Arts & Entertainment

Magazine

De Riddim of Tings! A Carnival 2012 Overview

Nigel A. Campbell

Jan 16 |00:00

“Infinite Stupidity: A Talk With Mark Pagel."

http://edge.org/conversation/infinite-stupidity-edge-conversation-with-mark-pagel

To say that riddim is king in Soca 2012 would be partly true. All the breakout hits in the first week of parties, and on the radio have been riddim-based. But history has shown that the big winners of Carnival 2011 and before have been those unique Soca compositions not shared with other artistes: “Wotless” (Kes The Band), and “Advantage” (Machel Montano), to name a couple.

That's not to say that Benjai, hot off his "Give Away" riddim-driven “Ah Trini” did not have an extended bumper 2011 with “Wine to the Side” on the "Honeycomb" riddim shared with Machel Montano and Lil Bitts. Riddim is it, and if you look sharp, a handful of riddims could dominate a TT Carnival season.

The era of the sampled and interpolated song is a memory, with Kernal Roberts giving us songs influenced by Enya, A-Ha, Cyndi Lauper disguised as Soca anthems; but the shelf life of a trend in TT is, luckily for us, short.

Riddims, a staple of Jamaican dancehall and reggae since the 1980s, have taken a hold with a vengeance in recent years here. There is a built-in premise by this action of multiple voicings that the song structure would be secondary to the lyrics – a motivator for movement, the flow or ‘riding di riddim’ being the audience differentiator.

In essence, you go to the marketplace and offer up the tracks, and like most things in nature, one rises to the top, and succeeds. Words and performance are key. So to enrich the market with quantity, the current trend is to copy and hope. The jokeyness of one riddim with three separate singers in a Soca Monarch final is a possibility, as we look for a winner!

I did a cursory compilation of riddims published for the Soca season to get a handle on the growing phenomenon. I've identified at least two dozen riddims with over one hundred songs produced.

The definition of a season has changed, happily, over the years as Soca singers can now rely on a season, if Trinidad and Tobago is the anchor, lasting from Boxing Day until Miami Carnival the following October, with the globe as the stage for the many Carnival opportunities up the islands, and in the metropolitan centres of the Caribbean diaspora on both sides of the Atlantic.

Leftover riddims from Barbados and Vincy Carnivals are recycled for Trinidad and Tobago Carnival the following year with success. DJs, programmers, and producers from Trinidad to Jamaica to Toronto are sound merchants, offering an easy fix to music success for a number of unheralded Soca singers.

Along with the increased opportunities for performance has come a refinement of the business model for getting paid. I note that the producers will create a riddim, and, like modern creative entrepreneurs, have the option of selling or "licensing" an exclusive riddim or "sharing" with a number of artistes, I assume, with the concomitant price variable. The compilation of tracks is made available for free download on various websites and blogs with ID3 tag data and artwork for DJs.

This distribution system tells me that the goal – after collecting "a change" from the artistes – is to get the tracks into the hands of many, with the future performance and copyright royalties playing a large part in the revenue profile.

The situation in Trinidad and Tobago, where one can get entertainment, like the latest Hollywood movie on bootleg DVD, on the roadside, or an air-conditioned store for $10.00, has created the environment where music is no longer a viable, tangible commodity for sale in CD form. Now, the intangible of royalty calculations from radio airplay and performance dominate. The customer is no longer king for the producer. The radio programmer and fete promoter rule.

The season has just begun, with a vengeance, after last year's 100 day plus curfew and state of emergency. Back in 1991, when the 1990 coup attempt left us with an interminable curfew situation, Superblue unleashed the mother-of-all-Soca-anthems “Get Something and Wave”, and I say, we have never been the same since.

Freedom unleashed Pelham Goddard's magic with Austin Lyons' songwriting to glorious results. Some say it was the golden age of Soca. We no longer listened; we just waved.

Artistes and producers - in the latter part of 2011 – would have been almost finished production on 2012 offerings, but Machel's promise to release 30 tunes to coincide with his 30th anniversary in the business of live performance could see a surge of new energy.

All the other major Soca stars – Bunji, Kes, and Kerwin Dubois – are killing it with riddim songs. And we, the audience, have two selections to make – who has the better riddim, and who is better in the riddim. More wuk; less pain.

Now, we listen while we wave. With two dozen options for music, one hundred options for complete songs, and more to come, I eagerly wait to see what the riddim rage portends for the future of songwriting, and the possibility of greater penetration into international markets.

This post originally appeared on Nigel Campbell’s website. Republished with permission. http://jazzintt.blogspot.com/2012/01/de-riddim-of-tings-2012-overview.html

“A tiny number of ideas can go a long way, as we've seen. And the Internet makes that more and more likely. What's happening is that we might, in fact, be at a time in our history where we're being domesticated by these great, big, societal things, such as Facebook and the Internet. We're being domesticated by them, because fewer and fewer…and fewer…of us have to be innovators to get by. And so, in the cold calculus of evolution by natural selection, at no greater time in history than ever before, copiers are probably doing better than innovators…Because innovation is extraordinarily hard. My worry is that we could be moving in that direction, towards becoming more and more sort of docile copiers.”
“Infinite Stupidity: A Talk With Mark Pagel."

To say that riddim is king in Soca 2012 would be partly true. All the breakout hits in the first week of parties, and on the radio have been riddim-based. But history has shown that the big winners of Carnival 2011 and before have been those unique Soca compositions not shared with other artistes: “Wotless” (Kes The Band), and “Advantage” (Machel Montano), to name a couple.

Add comment (0)

Soca Succession: Is it time for Machel to pass the Torch?

Karel Mc Intosh

Oct 24 |00:00

On the heels of Chris Brown and Kelly Rowland announcing, last week, that Kes The Band and Machel Montano have been nominated for “Best Caribbean Performance” in the 2011 Soul Train Awards, people started posting about it on Facebook and Twitter… of course. However, on my timeline, what struck me was that most people focused on Kes, and didn’t mention Machel.

When I pointed out the omission to a friend, he said, “Nah we ain't forget... I'm a supporter of Machel... but (it’s) time for d fresh blood to break new foreign ground ent? Machel know as well... time to pass the torch”.

I’ve been thinking the same thing for a while now, but I’m careful to pass judgment and say that Machel’s time has gone for breaking ground, and that he’s too old to be marketable, because you really can’t predict someone’s ultimate potential. That’s not to say I’m not one of those people who haven’t criticised him in the past. And how can he pass the torch, if he doesn’t necessarily have strong, potential torch holders to pass it to? And why can’t he strive to be a bigger fish in the industry, while others try to be a big fish?

I’m no stellar fan of Mr Montano, but that’s mostly because I want to see a higher level of genius from him before I drop to the ground foaming with adulation. Why? Because I think, musically, he can be way better than he currently is.

Although Machel has long been hailed as the king of Soca, some people seem to be placing their bets on Kes as the future of the industry, and the one to take Soca international. Kes has the right package, and the potential. Sort of like Sean Paul. ‘Red’, mixed, and knows how to handle himself in interviews. Hopefully, he won’t grow Sean Paul’s dreadful mohawk. But I digress.

Kes obviously has a marketing team behind him that is helping to define his product of “island pop”, and is marketing him and the band as more than Soca, in a way that non-Caribbean people would easily be able to imagine his sound. Whether they imagine it as pop music, with bountiful amounts of steelpan or some ragga over it, I don’t know. But it’s easier for them to relate to island pop than Soca.

The issue here isn’t really about how are we going to take Soca international, or pitting one artiste against the next. That’s been discussed ad nauseum. And whether it’s time for Machel to pass the torch isn’t the real issue.

To me, the question is, where will the next generation of Soca stars come from? Do we just have to wait and hope they pop up? Is one of them reading this article right now? Is one of them currently five years old, running around in a yard in Manzanilla, eating a pommecythere? There are definitely talented young people out there, who we don’t get to hear unless their cousin is a friend of ours, and we like their Facebook page.

Let’s go back to Machel for a moment. In doing some research, I chanced upon an interesting blog post by DJ Uncle L, “What’s Next Moses? – Machel Montano and the Future of Soca”

http://djunclel.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/what’s-next-moses-–-machel-montano-and-the-future-of-soca/, which was published in December 2009. He said:

“I have always compared Machel to another great leader, the Biblical figure Moses... Moses was born a Hebrew, raised by Egyptian nobility, and eventually led the Hebrews out of captivity in Egypt. His intention was to lead them to the Promised Land of Israel, but as punishment for a temporary lack of faith in God, they would wander around the area for an extended period of time, and he was to never set foot on the Promised Land, eventually passing away before the Hebrews made it there. I see several parallels to this story, though I am sure that Machel would like to rewrite the ending… Machel Montano HD is easily the biggest Soca performer in the world (easily selling out shows in Madison Square Garden), but he remains a relative unknown to those outside the genre.”

If Machel is the Moses of Soca, does it then mean that the younger HD artistes are the ones to take Soca to the musical promised land? Who among the current crop of artistes can be the next big thing? And what will be their benchmark for quality? How will they break further ground, and produce music that is greater than, and more accepted than that of their predecessors?

Some people think Umi Marcano could cross over… if he pushes himself and gets new management. He certainly has a solid voice and charisma. Patrice Roberts can manage on her own too, I think.

There is no doubt that with some tweaking, some of the younger artistes can raise their profile. And just yesterday Onika Bostic’s “All is Yours” blasted from my iPod, and I thought, “Imagine where she’d have been now, if she were still around”.

With succession on my mind, I wonder just how much impact competitions like Synergy TV’s Soca Star make. Besides Fireball and Umi Marcano, which of the Soca Star alumni have had the potential to make a mark on the industry? Will Chynee, Metro, and the others eventually rise to the top? Oh… and I really don’t want to see someone else ‘bunning a fire in a Soca yard’ for Soca Monarch finals next year.

With great talent, smart branding, strong performances – not jump and waving, a willingness to experiment with their sound, and using social media to reach audiences and create networks, maybe the current and next generations can figure out a way to maximize their potential.

What will differentiate the new generation is the ability to make a strategic move into new markets – whether it’s the US, Europe or Latin America, for example, and to impress their home base. There will be windows of opportunity based on trends in music, but more importantly, with Soca being such a niche genre, artistes will have to create opportunities. Indie artistes across the world continue to forge their way into new markets, and some eventually go mainstream based on the strength of their fan base and music. Maybe younger artistes can explore this approach.

Point is… we’ve got to expand our thinking, especially if the younger generation wants to reach further than the current big boys.

Maybe it isn’t about focusing on Soca only. Maybe Kes has the right idea, with creating fusion. Ras Shorty I created Soca. Maybe it’s time for the young uns to experiment and innovate, and seriously know their purpose. Are they doing music to be cool, or because they’re genuinely into it?

In an interview, Machel said the secret to his success is knowing his purpose. Now Machel was fortunate to have a family, who encouraged and supported his dream, early on. Hopefully, the next generation of stars will rise despite their own personal challenges, and the challenges of the industry.

And Machel can very well keep doing his thing, inspiring the younger generation, and maybe even do a few collaborations with some in his older years. Even if he never makes it big in the US or UK market, I think in his grey-haired days, he’d be proud if he saw that those after him made a great go of building on his path.

Who do you think will comprise the next generation of great Soca stars? Do you think Kes will get even bigger? What do you think the next generation of stars need to dominate the industry, and take the genre further?

kesandmachel On the heels of Chris Brown and Kelly Rowland announcing, last week, that Kes The Band and Machel Montano have been nominated for “Best Caribbean Performance” in the 2011 Soul Train Awards, people started posting about it on Facebook and Twitter… of course. However, on my timeline, what struck me was that most people focused on Kes, and didn’t mention Machel.

Add comment (1)

Mas Wars 2K12: How far can consumer power take us?

Gabrielle Gellineau

Aug 29 |00:00

Last year, during band launch season, I proposed that overpriced, overskimpy costumes were an expression of ultimate freedom and independence for consumers and businessmen. This year, I’m back on my band launch soapbox to discuss intensified competition among bands courting the limited number of masqueraders who are willing to spend more than the average Trinbagonian’s monthly income on a Carnival costume, and the role of the consumer in all of this.

Let’s start with the issue of prices. At present, there are approximately seven bands – Yuma, Harts, Spice, Island People, Fantasy, Tribe and Bliss – in the large to medium size band category, competing for the 18 to 40-year-old ‘it’ crew. You would think that the most obvious outcome of increased competition would be decreased prices, but no. Although prices have stabilized, there has not been any marked decrease. In fact, Harts has increased its prices, Fantasy hasn’t let being a new band affect its premium prices, and YUMA, who was a little less expensive last year, is now right up there with the rest. The average backline male costume will cost you $500 USD, the average female backline will cost you $650 USD, and the average female frontline will run you close to, or past $1000 USD. These bandleaders are savvy businesspeople who understand that by pricing similarly, they will all make a profit.

So instead of varying pricing strategies, the bands compete on the quality of ‘the experience’ offered. This experience includes exclusivity, a gorgeous costume, accessible premium drinks and gourmet food, hype music trucks and adequate bathroom facilities. However, new bands are finding it difficult to balance the weird mix of sensitivity to consumer demands and exclusivity. This has resulted in strange, hypocritical behaviour. For instance, Fantasy invited persons to its fan page, and answered a wide range of sometimes-idiotic questions – yet failed to offer online registration. Instead, Fantasy opened its mas camp to a select few, and finally closed off its Facebook wall. Do you want to hear from us or not?

Last year, mas band YUMA asked the prospective consumer a different question every day on its Facebook page, what you’d like to see of entertainment, food, drinks, rest stop action, costume, route, etc. This year, they embarked on a massive open-ended, pre-launch marketing campaign giving away freebies to band loyalists to don their costume and pose like a perched owl. Before you know it, the ‘owling’ craze had taken Facebook by storm and landed the band on the evening news. Their launch was great – plenty people, plenty vibes, plenty drinks and plenty fun. Yet still, even YUMA has its exclusivity to protect and rumours of private registration have been circling about them as well, causing them to publicize the fact that some of their sections may be SOLD OUT in advance because they need to cater to past masqueraders first.

Where is the consumer in all of this? Although not to the extent which I would like, consumers are exercising their power to choose. The monopoly, which Tribe seemed to have on this elite market, is obviously a thing of the past, especially considering that everyone I know, who used to play with Tribe, is already registered with Fantasy or YUMA for 2012.

Carnival blogs and band Facebook pages are alight with consumers voicing their disgust for certain bands and their commitment to others. But with so much to choose from, band alliances are like those in the “Real World” – very fluid. Tenuous loyalties will eventually put pressure on band leaders to remain the ‘it-est’ of ‘it’ bands.

The spate of activity since bands have launched must make us think, how far can consumer power take us? After launching its 2012 offering “HEROES”, mas band Island People issued an apology for their unpopular costumes. Moved by the constant complaints on social media about the unattractiveness of their offering, and afraid of losing their supporters to eagerly awaiting competition, IP issued a swift apology and ran back to the drawing board. For me, this is a signal to consumers that the possibilities are endless.

Personally, after ten years of committed revelry, I retired from playing mas in 2009. I find the whole production to be way too commercialized, and I believe ‘the experience’ is diminished by the hysterical frenzy, six months in advance, to play in a particular section in a particular band and pay over the top prices. Additionally, despite how exclusive everyone tries to be, every year – without fail – there are stories of epic fights, drunken brawls and smelly stragglers. But with new bands following happily in the footsteps of the old, and with the expected outcome of high registration numbers, what’s one less customer? Not much, but consider the amplified soapbox we now have.

Social media including blogs, Facebook, BBM and Twitter have provided us with a platform to interact with the bandleaders. Even the bandleaders recognize this. So if we were to demand en masse lower prices, open registration processes, and original, attractive costumes, the bands would have to respond. However, making the demand is one thing; withholding purchasing power is something else. In my mind if you don’t like it, don’t buy it. With reduced sales you would be amazed to see how extensive and affordable Carnival packages would be in 2012. This will only happen if the reaction is concerted and popular, because sporadic and scattered action would be of little effect.

So when I see people grovelling on Tribe’s wall or b*tching on TrinidadCarnivalDiary.com, I just shake my head and laugh. The power to change is with you. Put your money where your mouth is!

maswars Last year, during band launch season, I proposed that overpriced, overskimpy costumes were an expression of ultimate freedom and independence for consumers and businessmen. This year, I’m back on my band launch soapbox to discuss intensified competition among bands courting the limited number of masqueraders who are willing to spend more than the average Trinbagonian’s monthly income on a Carnival costume, and the role of the consumer in all of this.

Add comment (1)

Stalk us:

Arts & Entertainment

De Riddim of Tings! A Carnival 2012 Overview

Top Ten Outlish Articles for October 2011

Soca Succession: Is it time for Machel to pass the Torch?

Top 10 Articles of August 2011

Mas Wars 2K12: How far can consumer power take us?

More Articles...

Magazine Issues

A&E Comments

The Art of Tiefin' a Wine

Trinis Who Don't Like Carnival

The Trini Rock Scene through the eyes of NYC

Relativity