Author Archive for Martin

St. Vincent Carnival

Published by
Martin
at July 25, 2008 in Socafetes. 1 Comment

..
source of photo: www.carnivalsvg.com

It’s already 4 weeks ago that Vincy Mas was feteing the road 2008. Time to sum up the results for you.

Most played on the streets of Kingstown and new Roadmarch Winner 2008 was Icon’s ‘A Pain (2 Knee)’. After placing fourth in the Soca Monarch Competition, on the road Icon’s song outplayed “Head Bad (On De Spot)” by new Soca Monarch Gamal ‘Skinny Fabulous’ Doyle, who was regulated to second place, with last year’s Road March Winner Shertz ‘Problem Child’ James place third with his song “For Life”.
Hope everyone was able to chip down the the road to the groovy winner tune without pain in the knees…

At Soca Monarch Competition a record attendance saw Gamal ‘Skinny Fabulous’ Doyle dethroning six times Monarch Winner Delroy ‘Fireman’ Hooper. Performing ‘Head Bad’ Skinny Fabulous relegated last year’s champion Hooper who performed ‘Who e hut e hut’ into second position, with 2007 Road March King Shertz ‘Problem Child James placing third with’ For Life’.

See Skinny Fabulous perform at Soca Monarch Finals. At first in a funny Gladiator-Style, but watch out for the real ‘Head Bad Costume’ (with no head at all) in the second half:

In Calypso Monarch a Queen reigned out all the male participants. Princess Monique won the title performing ‘Who’s Laughing Now’ and ‘Beyond Party Lines’. She is also the current Trinidad & Tobago Calypso Queen and has won the St. Vincent Calypso Monarch three times in a row, 2003, 2004 and 2005.


VINCY CARNIVAL RESULTS OVERVIEW:

Roadmarch:
1. Icon - A Pain (2 Knee)
2. Skinny Fabulous - Head Bad (On De Spot)
3. Problem Child - For Life

Soca Monarch:
1. Skinny Fabulous - Head Bad (On De Spot)
2. Fireman Hooper - ‘Who e hut e hut’
3. Problem Child - ‘For Life’

Calypso Monarch:
1. Princess Monique (Monique Hector) - ‘Who’s Laughing Now’ / ‘Beyond Party Lines’
2. De Man Age (Errol Rose) - ‘I Aint Selling Out’ / ‘The Man is Me Friend’
3. Abijah (Elvis Abbey) - ‘Chatoyer Picknee’ / ‘Jumbie Police’

Steelband Competition:
1. Sea Operations Starlift Steel Orchestra - ‘Vincy Mas’ by Errol Peters
2. National Lotteries Authories Sion Hill Euphonium - ‘Doh Rub Up On Me So’ by De Rebels Band
3. Potential Steel Orchestra - ‘Carnival’ by Winston Soso

King of the Bands:
1. Atiba Lockhart - Jupiter (Blondie Bird & Friends)
2. Gordon Boucher
3. Andrew Sutherland - Pakachute, The Earth Shaker (Dragons Mas Band)

Queen of the Bands:
1. Simone Richardson - Galaxy on Fire (Blondie Bird & Friends)
2. Shaunelle Mackenzie
3. Jenilee Glasgow

St. Lucia Carnival

Published by
Martin
at July 24, 2008 in Socafetes. 0 Comments

Most of you might already know: this week was Carnival in beautiful St. Lucia.

Ricky T did not only win the Caribbean Soca Monarch, but also the St Lucia Power Soca Monarch title with his track “Wheel and Come Again”. And finally he also became the Roadmarch King.

Herb Black won Groovy Soca Monarch title and is St Lucia’s Calypso Monarch 2008 with his big track “SUZETTE”.

Toronto-Lime.com reports the top played songs on the road on Carnival Monday - (in no particular order):
Suzette - Herb Black
Burooo - Viking
Wheel and Come Again - Ricky T
Mad So - Isla Man
Socaritis - Mr. Pringles aka Superman
Party Mashupers - Kakal
Too Much Rum In Your Glass - Ricky T
bullet My Band is the Best - Sir Lancealot

Caribbean Soca Monarch Winners:
1. Wheel and Come Again - Ricky T
2. Mad So - Isla Man
3. Soka Junkie - Mr. Dale

Soca Monarch Winners:
1. Wheel and Come Again - Ricky T
2. Socaritis - Mr. Pringles aka Superman
3. Mad So - Isla Man

In pan, Steel Diamonds won the Panorama. You can find the news article at
Pan on the net

Sources:
Toronto-Lime.com newsletter (Aug 22, 2008)
Radio St. Lucia
Scruffy News

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Faluma Soca Shop: 5th anniversary

Published by
Martin
at July 24, 2008 in General. 0 Comments

Faluma
The Berlin-based Soca and Calypso online store and label Faluma.com is 5 years old and celebrates this happy occassion with a 5% sale on all their products until the end of July.
If you want to learn more about Faluma have a look at their blog or (if you happen to be in Berlin) just pay a visit to the anniversary party they plan.
DeCooler says: congratulations and keep up the good work!

Bajantube’s weekly Crop Over Top20

Published by
Martin
at June 11, 2008 in Socatunes. 0 Comments

1. Stabby De Guard - Stabby
2. Edwin Yearwood - Nah Missing Me
3. Hypasounds - Party Mood
4. Sicky - AAAAH!
5. Khiomal - Start De Madness
6. Abacu & Fakaroo - The African Song
7. Lil Rick & Underdog - Break Away
8. Lil Rick - Bus A Wine
9. Spin Pooch Ink - Texting
10. JANA & RASHIDA - CANDY WORLD
11. PONG - OFFSET
12. snakey dan - pelt waist
13. John Mahameed - Hold The Brass
14. CONTONE - HARD TIMES
15. Mikey - Can’t Stop De Party
16. Justin King - Soaking Wet
17. Patrice Roberts Ft Machel Montano HD - Tempa Wine
18. Nard - Nah Let Go
19. Malcolm X, Styles & Rameses - Shake Dat Body
20. Tarah - All Nite

listen to the songs on bajantube.com.
New songs of the season can be checked out at the MashUp Radioshow.

Machel Montano back on Delicious Vinyl?

Published by
Martin
at March 25, 2008 in Socaartists. 0 Comments

Nurse Karen is reporting in her blog that there will be an international version of the Machel Montano HD album called “Wining season” out soon. According to Karen the album will be released on Delicious Vinyl. No info on the label’s website so far.
Machel already released two 12″ on that label in the 90s (1995 to be precise).

Machel Montano (by London)

[Photo: caribbeancricket]

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Keisha Christain - Totally Unacceptable (Video)

Published by
Martin
at March 24, 2008 in Socatunes. 0 Comments

New video out of Barbados by Keisha. Directed by Get Bizi Browne.

[via Boyce Voice]

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David Rudder’s Calypso Journey

Published by
Martin
at March 17, 2008 in Socaartists and Socafetes. 0 Comments

david rudderDavid Rudder recently did his Calypso Journey show in Toronto, Canada. It combined calypso music of three generations starting in the 30s and the show also features Lord Superior and Toronto’s singer Drew Gonsalves.

Read a concert review here or listen to the audios at CBC (unfortunatly you might need some special media plugins to listen to the audios).

[Photo: Tanja Tiziana]

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Soca genre category on mp3 stores

Published by
Martin
at March 13, 2008 in General. 0 Comments

The discussion about a “soca”-category on digital audio plattforms is coming back - starting at the Saucy’s Trinidad Carnival Blog (also see a comment at bandwaggonist and the facebook group).

Here are my 2cents: The main problem is that soca music is too unknown and also a very small market. Nobody is hating on the Caribbean, soca is just not important enough. The fact that some artists get paid 3000$ for a 15min show in Toronto doesn’t mean that there are significant album sales figures. How many artists are actually doing a full album? 5? 10? (per season/country).. well here you have the main point: the quantity.

Also most of the soca artists who have some chart entries are promoted as r&b or sunshine pop - which is not too bad cause usually that tracks don’t breathe the spirit of the Carnival anymore.. but not really helpfull in promoting the label “soca”.

Still, there are good reasons to have a “soca”-category: soca is the music of a whole region, so it would be nice to have at least a “Caribbean”.

More news..

Published by
Martin
at March 8, 2008 in General. 2 Comments

Doubles in Trinidad is now 4$ - wonder how much they are in Tobago. - See a video of the panist Duvone Stewart (with NFM Pantasy) playing Shurwayne’s “Dead or alive” in Canotier, France. [pan-jumbie] - Carnival Corbeaux still fires against the “William Monroe Show” aka Fantastic Friday and this years Soca Monarch Bunji Garlin. - Vincean soca artist Maddzart is planing a “The Madd Symphony Carnival” show for this year.[via cyanwait]. The world’s biggest bootlegger for Caribbean music, Audiomaxxx is taken offline after police raid..ehm just make sure to write down his adress. And finally, there is another intersting weblog dedicated to soca music: (Nurse) Karin is based in Toronto and has a podcast also.

Sanell Dempster - Heat (Video)

Published by
Martin
at March 8, 2008 in Socatunes. 0 Comments

DeCooler recently looked like one of those numerous blogs that repost youtube videos. But hey, that’s cool - thanks to Tempo so many artists nowadays doing videos which helps the artists to get more exposure.
Here we go again with a video directed by Kevin Fires Morgan. Sanell Dempster is definitely the female singer from Trinidad with the most outstanding career. She won roadmarch 1999 with “De river” after singing in almost all popular brass bands like Traffik, Atlantik and Blue Ventures. Last year she rocked the carnivals with “Chokolade”

HEAT

Meinem Profil hinzufügen | Mehr Videos

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Tony Wylie - Feel like dancing (Video)

Published by
Martin
at March 4, 2008 in Socatunes. 1 Comment

Directed by Remy.
[via Bandwagonist]

Mighty Duke interview

Published by
Martin
at March 4, 2008 in Socaartists. 3 Comments

Read an interesting interview with the calypsonian Mighty Duke. He made some good points on money and the latest carnival music.

You’ve seen Trinidad music grow from ?

Yes, from one stage to the other. From being way on top to now being nothing. We don’t have music now… We don’t have music. As a matter of fact, Carnival don’t have any music.

Imagine a festival like Carnival and we have rhythm but not music. When you lack music in something, you lack the heart of it all. There’s no sweetness, nothing at all; except you jump and you get tired.

[Trinidad Express]

Make a stage

Published by
Martin
at March 3, 2008 in General. 0 Comments

This is how the new National Carnival and Entertainment Centre, Queen’s Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain, TT, will look like:

savannah stage

More info at UDECOTT

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Adrian Dutchin is Carib Soca Monarch (GY)

Published by
Martin
at February 19, 2008 in Socafetes. 1 Comment

Adrian Dutchin took the 2008 Soca Monarch title back with his tune “”No Place Like Home” from last years’ champion Marlon ‘Malo’ Webster. Malo who performed the song “Celebrate”, didn’t make it in the Top3 this year.

2nd place: Wilbur ‘Lil Man’ Levans
3rd place: Onikha Joseph

[Stabroecknews]

Naya George: Make way for the youngers

Published by
Martin
at February 16, 2008 in General. 0 Comments

This is an interesting article of Trinidad Express printed in January, but I just found it again on Caribbean Brass Connection. Naya George says that he stepped out of the music game to make space for youngers:

Everybody just want to hold on to their space, so the youths who are coming into the industry, brimming with talent and bursting with energy have no where to go. [..] We need to bring young people in the game and move the industry forward.

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