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Dancehall railroads soca train?
BY TEINO EVANS, Staff Reporter
Left: Fantan Mojah (centre), leaves Doug E. Fresh (left) and a startled Machel Montano in his wake after hijacking the mic. at the Jamaica Carnival stage show at the National Stadium car park last year. This year more hard-core dancehall acts are releasing soca songs. - NORMAN GRINDLEY - Right: T.O.K. - WINSTON SILL
OVER THE LAST two years or so, there has been a notable increase in the number of hard-core dancehall acts to produce songs specifically for the Carnival season. According to some of these artistes, this is a result of the successful integration of Caribbean music.
"Is a Caribbean music ting and nowadays a lot of the Caribbean genres of music a try link up" a couple years ago we did a song called Don Perigion (2002) for Peter Coppin from Barbados and we did the remix with Machel and from then the whole soca vibe started for TOK because the response was good," Flexx, a member of the group told THE STAR.
In their most recent soca project, TOK has done songs like Get Up Stand Up and We Not Giving Up, a remix done with Machel Montano and Doug E Fresh.
FLEETING SUCCESS
Not all dancehall artistes will attempt the soca remix and succeed, however. According to Flexx, the success lies in the strength of the fan base.
"It can work for some artistes but it not goin work for everybody. We have a very big fan base in Trinidad and even some ads we have been seeing, they used our song on the Diwalli Rhythm for some election campaign over there," Flexx said.
The group performed with Machel at Trinidad Carnival last year. No confirmations have yet been made about performing at carnival events locally this year, but according to Flexx, "any weh di girl dem deh, TOK a guh deh deh."
At the opening night of Bacchanal Jamaica's series of soca fêtes held at the Mas Camp Village on Oxford Road in New Kingston, deejay Kurt Riley exposed patrons to some new releases by more hardcore dancehall acts - Sizzla and Tony Matterhorn.
However, despite the receptiveness to the effort, soca fans did not respond as appreciatively to these songs as they did to songs done by traditional soca artistes.
"Yuh naa guh can get out di dancehall ting, but a jus seh when a carnival time, dem (dancehall artistes) caan expec fi get di same attention as soca," Aneika Richards, a soca fan told THE STAR. "Even when dem do soca song, it jus not goin be di same effect, cause wi done know certain artiste fi dancehall music already," she said. However, Tony Matterhorn says there is a difference between local audiences and soca fans in the Caribbean. He says where judging songs and artistes are concerned, both audiences look for different things.
"Soca beat, a soca beat. Dem (Caribbean audiences) nuh guh off a who do di song dem, yuh a guh always have di Destra dem and di Machel dem, but people nuh bias dem way. Ef yuh beat bad, an yuh tune bad, dem a guh work wid it," he said. "A suh soca people stay, dem appreciate dem songs more, they are more open, every year yuh have at least 30-40 new song, an artiste a come in, but for Jamaica, if a soca song nuh really bad, yard people nah guh really tek to it," Matterhorn said.
Matterhorn, says he currently has two songs, Anytime and Dutty Wine, which are doing well both locally and abroad.
"Dutty Wine a di biggest ting deh roun di worl yah now. Is not even a soca song but it a play all a carnival event whole heap," Matterhorn said.
According to Matterhorn, he cannot explain why the sudden increase in reggae-soca relations, but says, "mi nuh know, dem probably a get soca-mania. Just like how di dancehall big inna Trinidad, a same suh, Jamaicans love soca to."
Indeed, newcomer Busy Signal has quickly joined the slew of dancehall artistes to do soca songs. He recently released a song called Pon Di Pole. Busy says it's because of the love for a wide cross-section of musical genres that he has decided to join the soca train.
"It's (the song) done on a soca rhythm and it have da vibe deh an tru mi love and listen soca music to, mi decide fi do it an mi promise mi self seh mi a guh keep versatile an be inna all music, once mi like it, if a even fi do combination, whether R&B, hip hop, yuh know, cover all those grounds," Busy said.
BY TEINO EVANS, Staff Reporter
Left: Fantan Mojah (centre), leaves Doug E. Fresh (left) and a startled Machel Montano in his wake after hijacking the mic. at the Jamaica Carnival stage show at the National Stadium car park last year. This year more hard-core dancehall acts are releasing soca songs. - NORMAN GRINDLEY - Right: T.O.K. - WINSTON SILL
OVER THE LAST two years or so, there has been a notable increase in the number of hard-core dancehall acts to produce songs specifically for the Carnival season. According to some of these artistes, this is a result of the successful integration of Caribbean music.
"Is a Caribbean music ting and nowadays a lot of the Caribbean genres of music a try link up" a couple years ago we did a song called Don Perigion (2002) for Peter Coppin from Barbados and we did the remix with Machel and from then the whole soca vibe started for TOK because the response was good," Flexx, a member of the group told THE STAR.
In their most recent soca project, TOK has done songs like Get Up Stand Up and We Not Giving Up, a remix done with Machel Montano and Doug E Fresh.
FLEETING SUCCESS
Not all dancehall artistes will attempt the soca remix and succeed, however. According to Flexx, the success lies in the strength of the fan base.
"It can work for some artistes but it not goin work for everybody. We have a very big fan base in Trinidad and even some ads we have been seeing, they used our song on the Diwalli Rhythm for some election campaign over there," Flexx said.
The group performed with Machel at Trinidad Carnival last year. No confirmations have yet been made about performing at carnival events locally this year, but according to Flexx, "any weh di girl dem deh, TOK a guh deh deh."
At the opening night of Bacchanal Jamaica's series of soca fêtes held at the Mas Camp Village on Oxford Road in New Kingston, deejay Kurt Riley exposed patrons to some new releases by more hardcore dancehall acts - Sizzla and Tony Matterhorn.
However, despite the receptiveness to the effort, soca fans did not respond as appreciatively to these songs as they did to songs done by traditional soca artistes.
"Yuh naa guh can get out di dancehall ting, but a jus seh when a carnival time, dem (dancehall artistes) caan expec fi get di same attention as soca," Aneika Richards, a soca fan told THE STAR. "Even when dem do soca song, it jus not goin be di same effect, cause wi done know certain artiste fi dancehall music already," she said. However, Tony Matterhorn says there is a difference between local audiences and soca fans in the Caribbean. He says where judging songs and artistes are concerned, both audiences look for different things.
"Soca beat, a soca beat. Dem (Caribbean audiences) nuh guh off a who do di song dem, yuh a guh always have di Destra dem and di Machel dem, but people nuh bias dem way. Ef yuh beat bad, an yuh tune bad, dem a guh work wid it," he said. "A suh soca people stay, dem appreciate dem songs more, they are more open, every year yuh have at least 30-40 new song, an artiste a come in, but for Jamaica, if a soca song nuh really bad, yard people nah guh really tek to it," Matterhorn said.
Matterhorn, says he currently has two songs, Anytime and Dutty Wine, which are doing well both locally and abroad.
"Dutty Wine a di biggest ting deh roun di worl yah now. Is not even a soca song but it a play all a carnival event whole heap," Matterhorn said.
According to Matterhorn, he cannot explain why the sudden increase in reggae-soca relations, but says, "mi nuh know, dem probably a get soca-mania. Just like how di dancehall big inna Trinidad, a same suh, Jamaicans love soca to."
Indeed, newcomer Busy Signal has quickly joined the slew of dancehall artistes to do soca songs. He recently released a song called Pon Di Pole. Busy says it's because of the love for a wide cross-section of musical genres that he has decided to join the soca train.
"It's (the song) done on a soca rhythm and it have da vibe deh an tru mi love and listen soca music to, mi decide fi do it an mi promise mi self seh mi a guh keep versatile an be inna all music, once mi like it, if a even fi do combination, whether R&B, hip hop, yuh know, cover all those grounds," Busy said.