it just the same!

(when it starts I'm immediately reminded of the beat on Iyanya's "Kukere" tho)

(xps to dog latin)

also, can I get an amen for Olatunji's "Riddim We Want"? such a joyous banger, with a true carnival of sounds in the mix

it’s heresy, I know, but for my own convenience/pleasure more than anything I made an integrated Rolling playlist for all the Caribbean music threads (soca, dancehall, reggaeton/dembow/urbano, Martinique, other caribbopop). we’re 72 tracks in, feel free to follow:

ILM rolling Caribbean vibes 🥁🥁🥁

I like your brand of heresy, breastcrawl.

ha some years I combine my soca & dancehall playlists and sometimes I don't, though that's more just to keep things manageable

I'm not sure how I missed longneck posting it in March, but MM's "High Life" is great!

Bantu Village: this was new to me but really lovely, but not sure I should be trusted here as I pretty much like every single afro-soca riddim I've ever heard lol. I do think I hear what you mean by SA house, dog latin, though the *thump* is super muted

Olatunji put out like half a dozen classics this season iirc

catching up on those Olatunji classics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOx9es8EyaY
Olatunji ft. Good Times Ahead • Black Liberation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj3NPFvo9Qo
Olatunji ft. System32 • Doing It

guy is *creative*

oh wow I'd missed "Black Liberation" -- that is fire

This super-minimal mashup of Meri Makhna Meri Soniya and Buni Garlin's Big Bad Soca is pretty cool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ktdjvCfGXA

nice remix

yeah, very dope

I read something somewhere suggesting that my old-school fave David Rudder might release something new. I think he lives in Toronto now

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/barbados-queen-republic-ceremony-prince-charles-rcna6901?fbclid=IwAR3DMjpw2NW8XpGa_wjCNY-jKIrwwUo-tlRVyvLPeLy07uyj_0ORvsx_7Zw

Barbados cuts ties with the Queen and celebrates

Any soca in 2021 best of lists?

Here we go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IOPlFMYi_c

That was "DECORATE" by 2MV & Keshav

Everything I hear by Aisha Noel I love, and "The Realest Thing" is no exception

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lKx_U-X6jI

oh I love that Noel track

the fete is over here right now (bring your own rum!):

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