What is Soca Music, This material is designed specifically for people who are new to this kind of music called soca. As an artist he recorded the songs soca for the last eight years, and who has won competitions at Caribbean soca, I humbly try to present a comprehensive introduction to soca music.
Soca music born in the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago. It is widely accepted that it was created by Lord Shorty (born Garfield Blackman). He noticed that Calypso music has been threatened by the most popular reggae music and die out and attempted to create a new hybrid that was more appealing to the masses. He merged with Indian music, calypso music, and this resulted in a hybrid more energetic called solka, who later became known as soca. Lord Shorty introduced soca in the world in 1973 with his hit song, Indrani.
Of course, the soca music of the 1970s is very different from what exists today. Today, there are two main types, namely power and Groovy Soca Soca. What is the main difference between the two?
Power soca music is very fast, with about 160 beats per minute. The music is largely didactic in nature. Soca artists thrive on motivating the public to respond to their dancing instructions. Soca music power is largely skipping music, waves and "vino" ("wine" derives from "wind" and the word is a type of dance which consists of hip movements). Crowd reaction is essential.
Trinidad soca artist, Superblue has been credited with starting the craze "jump and wave". His success with this style of soca was so amazing that since soca songs are written with crowd response in mind.
Today, the challenge for power soca singer-songwriters is to write songs that can move the audience, but it cannot be a regurgitation of jumping and the theme of waves. This isn't the easiest of tasks due to the very nature of the festival that soca music revolves around. Soca music is largely the music of Carnival. Since the Carnival is all about jumping and flailing, the music that drives should be able to generate such activity. Increasingly, artists are able to write songs that are not necessarily based on "jump and wave" or waving flags and rags. In an attempt to stay clear of monotony, themes such as love, peace and solidarity were very common.
Groovy soca music is undoubtedly a means better to push music soca forward internationally. Is much slower, about 115 beats per minute. This newer type of soca allows a wider range of topics to cover. Unlike total frenzy that power gives rise to soca, groovy soca is music to sway and dance slowly. Artists like Kevin Lyttle and Rupee have shown that this type of music is very attractive to traditional musical markets, with international hits like "Turn Me On" and "Tempted To Touch", respectively. Another artist who has gain international recognition with Groovy/crossover soca is Barbadian based artist, Alison Hinds.
I believe that in a hurry and groovy soca music should continue to co-exist. The ready to accept all variations of soca and put anyone against each other. The music is dynamic. Throughout history no kind has never stayed the same and hybrids are constantly created.
In addition to the power and groovy soca, other types of soca music include ragga soca soca and chutney.
Ragga Soca is a fusion of dancehall and soca music. Ragga soca performers include Trinidians, Bunji Garlin and Maximus Dan.
Chutney soca is a blend of East Indian music, chutney and soca. Chutney Soca is an up-tempo, rhythmic style of song, accompanied by traditional Indian musical instruments like dholak, harmonium, and Tax the dhantal.
The dividing line between the various types of soca music is becoming less and less clearly defined. Sometimes it can be very difficult and controversial pin-point what is groovy, power, or ragga soca. There is so much the merger in place which is often difficult to tell if a song is actually a soca song. For example, some have argued that Alison Hinds hit song, "Roll It Gal" is not actually a soca song, but an R & B song with influences of the West Indies. Although I'm not holding this point of view, goes to show that there are clear distinctions and definitions. Soca music, like other forms of music is an art and cannot be limited to one specific or exclusive mold.
Soca music is mostly competitive. Every year artists try to outdo each other in contests of Carnival, as Soca Monarch and the road March. Soca monarch competition artists to perform before a large audience and are rated by a panel of judges. A road March song is the song that