why does soca shout? - a study in cyberspace serendipity

"why does soca shout? why dem shoutin'? why dem still countin'? why ,why - me ain' payin' no money to be shouted at..." 

was my friend's FB status this morning, a thought that triggered my continued mental debate on same, pushing my mind back to my brief foray into cultural management. I was in my mid 20s, hungry to get involved in d'culture as a driver, a part of a paradigm shift away from the palm tree filled, rum drink pouring expressions of culture which continue to hold toward forms expressing the reality of situation.

Now that's a fatuous statement if ever there was one. 

Really, what I'm trying to say is that realising that my talent was writing and not performing I briefly found myself as 'manager' of the rapso duo Homefront. The partnership was a disaster, I think I got them one gig at Wazo Deeyzel in St Ann's because I knew the owner. It was 1994, Homefront ruled the radio  , the music was sweet, I smiled. That was the first and last gig and the end of our professional relationship. Ozymajiq and I have remained friends, and serendipitously, he's posted an essay which I think answers the eternal question...

I'm posting in full below for nonfbers:

8 REASONS WHY....UNLESS SOCA MININ' YUH FAMILY...JUS DRINK, WINE AND HUSH!

by Merriq Estates on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 at 1:04am

now..

1) An art-form does not 'fail'..it is that...a form of art...and like anything else it can only transform, expand, go out of fashion, evolve...so I should stop there.

2) But i wont. Because i think you meant soca, is somehow not doing something. Or is doin something wrong. And by soca you mean either soca A or Soca B.

3) Soca A was a style of composition, Instrumentation and vocalizing introduced by Garfield Blackman in the 1970's in Trinidad and Tobago. It started out as attempt to integrate indo trini percussion and sitar and harmonium tones and styles into what was then up-tempo calypso (traditionally the 'leggo' designed to move masqueraders on the road for the parade). He continues experimenting until he refined the style making the kick drum and the congas interpret the indo percussion while he flavoured the basic 4/4 pattern with a more set bass groove reducing the chordal variations, calypso brass played with a more funk attitude, Keys for colour with a richer lead vocal relishing in the sparseness of the arrangement supported by a 3 piece female background.

http://www.islandmix.com/avroom/songdetails.php?audioId=4945

4) Soca B emerged after the brand was hijacked and used to describe all uptempo calypsos coming out after the 70s but mostly it was used to signal the inevitable changing of the guard as younger artist came of age and began nudging the older bards out of the money and the spotlight. Since then it has gone though many changes. The major epochs (nice word eh..orrr) was with poser in 1979 and tambu in 1999.

The first date marked the beginning of the transfer from pan to the DJ as the primary medium for soca visibility and promotion.  And the second signaled the coronation of the band singer as the primary chantwell for the road. These developments essentially gave ultimate programming power to a sect who had no allegiance to culture and identity in the way that pan had because their substantive portfolio was to play foreign forms whenever we weren’t playing mas. With Tambu (and both he and rudder were brilliant artists) it now meant that ‘calypsonian for life’ had to make way for ‘singer for now’.

5) The final major change to ‘soca’ in the modern era happened in 1999 when sanelle dempster became the first female to win a road march since rose in 1977 This was monumental as it gave women the power they have had under low all along, an official voice. No longer would they have to wait for the men to give them a voice in a mock 1st person. (eg...

men have traditionally sang the women parts ..that women have picked up and sang in first person....wet meh down...mash it up, ah feelin it....sings where male calypsonians sing lines from a female pov...not even using the device of "she say")

 They were now speaking for themselves. 

6) What does this all mean? 

It means that when you us e the word ‘soca’ now what you really mean is “A USUALLY UPTEMPO DANCE COMPOSTION, WITH A MIX OF 4/4 AND 2/4 PHRASING, POLY RHYTMIC AND BASS DRIVEN IN STRUCTURE, OCCASIONALLY WITH RUDIMENTARY KEYBOARD AND HORN LINES, WITH TOPICS THAT TEND TO FOCUS ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE EVENT ITSELF. I.E.: PLAYING MAS, ENJOYING A FETE, WINING, WAVING AND MISBEHAVING, PRIMARILY DIRECTED TO WOMEN, WHO DEFINE THE  RATE AND PACE OF THE CELEBRATION AS IT IS ESSENTIALLY A SPRING PROCREATION RITUAL , WHERE THE WOMEN DEMAND A SOUNDTRACK TO LUBRICATE THEIR NEED FOR SEXUAL RELEASE. THE ONLY TIME TRADITIONALLY THIS MUSIC HAS HAD ANY PROMINENCE IS DURING  THE ANNUAL PRE-LENTEN FESTIVAL MADE UP OF LARGE FETES AND A 2 DAY STREET PARADE. THE DJS WHO PLAY THIS MUS IC ONLY DO THIS FOR THE SEASON AND PLAY A MAJORITY OF FOREIGN FARE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE YEAR. THE PERFOMERS OF THIS MUSIC VARY BETWEEN FULL TIME SINGER/SONGWRITERS AND A GROWING NUMBER OF SEASONAL PART TIMERS AND THOSE HOPING TO JUS ‘EAT A FOOD’.  IT IS STILL HEAVILY CONTROLLED BY THE STATE HELL BENT ON MAINTAINING THEIR COLONIAL RESPONSIBILITIES.

7) BUT! That is what the thing has evolved into if we want to keep it real. IF you have a problem with that THEN buff Darwin cuz we as individuals, doh have no control over them ting.  So the infra structure is this:

a) The pace and state of the music is dictated by estrogen seeking the release denied to them by catholic repression

b) It is programmed by a DJ fraternity who gets off by burstin second (las in de gangbang)

c)  Why commit a lifetime to an art form when for once for de year you could take a wine on a tong ting and then go back to TSTT. Ash Thursday.

d) And God save the queen…of the bands!

8) So Soca as we know it is fine. Some makes money, most don’t. As with EVERY other ARTFORM in the world except for gospel? And zamfir….Shit and sex sells. The public is programmed to believe that they are getting the best.  Every year we leave with fond memories of 20 nice songs and 40 better bumsies. Women get to burst. The corn man and Karega Mandela does make a lil extra paper. Hey….jus wine and hush your mouth!

Now why Soca (Kaiso, Chutney, Rapso, Jamoo, Rockso, Trini-hip-hop-reg-gay-dance-hall-latin…..) will have an almost impossible chance to crossover in any substantial and sustainable way…dais a nex story!!