What Is Soca Music?

This material is geared primarily towards folks who areChutney soca is a blend of East Indian chutney music
new to this genre of music called soca. As an artistand soca. Chutney Soca is an up-tempo, rhythmic type
who has been recording soca songs for the last eightof song, accompanied by traditional Indian musical
years, and who has won Caribbean wide socainstruments such as the dholak, tassa, the harmonium
competitions, I shall humbly attempt to present aand the dhantal.
comprehensive introduction to soca music.The line between different kinds of soca music is
Soca music originated in the Caribbean island ofbecoming less and less clearly defined. It can
Trinidad and Tobago. It is widely accepted to havesometimes be very difficult and controversial to
been created by Lord Shorty (born Garfield Blackman).pin-point what is groovy, power, or ragga soca. There
He noticed that Calypso music was threatened by theis so much fusion taking place that it is often difficult to
more popular reggae music and dying out andtell whether a song is really a soca song. For instance
attempted to create a new hybrid that was moresome have argued that Alison Hinds' hit song, "Roll It
appealing to the masses. He fused Indian music withGal" is not really a soca song but an R&B song
calypso music and this resulted in a more energeticwith a West Indian influence. While I do not hold that
hybrid called solka, which later became known asview, it goes to show that there are no clear
soca. Lord Shorty introduced soca to the world in 1973distinctions and definitions. Soca music, like other forms
with his hit song, Indrani.of music is an art and cannot be restricted to a
Naturally, soca music of the seventies is very differentspecific or exclusive mold.
to what exists today. Today, there are two mainSoca music is largely competitive. Every year artists
types, namely Power Soca and Groovy Soca. What istry to outdo each other at carnival competitions such
the major difference between the two?as Soca Monarch and Road March. At a soca
Power soca music is very fast, with tempos of aroundmonarch competition artists perform before large
160 beats per minute. The music is largely instructionalaudiences and are ranked by a panel of judges. A
in nature. Soca artists thrive on motivating audiences toroad march song is the song which is played the most
respond to their dancing instructions. Power socaduring a carnival street parade. Each Caribbean island
music is largely music to jump, wave and "wine" to.holds its own competitions. Prizes can amount to
("Wine" is derived from the word "wind" and is a typehundreds of thousands of dollars for each winner,
of dance that consists of hip movements). Crowdparticularly in Trinidad and Tobago.
reaction is key.Some of the biggest soca artists in the industry have
Trinidadian soca artist, Superblue has been creditedbowed out of competition. These include big names
with starting the "jump and wave" craze. His successsuch as Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin and KMC. The
with this style of soca was so incredible that sincecommonly held view is that "music is a mission, not a
then most soca songs are written with crowdcompetition". Personally, I have found such competitions
response in mind.to be a very negative force, causing undesirable
Today, the challenge for power soca songwriters is tofriction between artists. As an artist, I have had my
write songs that can move audiences but not be aown battles. However, winning is so much fun that it
regurgitation of the jump and wave theme. This is notcan be hard to quit. The fans can be relentless in
the easiest of tasks because of the very nature ofurging an artist to compete against their own will. The
the festival that soca music is centered around. Socaway these competitions are set up, it is easy to go
music is largely carnival music. Since carnival is allunnoticed if one is not taking part, except if you are
about jumping and waving, the music that drives italready strongly established in the market.
must be able to engender such activity. Increasingly,Popular soca performers include Machel Montano,
artists are succeeding at writing songs which are notDestra, Alison Hinds, Atlantik, KMC, Shurwayne
necessarily based on "jump and wave" or waving ragsWinchester, Denise Belfon, Bomani, Bunji Garlin, Iwer
and flags. In an attempt to stay clear of monotony,George, Bomani, Kevin Lyttle, Tizzy, Maximus Dan, Mr
themes like love, peace and togetherness have beenKilla, Mantius, Fireman Hooper, Jamesy P, Tallpree,
very common.Claudette Peters, Burning Flames, Nicole David, Ricky
Groovy soca music is arguably, a better means ofT, Qpid and Krosfyah.
propelling soca music forward internationally. It is muchSome of soca's biggest worldwide hits include "Turn
slower, around 115 beats per minute. This newer kindMe On" by Kevin Lyttle, "Tempted to Touch" by
of soca allows for a wider range of topics to beRupee, "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men
addressed. Unlike the total frenzy that power soca(originally sang by Anslem Douglas), "Sweet Soca
gives rise to, groovy soca is music to sway and danceMusic" by Sugar Daddy, "Nookie" by Jamesy P, "Hot
slowly to. Artists like Kevin Lyttle and Rupee haveHot Hot" by Buster Poindexter (originally sang by
demonstrated that this type of music is very palatableArrow), and "Follow the leader" by Soca Boys
to mainstream music markets, with international hits like(originally sang by Nigel and Marvin Lewis).
"Turn Me On" and "Tempted To Touch" respectively.Instrumentation
Another artist who has gain international recognitionBrass instruments such as trumpets and trombones
with groovy/crossover soca is Barbadian based artist,have been very typical of soca music. Sometimes, the
Alison Hinds.saxophone forms part of brass sections. While these
I believe that fast and groovy soca music shouldinstruments are still used in live performances,
continue to co-exist. I readily accept all variations ofsynthesizers and samplers are increasingly replacing
soca and put none against the other. Music is dynamic.them, particularly in studio recordings and at smaller
Throughout history no genre has ever stayed theconcerts. Soca is very percussion and drum driven
same and hybrids are constantly created.and these are often very loud in a soca mix. The bass
In addition to power and groovy soca, other types ofis also very important. Other instruments used include
soca music include ragga soca and chutney soca.guitars and keyboards.
Ragga soca is a fusion of dancehall and soca music.Leading soca-producing Caribbean islands include
Ragga soca performers include Trinidians, Bunji GarlinTrinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines,
and Maximus Dan.St Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda.