IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

i was having a discussion with a friend playing devil's advocate. the jist of the conversation was wether soca was worth promoting because reggae was clearly the more superior music, and that it must be cause trini's love dub. and i said yes. the reason that soca is the way it is, is because it has pigeon holed itself into jus carnival music. if the people as well as the artist allowed it to grow you would see more diversity in the music.

the second thing was do people promote as much as they talk about soca music? my friend said that she did'nt because if something that was done to her, she would find annoying so she would not want to annoy anyone else. when ever the opportunity presents itself i promote the culture. i'm not talkin about in a conversation about basketball you interject with how "bunji really mash up soca monarch", but when the situation is right. in my advertising and marketing classes i use soca and trini culture in all my projects because i beleive that it can go world wide.....but do other people belive it also?

now that you have an idea of my conversation i jus want to ask the question again. What do you do to ensure that soca is not laughed at by reggae fans? do you educate those outside the caribbean community about the culture that you claim to love?
WHAT DO YOU DO??????

I can say that the site speaks for itself when trying to give soca/calypso another forum to showcase itself... HOWEVER...

The internet is a new (5years) medium when it comes to promoting the culture... you really have to look at the original methods of promotion and ASK... "How come soca/calypso has not come further?"

I will be bias and say... "SIMPLE ANSWER"... almost everyone in the industry can be blamed for soca not being promoted as it should... this may offend some, therefore I won't be really specific... HOWEVER...

Looking in from the outside... the people in the industry WERE not thinking outside of the box... I strongly believe that alot of people were content on being the BIG FISH in their own backyard... probably not the artists themselves... but others involved... I'll keep this brief... but here's an OBVIOUS example... believe it or NOT... a few soca videos are MADE every single year during carnival season... how many foreign nationals get to see these videos?!?!?! Hardly any... I don't know the logistics... but I do know that VIDEO JOCKIES beg for soca videos... and they don't get none... couple years ago... you only see "TORO"... Now.... Last Year... Square-One spent the money... and distributed their videos outside of BIM.... ultimately.... marketting their LP/CD and selling plenty....

Hmmm... there are so many things that need to be done... BUT... people are finally recognizing this... and I know for a FACT... LIKE HIM or HATE HIM... everyone is holding their breath to see what MACHEL MONTANO does to help promote the culture...

People shouldn't think that soca is once a year... TnT is not the only island releasing quality music... peeps should listen to other islands... ANYHOW... soca is 24/7 fuh meh... and meh kids will eat and breath it too!!


SUPPORT d'CULTURE...

STRYKA

p.s. hope that answers questions... hmmm... maybe I went off topic... oh well...

Your IslandMix.com Webmaster...

Well said Stryka!!!!!!!!!!!! Love to hear when u respond to something. I agree with what u said. But do you think that Soca will ever become as recognized as reggae?

I hear some poeple say( that are not familiar with the music and the culture) that the music is too fast for them...could that be a reason?

And I was also wondering...( I hope this doesn't sound narrow minded) but in the midst of becoming more world wide, are we going to lose lose something in our soca?

Would soca be any better if it became so mainstream that maybe machel will collaborate with PUffy? Or would would it be looked at, as ridiculous?

But anyway, i love my culture and my soca. I promote my people all the time just by saying that I am trini to those who have no idea what a trini is. And if there are questions that follow, i answer them.

:-) babash_gyal

WHAT IS SUPERIOR BOUT REGGAE?

TELL ME QUICK

LOVE YOUR RESPONSE.

TO ADD TO IT. REGGAE IS NOT SUPERIOR. SOCA JUST DONT GET THE SUPPORT AND THAT IS CHANGING.

WE NEED TO PLAY ALL THE SOCA MUSIC NOT JUST REPEAT 7 OR 8 OF THEM OR MONTHS.

ANTIGUA HAS SOME GREAT MUSIC. THERE IS A GROUP CALLED DA BHANN, THEY COULD ENTERTAIN ME ALL YEAR, CAUSE DEY GREAT. AND WE KNOW BOUT SWALLOW, ONKU, ONION, THE GROUP BURNING FLAMES AND OTHERS. NOW WE HAVE TO GIVE THESE PEOPLE A CHANCE.

BLAK SAND HAS A TERRIFIC CD THIS YEARCOMING OUT OF ST. VINCENT I WISH PEOPLE GET A CHANCE TO HEAR WHAT THOSE GUYS ARE DOING.

DOMINICA IS ALWAYS KICKING ASS. HAITI, HAS GREAT MUSIC TOO.

WE NEED TO INVOLVE EVERYBODY INSTEAD OF JUST A FEW.

WE NEED TO PLAY EVERYBODY MUSIC AND SPREAD WE SOCA CULTURE, THE ONLY WAY WE COULD GET EXPOSE IS TO EXPOSE ALL WE MUSIC. LOOK AS KASAV. AH MEAN WE HAVE MORE MUSIC THAN WE KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH.

THE DJS/RADIO PERSONALITIES NEED TO MEET ONCE A YEAR AND DEVELOP A WAY TO GET DE MUSIC OUT THERE.

AH LOVE MEH SOCA MUSIC MUSIC.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. AND I HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO GET SPONSORS TO KEEP THIS SITE GOING. IS THE BEST TING

SUPERIOR MUSIC TO CALYPSO/SOCA MUSIC I WILL WATCH DEM LIKE DE SCHUPID AND TELL DEM "YOU BETTAH STOP THAT#####."

I NEVER HEAR MORE FOOLISHNESS IN MY LIFE.

IF ANYBODY FROM THE CARIBBEAN, EVER COME TO THAT CONCLUSION THEN THEY DON'T KNOW THE CALYPSO MUSIC AND THEY DON'T KNOW THEIR CULTURE AND THEY DON'T KNOW THEMSELF.

WHEN YOU PUT THE WORDS CALYPSO, REGGEA AND SUPERIOR IN A STATEMENT, IT WOULD NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME UNLESS YOU MENTION 2 OTHER WORDS: MARKETING AND TIME. NOT MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!

I DON'T NEED A WORLDWIDE APPEAL INSISTING THAT "REGGEA IS SUPERIOR" OR "REGGEA IS MORE WORLD KNOWN MUSIC" DRIVE ME TO THAT CONCLUSION THAT REGGEA SUPERIOR? - THAT'S RUBBISH!!!!!!!!!

THAT IS ALMOST SAYING AND BELIEVING HIP HOP IS MORE SUPERIOR THAN JAZZ!

ITS TIME AND MARKETING AND LOCATION.

KAISO HELP LIBERATED OUR ANCESTORS FROM SLAVERY, IF CALYPSO AND SOCA GOES WORLDWIDE TODAY DO YOU THINK IT PROBABLY HAVE THE SAME EFFECT IN THE WORLD LIBERATING THE OPPRESSED BILLIONS TOPPLING THIS NASTY POWER STRUCTURE WE DWELL IN AND TAKE A LONG TIME TO DO BUT IT WILL BE A SPARK. DO YOU THINK THESE GREEDY COMGLOMERATE RECORD COMPANIES WANT THAT?

IF WE SAY WE LOVE OUR CULTURE WE SHOULD LOVE IT ENTIRELY. NOT LOVE THE MUSIC FROM ONE ISLAND ONLY, BECAUSE THEN YOU WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN MUSIC OR WHAT YOU ARE PROMOTING.

Most people don't realize a fundamental difference between calypso/soca and reggae. The major difference between the two types of music is - to what is it associated. Calypso is associated to Carnival which is a catholic tradition/festival that occurs before lent. Anyone who is catholic knows, what is done during Carnival should not be done during lent or in the following months. THerefore as Carnival builds up Calypso and Soca reign, but once Ash Wednesday hits you have to put it away. Since most Carnivals kept the traditional time (before lent) the music wouldn't get played after carnival, not because it wasn't wanted, but because of custom. Now that Carnival dates are popping up all over the calendar we can only expect THE RISE of calypso/soca, it is inevitable. As long as we open our minds and stop this my Island your Island Calypso/Soca will go far.

As for Reggae, well as one of Buju's album was named "Voice of Jamaica", Reggae is propably better reffered to as the voice of the oppresed throughout the world. This is what I believe makes Reggae so big. Let's remember we're not talking about dancehall. Reggae has carried dancehall to were it is today and it is becoming quite obvious "dancehall nah mek it anymore". Instead of fighting down Babylon, dancehall has become it! There is nothing left to positive in that form of music. From Marley's One Love to all dis kill dis kill dat all this talk about sex, whatever happened????? Traditional Reggae will always be big because of how it relates to people. Reggae can be seen as an inspiration to people to forge onward and never give up, whereas Soca/Calypso is more of a festive type of music. Yuh never really hear Soca talking bout slavery its all about jump, wine, wave and get on bad. Calypso which was present throughout the West Indies is more of an information session in code, as to what is occuring politically in the country.

Let's compare apples with apples, Calypso is to Reggae what Soca is to Dancehall. I don't believe Calypso will reach the grandeur of Reggae, but Soca has a good chance to become larger that dancehall.SOCA IS JUST TOO SWEET!!!!

Common Sense

CALYPSO CAME FROM KAISO SANG BY OUR ANCESTORS ABOUT THE OPPRESSION THEY FACED - THAT'S CONSCIOUS.

THERE IS A LARGE PART OF CALYPSO THAT FOCUSES ON SOCIAL COMMENTARY WHICH ON MOST CASES IS LOCALIZED TO EACH INDIVIDUAL ISLAND. HOWEVER AS YOU SAID SINCE IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH CARNIVAL, I SAY THAT PART OF IT TENDS TO LOSE OUT. BUT IT IS THERE. MOSTLY WHAT IS POPULARIZE AND SELLS IS SMUT AND JUMP AND WAVE. THUS CALYPSO /SOCA MUSIC IS NOT BEING PUSHED AS A CONSCIOUS MUSIC THE WAY REGGEA WAS PUSHED.

AND AGAIN I SAY THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET. I COULD LISTEN TO RADIO STATIONS FROM AROUND THE CARIBBEAN AND HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT MUSIC IS ACTUALLY OUT THERE BECAUSE I CAN'T DEPEND ON THE STATIONS UP HERE. I KNOW THEY HAVE TO DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO SURVIVE BUT MOST OF THE MUSIC THEY ARE PUSHING IS SO DAMN BRAIN-DEAD AND ALMOST REPULSIVE, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF LYRICAL CONTENT AND MUSICAL STANDARDS.

THERE WERE 2 CALYPSOES I HEARD THIS YEAR THAT WERE SOCIAL COMMENTARY THAT WERE AS GOOD AS ANY CONSCIOUS REGGEA TUNE I HEARD, AND I SIGN MY NAME ON THAT TOO,"INNOCENT BLOOD BY LITTLE KIMMY AND "ONE PEOPLE" BY SHORTSHIRT. AND AS FOR SHORTSHIRT, I HOPE PEOPLE AREN'T WAITING FOR HIM TO DIE TO RECOGNIZE THE LARGE BODY OF SERIOUS WORK HE DID IN CALYPSO WHICH I WOULD TO EQUATE WITH SPARROW OR KITCHENER. I DON'T EVEN HEAR THIS MAN ON WLIB, HE IS LIKE HIDDEN TREASURE OF THE ARTFORM WHICH IS SO DAMN SHAMEFUL.

I Just want to clear up something.Kassav don't play soca.They're from the French islands Martinique and Guadeloupe......they play Zouk.

MAY SOCA AND ALL THE CARIBBEAN MUSIC INVADE THE WORLD......:)

interesting conversation...and motivating

i would agree calypso needs more social commentary being pushed to help push forward the music and balance the artform and to avoid being typed

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Soca music lives through you, so tek care of yuhself
ichard

I cannot give history on either back grounds and I may go off topic, but I have to say that soca is the best mucsic I ever heard and I cannot compare it with reggae.
I can think about one issue that is around me. When i listen to the music I feel joyous, happy, dancing with a smile, but I cannot relate in certain situations because i am from the south (sc) Most ppl say wat is that, wat are they saying? Even the style is different. you can't teach an old dog new tricks, so some jus throw the bone, understand

my mum is jamaica my dad is from dominica and i have been bought up to listen to both music but i must say soca/calypso is the best. when my grandparents lived in the UK b4 they went back to Dominica they listen to alot of soca and becuase i grew up listening to it thats how i got to love it myselfe.
you have to be realistic, soca will never be more recognised than raggae but its worth promoting it. soca is soething to be proud of, its such lovely and lively music and u can never get bored of it. These days, its the west indians theselves who been bought up to listen to it will actualy love listening to it themselves but i suppose its good to have something to keep to yourselfe and to share with no one else.

As a non-Trini who LOVES soca, I think Trinidadians promote their culture very well. Even if someone has never heard soca before, once they go to a real good fete and feel the energy, they can't help but take interest in this sweet music. All my Trini friends always promoting their people, their country, and their culture.

I think the reason soca isn't in mainstream American is simply marketing. You have to find new ways to market to the American people maybe thru some collaborations with American artists. Carnivals in major US cities like DC, Boston, Atlanta will also increase the popularity of soca. If soca ever makes it mainstream, I hope it's not too waterdown.

I beg to defer

I live in Trinidad and the average Trinidadian has at best a lukewarm attitude toward soca, or what passes for it today. Our self-contempt and collective inferiority complex manifests in the music in many ways and this is the principal reason why in Trinidad such music is not given sufficient respect other than a brief jump-up called the Carnival season.

I argue that the reason why there one may hear soca in dancehalls in the US is that thing called nostalgia. However, by then the damage has been done; most of those who allegedly promote soca know nothing about the history of the music or the country itself (compare that to many British or US music lovers who can tell you about people like Joni Mitchell or Jimi Hendrix). This is why, for instance, a misguided person wrote above (Commonsense) could still write soca and calypso – which is played even LESS on the radio than soca – is associated with Carnival, which in turn is a Catholic festival. So much documentation has been put out that this originated in ancient Africa as a spring solstice fertility festival for this misconception to be still bandied about. Additionally, calypso and its offspring soca, goes back to the oral tradition of the African griots/djalis and was sung throughout the year, even in the Caribbean.

You worry about whenever soca is finally accepted by mainstream US, it is not too watered down. News flash, it already is! Of late I notice most soca singers trying to ape American and Jamaican accents and slang even though just about everyone from Beenie Man to Robert Townsend came here and implored them to retain their Trinidadian signature because that is what made them unique; my experiences with people from the US and Europe showed that they don’t want to hear the music they left behind, they want to hear how WE make music. I can never stop admiring Jamaicans; they are very protective and proud of their musical traditions no matter where they go. I have seen this in England, the US and Canada.

I am glad you support our music, but trust me, you ain’t heard nothing yet.