Soca News Magazine | August 2015

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i111/august 2015 ISSN 1464-7087

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LIVE AT THE EVENTIM APOLLO • HAMMERSMITH FRIDAY 28TH AUGUST 2015

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contents ISSUE 111 | AUGUST 2015

5 NEWS

For all ofthe latest UK and Caribbean based news stories

8 FEATURE

Notting Hill Carnival - We Ready

10 FEATURE

Who is Carnival for?

12 FEATURE

Shipwrecked with Curry and Spice and Everything Nice

15 MUSIC

Top 10 chart & Reviews

18 SOCA PEOPLE

Kerwin Dubois

20 SOCA PEOPLE

Machel Montano - De Boss is on his Way

24 SOCA PEOPLE

Angela Hunte - From the Shadows into the Light

25 SOCA PEOPLE

Skinny Fabulous - Getting The Skinny on Mr Fabulous Olatunji Yearwood - Just call him Ola

26 SOCA PEOPLE

Ricardo Drue

27 SOCA PEOPLE

Lyrikal King Bubba

29 EVENTS 36 MAS BANDS

UK Mas Bands 2015 Notting Hill Carnival themes AUGUST 2015 SN 3

ed's letter WELCOME I am happy to see that from Carnival Wednesday onwards there are plenty of parties to choose from. I’m just hoping there are enough of us to go around! And although it’s looking fairly bankbreaking this year if you’re feteing too, don’t forget the point of the exercise - make sure to play ah mas, making the most of the freedom of the road that only happens once a year (on our home turf, anyway).

Yes, soca people, it’s that time of year when we get ready for two days of a hard (someone has to do it) but (somewhat, I must admit) enjoyable slug through the streets of W11, W10 and W2 known to most of us as Notting Hill.

i111 - AUGUST 2015 Cover Picture Machel Montano

Mr Montano is gracing our shores again, bringing his new monk persona to his indomitable mix. With other artists on the bill, including Olatunji and Skinny Fabulous, it promises to be an unforgettable night. Of course, that’s Carnival Friday, and preceding de boss monk, on consecutive pre-carnival weekends, Kes and Kerwin are both also showing their faces - which makes it quite a bumper year for visiting artists from Trinidad. Then there are all the DJs greasing the airlines’ pockets; Private Ryan from Trinidad, Stephen from Atlanta, DJ Spice from New York are but a few of those arriving to spin British decks.

On Carnival Saturday night, Shipwrecked’s all-inclusive looks like it may be the place to be - and eat, dance and drink. For the more hardcore amongst us (who will, of course, also be going to J’Ouvert) then Tribe Ignite follows. But these are by no means all the options, yuh have boat fetes, breakfast fetes, North, South, East, West fetes.

Time to do some homework!

Yours in Soca

Published By Joseph Charles Publishing, 86 - 90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE. Telephone + 44 (0) 333 012 4643. Twitter | twitter.com/socanews.

Instagram | instagram.com/socanews. Facebook | facebook.com/socanews. Website socanews.com This issue of Soca News was brought to you by: Publisher & Editor Joseph Charles.

Sub-Editor Katie Segal Consulting-Editor Stephen Spark. Layout & Design Joseph Charles. Contributors Nicole-Rachelle Moore, Natasha Ofosu, Stephen Spark, Feminine Touch & Martin Jay. Photographers Stephen Spark & Victor Morris, Thanks to Feminine Touch & Natalie Joseph.

The views expressed in Soca News are not necessarily the views of the editor or the publisher. All material contained within this publication is the copyright of Soca News. No material, written or photographic may be reproduced in any way without the written permission of the publisher. No liability will be accepted for any errors which may occur within the magazine.

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news

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A million dollars for Carnival creativity Text | Stephen Spark At the launch of Trinidad Carnival 2016 on 22nd July at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, Lorraine Pouchet, chair of the National Carnival Commission (NCC), pledged to support creativity in Carnival. More than TT$1 million (£102,000) would be made available to mas bands and steelbands in prizes and incentives, Pouchet told local media representatives.

NCC is introducing new competitions with valuable prizes in order to stimulate alternatives to bikini-and-beads mas. Top prize in the Most Creative Band Presentation will be worth TT$300,000, 2nd gets $200,000 and 3rd $100,000. For the Best Costumed Steelband playing on Monday the prizes are $100,000, $75,000 and $50,000.

The big push is to encourage traditional mas – the old-style costumes that have largely given way to commercial ‘pretty mas’ bands. Ten $50,000 prizes will be available for traditional bands crossing the Savannah stage on Carnival Monday, Pouchet revealed.

MASQUERADER FROM THE BAND DE CORE

The NCC chair said that the commission’s main goal in 2016 was “the return of creativity to Carnival” and would seek to “develop, reintroduce and infuse a more diverse array of cultural elements into our celebrations”.

Some of that creativity would come through collaboration with the National Dance Association of Trinidad & Tobago (NDATT). Together, the two organisations are planning a four- to six-week training scheme that will run in December 2015 and January 2016. The ultimate aim is to “create more impactful presentations on stage by the bands”.

NDATT will also be involved with the raising the profile of limbo, which will be moved centre-stage to become a major component of Carnival Village, where there will be demonstrations of traditional carnival character costume-making.

Pouchet concluded: “It is becoming apparent that the Carnival lifecycle was in decline… In 2016

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SOCANEWS.COM/NEWS

Ebony reaches top 10 at International Panorama London’s Ebony Steel Orchestra, playing Ah Feeling, came away from the inaugural International Panorama competition in Trinidad with a creditable ninth place, sharing that spot with Panorama Steel Orchestra of Japan on 443 points.

As you would expect, seven of the top eight places went to Trinidadian bands, led by Trinidad All Stars. Its performance of Curry Tabanca brought the band 476 points, well ahead of second-placed Supernovas Steel Orchestra (464) and Renegades (459). Sharing fourth spot with 452 points were Phase II Pan Groove and Brooklyn Steel Orchestra from the USA – an impressive achievement for a band that was formed only in 2013.

Among the 24 competitors were two bands each from Canada and France, three from the USA and others from Jamaica, St Lucia, St Martin and St Vincent & the Grenadines. In addition to appearance fees ranging from $25,000 for local steelbands to $60,000 for European and Asian visitors, there prizes of $50,000 for Ebony and Panorama, rising to the $250,000 that the triumphant All Stars pocketed, along with the World Steel Pan Trophy designed by Kemal Manickchand.

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Caribbean Airlines to pull out of UK From early next year there will be no more Caribbean Airlines direct flights from London Gatwick.

The three-times-a-week service will close in the first quarter of 2016.

The shock announcement comes just over three years after the airline launched the service. Aviation insiders say the route has not been performing well. Currently, 69 direct flights operate from the UK to the Caribbean, more than half of them operated

by British Airways.

Caribbean Airlines has been hit hard by competition from low-cost airlines and American carriers.

It will sell some of its long-haul aircraft and concentrate on services to US destinations. Additional flights will connect Trinidad and Guyana to New York JFK, and there will be an extra return flight from Trinidad to Miami.

On 30th July Caribbean Airlines announced that it had signed an interline deal with Emirates – largest operator of the spacious Airbus A380. The Dubai-based airline does not serve any Caribbean destinations itself its nearest routes are to Houston and Orlando but the deal is expected to improve access from some Asian destinations.

ST LUCIA HIGH COMMISSIONER - DR ERNEST HILAIRE

Mas and merchandise at Notting Hill launch Masqueraders, steelpan, calypso, jerk chicken and tropical heat brought a carnivalesque atmosphere to Notting Hill Carnival’s official launch on 13th August in the St Lucia High Commission, Kensington.

Media, stakeholders and other guests enjoyed performances from calypsonian King Socrates, dance group Muraldo DC, a reading from Edinburgh Fringe play Carnival Medea by Rhoma Spencer, and mas from Yaa Asantewaa, Xtreme and Greenwich-based Dskii, whose costumes and enthusiasm promise well for their first year on the road. On display in the entrance were T-shirts, bags, mugs and hats bearing NHC’s 50th anniversary logo. These items will be on sale on NHC’s official website, www.thelondonnottinghillcarnival.com/.

Future events include Shades of Carnival, exploring the meaning of Carnival, in September, a Junior Expo in October and Carnival Awards ceremony on 7th November.

Noting that “nothing brings more controversy than Carnival,” St Lucia High Commissioner Dr Ernest Hilaire paid tribute to Notting Hill’s survival for 50 years. “It’s no longer a Caribbean festival but an international festival,” he said.

Kids invited to join ole mas band at Notting Hill Trinidad & Tobago’s National Carnival Commission (NCC) is to take part in Notting Hill Carnival for the first time by bringing out a children’s band of ole mas characters.

The move follows NCC deputy chair Don Sylvester’s visit to London last August, when he suggested bringing over a “plane load of traditional mas characters” with tutors to set up workshops in mas-making.

Some people had reservations about the scheme, feeling it would be better to encourage an existing UK-based mas band to create the traditional costumes themselves. Nevertheless, Sylvester’s plan won the day, and a new mas band is being set up for children aged between 5 and 11 years old. There will be six sections, each with a maximum of 50 costumes. All children taking part must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

In the week before Notting Hill Carnival, NCC will host a free workshop for young people on the history and creation of the costumes.

The costumes chosen to represent the distinctive heritage of ole mas are Bat, Dame Lorraine, Fancy Indian, Moko Jumbie, Pierrot Grenade and Sailor.

• For more information about the NCC-sponsored mas band and workshops, contact Pepe Francis MBE on 07860 914825 or email pepe.francis@ebony.org.uk.

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Notting Hill Carnival – we ready Text + Image | Stephen Spark Who’ll be Panorama champions this year? Who’ll be crowned Calypso Monarch? Is my costume ready?

Days leading up to Notting Hill Carnival are full of questions. One big unknown looms over us: are we in for another soaking? Luckily, forecasters say last year’s feather-wrecking downpour won’t be repeated.

It’s only the sort of people who call Notting Hill a “street party” who think Carnival is confined to Bank Holiday Monday. It kicks off on Thursday 27th with the Calypso Monarch competition at The Tabernacle, Powis Square. Enjoy a night of biting social commentary and wicked double-entendres from the likes of Sheldon Skeete, Alexander D Great, Santiago and G String. Friday is the Last Night of the Tent, when King Socrates from St Kitts and Canada’s Macomere Fifi join the UK calypsonians.

Steelpan aficionados will be flocking to Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance on Saturday evening for the Steelbands Panorama. London bands such as Ebony and Mangrove are eager to avenge the blow 8 SN AUGUST 2015

NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL 2014 - PARAISO SCHOOL OF SAMBA

to their pride when Plymouth-based Real Steel snatched the honours last year. Don’t miss the excitement of experiencing the power of a fullstrength steel orchestra giving it their all.

The ring of steel fills Ladbroke Grove at daybreak on Sunday. Jouvert is a time between darkness and light, when revellers turn the town red with paint and powder in a glorious celebration of freedom from constraint. Be there (in old clothes!) by 6am.

From about 9am, Jouvert gives way to Children’s Carnival. This year we’re promised a stage show featuring a host of Trinidad’s traditional ‘ole mas’ characters, like Midnight Robber and Pierrot Grenade. Children’s bands will set off “in order”, we’re told. We’ll see! And don’t miss the World Music Stage in Powis Square.

Monday belongs to the big mas bands as thousands of masqueraders wine and jump up to soca, hoping to impress the judges on Great Western Road. Also expect to hear steelbands, Brazilian-style samba baterias and African music on the road. With 38 static sounds down the side streets, the World Music Stage, and a million revellers from every corner of the globe, Notting Hill Carnival is unique.

Are you ready for it?

For more on Notting Hill Carnival SOCANEWS.COM/NOTTINGHILLCARNIVAL

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Text + Image | Stephen Spark

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He went on to ask two rather important questions: “Who is the carnival for and who does it benefit?”

To all who love Carnival, and especially anyone closely involved with it, such as a DJ, pan-player, masquerader or organiser, the answer to the first question seems obvious: it’s for us. After all, it’s “we ting”.

Within the carnival community, the second question often generates more heat than light. Financially, the answer is certainly not us. On the other hand, we obviously do gain sheer enjoyment, if nothing else, otherwise why would we continue doing it year after year? More than that, though, Carnival brings us friendships, skills, confidence, maybe even life-changing experiences.

The aggrieved resident has a point. When Notting Hill Carnival began as a small local parade the area was a slum, inhabited by people who, through no fault of their own, were considered almost as outcasts – the poor, the dispossessed, the voiceless, newly arrived immigrants and those who simply didn’t fit in to the rigid structures of British society half a century ago.

Today, Notting Hill and Kensington are among the most expensive, sought-after residential districts in Europe. The disconnect between the area’s wealthy residents and Carnival is almost total. Few, if any, of the owners of the multi-million-pound mansions that line the carnival route go to soca fetes, play mas or have anything to do with Black culture or the Caribbean beyond jetting off to bijou bolt-holes in Antigua now and then. What, indeed, is Carnival to them? It has been four decades since it stopped being a community festival for all of Notting Hill’s residents.

Their complaints are not unreasonable. After all, which one of us would welcome stepping out of their home to a doorstep full of vomit, urine or worse?

Especially if that’s after two days of being subjected to decibels normally only encountered at the end of Heathrow’s runways. Plus there is the taxpayer’s burden of clearing away all those chicken bones and crumpled Red Stripe cans. When it comes to financial benefits from Carnival, residents are in much the same boat as carnivalists, protesting that the money goes to companies and people who put nothing into the event or the area.

I encountered a version of the “who is it for?” question during a lull in activity on Great Western Road.

A spectator asked me: “Why is there such a long gap in the parade? Is it always like this?” I pointed out that the event is not a show; it’s not a timetabled,

choreographed performance; in fact, it’s not designed for spectators at all. It’s all about the participants. She was shocked on learning that masqueraders paid for their costumes – “I thought they were all provided, you know, by the government or something.”

Perhaps the letter-writer, Mr May, is under a similar impression. He is unlikely to have read the 2003 London Development Agency (LDA) report, The economic impact of Notting Hill Carnival, which spelled out the financial benefits – worth £132 million at current prices that the event generates for the London economy.

Were he to do so he might feel slightly more relaxed about his council tax bill. And if he were to spend an hour or two at steelband practice or watch mas-makers at work or just talk to a few carnivalists he might come away with a better understanding of Carnival’s overwhelmingly positive contribution to the area.

Realistically, we cannot expect our critics to come to us to find out more. It’s our job to go to them. For many years the carnival community has been inwardlooking and defensive. Today, just saying “Carnival is we ting” is not good enough. People expect more and have a right to ask “what is it for and who benefits from it?” We need to be far more proactive in answering those questions.

We have, as a community, utterly failed to capitalise on the findings of the LDA report, which showed that Notting Hill Carnival generates immense financial benefits from minimal cost. We have failed to mention the softer, unquantifiable benefits Carnival brings, such as learning to work within a team, acquiring leadership skills and enabling people to express themselves creatively. We have failed to challenge our critics. We have failed to engage with the media about Carnival. We have let others set the news agenda and misrepresent Carnival year after year.

We have wrung our hands and complained that the police, the councils, residents, newspapers, the government are unfair, that they are trying to take over Carnival, restrict it, cut its funding, move it or close it down, yet we fail as a community to stand together, to lobby for Carnival and promote it. Yes, some people are doing this, courageously and tenaciously, as individuals, but that is not enough; we need to speak with one voice.

Who is the carnival for and who does it benefit? The answer, of course, is “everyone”. Now we just need to tell people, so they don’t need to ask the question.

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Shipwrecked with Curry and Spice and Everything Nice Text | Nicole-Rachelle Moore Of all the pre Notting Hill Carnival parties, Shipwrecked is one that people talk about for weeks before, and certainly for months after. This year the theme is ‘Shipwrecked in India’, and the party will take place once again at the exclusive Vinopolis London Bridge, on Saturday 29 August from 6pm until midnight.

Soca News caught up with Damian Benjamin, one of the four minds behind the annual venture, who shared details of the 2015 event and gave us an overview of the concept behind what is increasingly being regarded as an exponentially successful precarnival franchise.

‘Island chic or Bollywood fashionista’ is the designated apparel for this year’s themed extravaganza, so expect to see everything in line with the Indian theme: decor, bar and catering staff costumes, food etc. This follows on from 2014’s highly successful ‘Shipwrecked in Mexico’, and is in keeping with the overarching theme behind the Shipwrecked experience. Damian explained that 2008’s ‘Sailor Party’ was the debut for the Shipwrecked crew, whose aim was to provide a comfortable environment in which patrons could enjoy themselves and be provided with a signature service. He stressed that the idea 12 SN AUGUST 2015

behind the parties is one which encapsulates an appreciation and understanding that, “Carnival in the Caribbean was born from a splendid blend of different nationalities, cultures, food, religion and music, “ and went on to say, “Shipwrecked celebrates these different elements that make up the true essence of Carnival by taking patrons on a magical voyage that crashes into the different countries that helped to make the Caribbean the most cosmopolitan place on earth. The ship unites both Caribbean and European international cultures in a unique celebration at Notting Hill Carnival weekend. We have been shipwrecked in Africa, China, Arabia, Trinidad & Tobago, Brazil and Mexico.”

Whilst there may be those who regard the £65 ticket as a rather hefty fee to attend a party, Shipwrecked aficionados happily cough up each year, knowing that the event is not ‘just’ a party. Benjamin reiterates this, saying, “We offer quality for money, as we are interested in showcasing to Europe the culture of the Caribbean. We all have professional careers and as such are not party promoters, and do not have large profits as our aim - we pass on all benefits to our patrons. Where in Central London can you sip unlimited Johnnie Walker Black or 1919 rum, while eating gourmet Caribbean food, with international DJs on the decks playing music in the background in an exclusive venue all night long and leave with a speciality glass to take home - all for just

£65? And that’s just a taste of some of the wonderful experience of Shipwrecked. I have not mentioned many of the other experiences of shipwrecked such as the rodeo bull, the champagne kiosk, unlimited shots supplied by the gorgeous sailor girls, or the exotic hired dancers that perform!”

The Shipwrecked organisers continue to regard all their patrons as VIP guests, with selective souvenir giveaways (signature Shipwrecked cups, goodie bags, sunglasses, etc) and an annual cornucopia of culinary expertise by esteemed Caribbean chefs and restaurants. Music on the 29 August will be provided by international DJ, Private Ryan, alongside some of the UK’s best including DJ Dale, DJ Markee and DJ Raskal. New York’s Back 2 Basics will also feature in the Shipwrecked adventure, as well as a surprise guest artist.

This extraordinary pre-carnival experience promises the delights of an extensive and sumptuous buffet designed to delight any palate (aloo pies, doubles, chicken tikka masala and more) and an array of premium liqueurs and spirits (beer, rum, shots, vodka, whisky, wine, et al). Advance tickets are priced at £65, and include all drinks and food; they are available at www.shipwreckedcarnival.com.

Travelling back from Trinidad in recent days, this writer overheard airline personnel talking about their plans to immerse themselves in the Shipwrecked experience. Having attended in 2014, I have no intention of missing out on being ‘Shipwrecked in India’ this year! See you there.

For more information you can contact the organisers on 07990 587 333, 07904 709 390 or visit socanews.com/events.

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music SOCANEWS.COM/MUSIC

top 10 soca tracks

The following top 10 chart is based on the songs most played throughout socanews.com.

1 HELLO

2

SHANTA PRINCE

WANNA WINE INCHES

3 SO NICE

4

5

6

FADDA FOX

SHOW ME YUH SIGNAL TAMISHA NICHOLLS

IT’S FESTIVAL INCHES

COCKING BACK HOLLYWOOD HP

8 QUEEN

To submit your music, send your tracks to music@socanews.com accompanied by a bio, high resolution images, and all of your contact details including social networking links.

BIG RED

7 UNDENIABLE

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR MUSIC

socanews.com/ music

GBM NUTRON & KEVON CARTER

9 REVELLERS SONG

MONGSTAR

10 THAT MOMENT

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music SOCANEWS.COM/MUSIC

Soca Gold 2015 Review By | Feminine Touch With the proclamation “A New Day Dawning”, Fay Ann Lyons is back with a vengeance. Her anthem Raze opens the album and calls us to attention, setting the pace for the mayhem that ensues.

The most infectious song for the carnival season, Ah Feeling from Lead Pipe and Saddis, takes up the pace a few notches, followed by Party Done by Angela Hunte and Machel Montano, with Cloud Nine by Lyrikal adding to the party mood. Our Time, a fusion by Bunji Garlin, brings a feelgood quality to this album, and injecting a touch of jab jab from Grenada is Skinny Banton, with Soak It. Coming up next is King Bubba with Come Out To Win (Who drinking rum?) - this track is great for the road. Ki and 3Veni have found themselves with No Gyal Again, a nice touch of chutney soca, which is followed by the ‘good looking two’, Rikki Jai and Ravi B, celebrating 20 years of chutney soca in fine style with CSM20 - this one is bound to get you moving.

Next up is the party people anthem, Partyak from King Bubba, featuring the unmistakable voice of Kerwin ‘Young King’ Dubois and the ‘party man’ himself, Lil Rick’; also appearing on this track is the voice of Jah Cure. Pankatang was the feel good song for 2014, putting you in such a good mood. A firm favourite of mine is the man who never disappoints: Shurwayne Winchester, who with Shake It brings real, sweet soca.

The hypnotic sound of Edwin Yearwood is also back with a bang, with How I Like It - pure dance floor magic. Mater Saleem and Shal follow with a remix of Next Man Wife. Iwer George now takes the pace to 100% fire with Red – yes, pure heat! Patrice Roberts, who is looking real sexy of late, adds to the party mood with Push Up On It, and straight into Blaxx with Badness, one for all the bad and rude girls out there.

Saga Boy from Chow Chow closes this great line up of party music.

Soca Gold 2015, out of the VP stable, boasts 18 super tracks by the original artists. It’s a must for soca lovers, and certainly a plus for the connoisseurs.

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Belafonte Riddim Kubiyashi Productions Review By | Martin Jay You may remember the name Kubiyashi from the Happiest Man Alive Riddim that was graced by both Machel Montano and Skinny Fabulous. The St Vincentbased producer has now released The Belafonte Riddim featuring Skinny Fabulous Argument Done, Fya Empress Wake It Up and from Trinidad the Queen of Bacchanal, Destra Garcia Normal Normal.

Each of these tracks has done fairly well since being released and I have a feeling that Destra’s catchy Normal Normal is going to gain momentum in the major cities over the summer. The Belafonte Riddim is a bouncy ragga-soca type and each of the artists above has complemented the riddim very well.

I really like what Alex ‘Kubiyashi’ Barnwell is doing with his music and the results he is getting. If you don’t know his music check out his soundcloud account, www.soundcloud.com/kubiyashi.

WWW.BUSSPEPPER.COM

WWW.EUPHORIACARNIVAL.COM

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kerwin du bois FROM KAISO’S SON TO SOCA DON Text | Natasha Ofosu

Kerwin Du Bois may have claimed he is soca, but when you check his history he is really calypso’s child.

The much-feted singer, songwriter, arranger and producer who hails from Trinidad and now resides in Canada, began his musical journey as a junior calypsonian in the 1990s.

Even at that time he marked himself out with the qualities that have ensured he is a powerful player in the world of contemporary soca. He was always socially conscious with a neat turn of phrase and a passion for his craft.

Du Bois rose through the calypso ranks, winning the Junior Monarch competition in 1992, the Young Kings in 1996 and making it to “the Big Yard”, the Queen’s Park Savannah, for the National Calypso Monarch finals on a number of occasions.

He also won the Association of British Calypsonian’s Calypso Monarch title after he had moved to live in the UK. Had calypso provided a living wage, it is possible Du Bois would have continued plying his trade in the field. But the fact that it did not prompted him to try soca instead.

After studying the industry, he decided to focus on writing lyrics and producing melodies to maximise his income.

His first production was for Bunji Garlin’s Black Spaniard album in 2003. Then in 2004 he made a massive breakthrough when he collaborated with Machel Montano on the track Bubble Nut.

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Du Bois has gone on to produce songs for a bevy of artistes – Blaxx (Breathless, Tusty); Destra Garcia, Alison Hinds and Denise Belfon (Obsessive Winers); Shal Marshall (Gyal Farm) and Farmer Nappy (Pavement, I Pay For This).

In 2011, the success of Kes The Band with his track Wotless, which won them the International Groovy Soca Monarch crown, made Du Bois a household name.

But he was established as a musical powerhouse with the quantity and scope of music he produced in 2012 – Bacchanalist, a solo effort; Baddist, with Destra; I am Soca, with Patrice Roberts; and Runaway, with Bunji Garlin.

He scooped four International Soca Music awards that year: Songwriter of the Year, Groovy Soca of the Year and Song of the Year (Bacchanalist), plus Best Collaboration (I Am Soca).

Having entered the International Soca Monarch competition for several years running, Du Bois finally got due recognition in 2014 when he won the Groovy Monarch title singing Too Real. He came strong again this year with no less than six tracks lighting up the radio and fetes, among them No Apology and Monster Winer (a duet with Lil Rick from Barbados).

As the march towards Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2016 picks up the pace, it remains to be seen what innovation Du Bois will unleash next.

• Kerwin Du Bois will headline Take Jam London on Sunday 23rd August 2015 at The Scala, Kings Cross.

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soca people SOCANEWS.COM/SOCAPEOPLE

DE BOSS IS ON HIS WAY

FROM PRECOCIOUS CHILD STAR TO PROLIFIC PERFORMER AND INNOVATOR: AFTER 33 YEARS IT’S DIFFICULT TO DENY THAT MACHEL MONTANO IS ‘AH BOSS’ OF CONTEMPORARY CARIBBEAN MUSIC. THE SOCA ICON FROM TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO (T&T) HAS AMASSED A GLITTERING ARRAY OF INTERNATIONAL HITS, ACCOLADES AND FANS, AND HAS BUILT A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS EMPIRE WITH A DIVERSE PORTFOLIO RANGING FROM BRAND CONCERTS AND A MAS BAND, TO REAL ESTATE, TECHNOLOGY AND FOOD AND BEVERAGE PRODUCTION. Text | Natasha Ofosu

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Montano, 40, began performing in 1982, at the age of seven. Two years later he made his first mark on the calypso landscape when he delivered The Letter, a forthright commentary on the conduct of teachers in schools. The song earned him a reputation as an upstart, and Montano responded with Too Young To Soca, a party song written by Winsford Devine which ridiculed attempts to limit his freedom of expression as a young artist. Not only did the song take him to

the finals of the adult Calypso Monarch competition in 1986, where he placed fifth, commentators have also said the performance marked a watershed in the music history of T&T because for the first time a child was leading the people.

Montano has not looked back since. He became the youngest person to win the Caribbean Song Festival when he was 12, and in 1991 won the T&T Young Kings title. By 1997, when he got his first Road March title (which recognises AUGUST 2015 SN 21

Image | Jonathan Mannion

the song played most often during the carnival parade) with the track Big Truck, the transition from calypsonian to soca artist was complete.

Marsha Pearce, in a 2011 essay critiquing Montano’s career, noted that, “Through his work in soca Machel plays a pivotal role in ensuring that Caribbean culture is continually reinvented and sustained…” That has seen him collaborate with the likes of Pitbull, Beenie Man, Major Lazer and Timaya – some of the biggest names in reggae, hip-hop, pop, electronic dance music and Afrobeats – to infuse and juxtapose elements of those genres with soca. He also invests financially and creatively in his products – his music, band, stage shows and his own look - to ensure they always stand out.

Not surprisingly then, the honours have rolled in: Songwriter of the Year Award 2004/5 at the Copyright Organization of Trinidad & Tobago (COTT) Awards; two Bob Marley Awards for Entertainer of the Year (in 2008 and 2010) at the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA); 2008 Best Caribbean Artiste award at the first BET J Virtual Awards; and 2014 Soul Train Music Award for Best International Performance.

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He has toured North America and Europe, playing at a number of international music festivals including South by Southwest in Texas, Antilliaanse Feesten, Belgium and in April 2015 at Coachella (for Heineken House) in California - and in the process introduced soca to new audiences. Montano is reported to have given a private performance for Hollywood A-listers Will and Jada Smith.

On home soil, Montano’s Machel Monday concert is now one of the biggest for the carnival season, attracting in the region of 30,000 patrons. He has dominated the carnival music competitions in recent years, winning seven Road March titles in total, including consecutive wins in 2014 and 2015 with Ministry of Road and Like ah Boss respectively. Montano holds five back-to-back successes from 2011 to 2015 in the high-energy International Power Soca Monarch contest, sharing the title in 2013 with Superblue (Austin Lyons), and he garnered two titles in its slower counterpart, the Groovy Soca Monarch competition, in 2012 and 2013.

Despite his success, Montano divides opinion and both on and off the stage. He has courted controversy and even tragedy. Critics accuse

London awaits Montano’s return with his Monk Band for their ‘On My Way’ show, their first major concert in three years. Will it be sinner or saint who prevails on stage at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, on Carnival Friday 28 August? Ultimately, the congregation of revellers will decide.

him of arrogance and avarice. His highly sexualised stage antics have been difficult to stomach at times, and he has a reputation for backstage temper tantrums and womanising. Questions have also been asked about the propriety of his links to his country’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

One of the lowest points in his career came in November 2000. At the open air Real Unity concert held in Trinidad’s capital Port of Spain to mark his 18 years in the music business, the VIP seating section and an adjoining stand collapsed, injuring scores of patrons. Compensation payouts and lawsuits followed which Montano said almost broke him financially.

Then, in December 2012, he was found guilty of assaulting four people and using obscene language in a brawl at a nightclub five years earlier. He escaped a prison sentence, but was fined and ordered to pay compensation to the victims.

Montano has gone on record as saying that he is ‘misunderstood’, but he has used the troughs in his career to withdraw from public gaze, reflect and reinvent himself, sometimes with a spiritual twist. Following the Real Unity

disaster, Montano left Trinidad to work on his debut album for Atlantic Records - which was never released. He re-emerged after about one year as a Rastafarian, coming on stage with his locks wrapped in cloth in the Bobo Shanti tradition worn by reggae singers such as Sizzla. That phase was short-lived. Machel’s band Xtatik has also undergone a number of transformations, appearing as the Xtatik Road Marching Band; Xtatik Circus and the HD Family.

Now, having announced that his participation in the 2015 Soca Monarch competition was his last, Montano is once again treading a spiritual path, replacing the “HD” (High Definition) tag, with his Monk Monte incarnation. His attire is more demure, Afro-centric even and he has declared that co-operation rather than competition is his focus. In February 2015, he explained the concept in an interview with the Trinidad Guardian, saying, “Monk Monte is really the messenger of the monk philosophy and is a movement of new knowledge, and that movement of new knowledge is flowing within me but it is a movement where I inspire people to learn things, to rediscover each other first of all, and then different cultures.”

AUGUST 2015 SN 23

soca people SOCANEWS.COM/SOCAPEOPLE

Text | Natasha Ofosu

angela hunte FROM THE SHADOWS INTO THE LIGHT For years, Angela Hunte has been an invisible yet pivotal force in the careers of numerous international acts. Not limited by genre, this Brooklyn-born singer/songwriter of Trinidadian parentage has penned hits for Britney Spears, Nas, Melanie Fiona and the late Amy Winehouse.

In 2009 Angela co-wrote and co-produced Empire State of Mind, sung by Jay Z featuring Alicia Keys. The song was a runaway success, and catapulted her profile to new heights; the song sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, won two Grammys (Best Rap Song and Best Rap/ Sung Collaboration) and sold nearly six million copies in the U.S. Hunte’s bold, brash duet with Machel Montano, Party Done, has introduced her to a Caribbean audience which was previously ignorant of her existence and achievements. Whilst touring and performing with Montano this year, she has stepped out of the shadows and found her stage feet. Of the experience of making her debut at Montano’s Machel Monday concert in February, she says, “It was an overwhelming experience and it definitely awakened the performer in me.”

Hunte’s apprenticeship will continue when she joins Montano in London on 28 August for his On 24 SN AUGUST 2015

My Way concert. Thereafter, fans can look forward to the release of her yet-to-be-named debut album later in the year. Hunte has collaborated with a number of producers on the collection, and audiences can expect to hear songs with a range of influences, as well as tracks which she wrote for other artists but were never recorded. However, she stresses that her Caribbean roots will not be overlooked.

“I have done it all, that is where a true, top line writer comes from,” Angela explains. “So there are many different genres on my album, but I let the Caribbean that is in all of my music run freely, because I have always wanted to do that.”

Getting the Skinny on Mr Fabulous When it comes to live performances, they don’t get much more impactful than those of Skinny Fabulous, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ reigning Power and Ragga Soca Monarch.

Forget his slim frame, because this colourful artist has energy and charisma to burn. Add to that his use of zip lines, helicopters, light suits and other props to enhance his sets, and it’s easy to see why crowds lap him up.

Since he burst onto the scene in 2008 with bacchanal tune Head Bad, Fabulous has blazed a trail for Vincy music with a tight package of hits including Charge Up, Monster and The General.

Fabulous is a graduate of UWI Jamaica, where he studied media and communications. He started his career in dancehall music and, aided by his gravelly vocals, brought that raw style to the ragga soca fusion he has been creating. 2015 was the first year he entered the carnival competition dedicated to this genre and he won singing the patriotic tune This Island is Mine with pannist Rodney Small.

Skinny’s up-tempo track Mash Up sees him branching out into electronic dance music, and as the track earned him his sixth Power Soca Monarch title, it represents yet another successful step in his evolution.

Just call him Ola If you had never heard of Olatunji Yearwood before Trinidad& Tobago’s 2015 carnival, by now you’re bound to know who he is. The International Groovy Soca Monarch placed his name on everyone’s lips with his eponymous feel-good hit Ola on the popular Kan Kan riddim.

Yearwood, 29, is a former Junior Soca Monarch who began his music career in high school. Since the mid-noughties he had been skirting the edges of soca success with offerings such as Get Wild, Wah Do and Wining Good, whilst holding down a gig as a frontline singer with the legendary brass bands Roy Cape All Stars and Traffic.

Ola has been his big, breakthrough track, and he credits his parents Eddie Yearwood and Mairoon Ali, who are both deceased, and ‘divine intervention’, for his success. “I feel it’s a calling from my parents,” he said in an interview with OMG Trinidad and Tobago.

“I really believe it’s the power of them shining on me right now with this great success I’m having.”

Yearwood completed his diploma in performing arts in London in 2006, and performed here many times then and later, so he will be returning to familiar ground when he performs alongside Machel Montano and others at the pre-Notting Hill Carnival concert on 28 August. This time, however, with his profile riding so high, expectations will be equally elevated.

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soca people SOCANEWS.COM/SOCAPEOPLE

Text | Natasha Ofosu

ricardo drue TWO INTO ONE GOES Having a dual identity is proving very useful for Ricardo Drue.

The Antiguan-born singer grew up in south Trinidad and now traverses seamlessly between both islands, adapting his approach to suit their respective music industries and audiences.

Drue, 30, is a former member of the all-male quartet Crossovah. Before he was a household name he established himself as a close collaborator of the HD Family’s (now Monk Band’s) Patrice Roberts as her co-singer and songwriter.

He started attracting attention as a solo artiste in 2010 with the release of his songs Get Wild, a rumbustious party track, and Like Glue, a sweet ballad that took him to the finals of Antigua’s Party Monarch competition during the island’s summer carnival.

From 2011 to 2013 Drue produced a number of noteworthy songs, including Supaman, Get to Know You and Suga, and he released two albums – The Local Foreigner and Dreams of My Reality.

He also worked with seasoned performers including Kees Dieffenthaller from Kes The Band (Water Pump), Barbadian maestro Edwin Yearwood (Throw Me Out), and the Viking Bunji Garlin (Shawty).

He had a stint performing for two years at Trinidad Carnival with the band Imij and Company for which his uncle was band leader. Then he moved 26 SN AUGUST 2015

on to Roy Cape All Stars, where he remains.

The stars came into alignment for Drue in 2014 when his song Vagabond on the Flair Skirt riddim became a runaway hit. While he failed to capture the Groovy Monarch title in Antigua with the song, he found success in the Jumpy (Party) Monarch category that year with Hide and Seek.

Drue repeated the feat in 2015, this time singing W.A.R and he placed second in the groovy contest with Professional.

With these accolades under his belt, the future looks very promising for Drue and he may be one artiste who stands to gain from the retirement of Machel Montano from the International Soca Monarch competitions in Trinidad and Tobago.

UK soca lovers can see Ricardo Drue live at Oh Gosh 7 on Saturday 29th August at ICAN Studios, Stratford, east London.

lyrikal DON’T CALL HIM SKINNY They share a similar build, hairstyle and facial features. But whatever you do, do not confuse Lyrikal with Skinny Fabulous. He does not find it funny.

Lyrikal is Devon Martin, a Trinidadian artiste living in New York. As his name suggests, he has a way with words.

Like Fabulous (Gamal Doyle), Lyrikal was heavily into Jamaican dancehall in his youth and early career, making his own chants and performing in school talent shows and neighbourhood block parties.

He began to focus seriously on his recording career in 2003 and caused a stir when he jumped on the 2005 Pot O’ Gold riddim produced by Shawn ‘Mastamind’ Noel. His song was More Gyal.

With more than 40 releases since then, Lyrikal has emerged as a singer with a penchant for mellow, danceable grooves and good storylines. That impression is reinforced by tracks such as All Over De Gyal (2009), Ramajay (2010) and 25-8 (2012).

In the past two years his music has stepped up a gear and in 2014 he reached the finals of the International Power Soca Monarch competition in Trinidad and Tobago performing Lockdown, his duet with Kerwin Du Bois. His other track, Conquer Meh, was also popular.

He followed that up with a polished presentation in the final of the Groovy Monarch contest in 2015 with Cloud 9, one of his many tunes (among them Loner, Dey In It and Untamed) in rotation for the carnival.

Showing he is all about business, Lyrikal has already released a serious contender for the 2016 season in the form of Nobody on the Zulu Tribe riddim. Given his track record, the best is very likely yet to come.

king bubba It took producer King Bubba five years, but since his 2011 breakthrough, when he worked on Lil Rick’s Work and Six-Thirty by Skinny Fabulous, he has not looked back.

Born in Bridgetown to Trinidadian parents, Adam Paul Elias began his career as a DJ and radio personality making dub plates. A Vincentian producer encouraged him to try singing soca; Bubba kept at it until Lil Rick heard his song and decided to get on board. Following this experience, he offers some wise words: “I would encourage all producers to never give up, because eventually you will find your formula and make it work.”

Bubba was responsible for riddims such as the Popso, which gave birth to Bunji Garlin’s Irregular in 2012, and the Addicted Riddim the following year featuring Machel Montano (Bruk It) and Erphaan Alves (Bumper Bounce).

Things really began sizzling for him in 2014 when he dropped Who Drinking Rum, a song penned by young Trinidadian songwriter Sekon Sta on the June Bomb riddim. He followed up this strong start to 2015 with new offerings such as Mash Up, Rum King and Whole Night, which did well in Barbados’ recently concluded Crop Over celebrations.

Fans in the UK will get the chance to experience Bubba live when he performs at Oh Gosh 7 on 29 August. Be prepared to be mashed up!

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events SOCANEWS.COM/EVENTS

friday/21st

saturday/22nd

ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH CALYPSONIANS

SOUTH CONNECTIONS

@ Carnival Village, Tabernacle, Powis Square, W11 2AY. Price £10, £8 with flyer, door £12.

Time 8-11pm.

@ Fire Club, 39 Parry Street, London, SW8 1RT. Live Acts Lyrikal & Donaeo. Music By DJ Scooby, Triple M, Mr Hardwine, DJ Tate, DSI & Credable. Price £15, £18 & £25. Time 9am-3pm Tel 07967 044 492.

london calypso tent: groovy soca night

SHIPWRECKED CARNIVAL LONDON

LAVA FRIDAYS...

SHIPWRECKED® AFTER WORK DRINKS

@ Sway, 61-65 Great Queen Street, WC2B 5BZ. Music By DJ Markee, DJ Dale, DJ Raskal & DSI – DJ Boots, Rem Star, Soca Don and DJ General.

Price Free b4 9pm, £5 after.

Time 6.30pm-late. Tel 07990 587 333.

SOCANEWS.COM /EVENTS

Mayhem In The AM

TRINI LUAU

ICHI BABA : Circle Of Life @ Simulacra Studio, 302-304 Barrington Road, SW9 7JJ. Music By Big Tunez & Gladiators. Price £30 (Exotic Caribbean food inclusive), door £40. Time 3-11pm. Tel 07411 642 264.

CARNIVAL VILLAGE TRUST PRESENTS THE SONNY BLACKS CALYPSO NIGHT

King David Rudder: Calypso legend in concert

@ Carnival Village, Tabernacle, Powis Square, W11 2AY.

Host Martin Jay. Price £22 standing, £40 VIP. Time 7pm, showtime 9pm. Tel 07956 523 296.

CHOCOLATE NATION & ECLIPSE MAS

Annual Pre Carnival Boat Party

On board the Royal Princess, Westminster Millennium Pier Victoria Embankment, SW1A 2JH. Music By Mike Forbes, Danny D, C Jay & Soca Mafia.

Price £25 (includes a Caribbean meal). Time 8.30pm-1am.

Tel 07976 372 870.

LIQUOR STATION & SHOTTA SOUND

Stamina: Soca Invasion part II

@ The Liquor Station, 397A High Road, Wembley, HA9 6AA. Music By Dr Freeze, D-Dubs & DJ Shotta. Price £10. Time 9pm-4am. Tel 07720 859 899. [18] You are strongly advised to check with the event promoter, as details sometimes change and cancellations may occur; all information was correct at the time of going to print.

AUGUST 2015 SN 29

events SOCANEWS.COM/EVENTS

KEY: [18] = OVER 18 & ID WILL BE REQUIRED | BF = BOOKING FEE RELEASE D RIDDIM

Carnival Countdown Return Fete @ 229 The Venue, 229 Great Portland Street, W1W 5PN. Music By Credable, Mr Hardwine, Digga D & DJ Bones. Price £12 & £15. Time 9pm-3am.

sun day/23rd EBONY STEELBAND

Blockorama

@ Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance, Kensal Road, W10 5EH. Price Free. Time 2-8pm.

SOCA MAFIA

Take Jam London

@ The Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, N1 9NL. Live Acts Kerwin DuBois & Triniboi Joocie.

Host Martin Jay. Music By QT 2Hype, Soca Mafia, DJ Tate, Shaker HD & DJ Stephen. Time 7pm-midnight. Price £25. [18]

wednesday/26th ONE ISLAND

welcome wednesday

@ Floripa, 91-93 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HZ. Host Konata. Music By DJ Markee & Shep Beats. Price £5. Time 5pm-2am. [18]

Thursday/27th SOCAHOLIC & UCOM

Summer Ting: The carnival lime

@ Ruby Blue, 1 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BP. Music By DJ Chris Vee, DJ Triple M, Dee DJ Francis, DJ Ratty & DJ Knightz Beatz. Price Free b4 9pm, £10 after. Time 6pm-3am. [18] 30 SN AUGUST 2015

EUPHORIA

Purple Daze

@ Egg Nightclub, 200 York Way, Kings Cross, N7 9AX. Price £5 & £10+bf. Time 6pm-12am. [18]

SYNC PARTIES

Sunset-The Carnival Experience @ The Rocket, Churchill Place, E14 5RB. Music By Big Tunez, Back2Basics, Shot Master J, Gladiators & Jah Eyez. Price £20+bf. Time 6pm-1am. Tel 07939 927 352. [18]

TRI ANGELS ENTERTAINMENT

The Gathering

@ see www.tri-angels.com.

Price Limited FREE entry with concert tickets. Time 6pm-2am.

ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH CALYPSONIANS

london calypso tent: calypso finals

@ Carnival Village, Tabernacle, Powis Square, W11 2AY. Price £10 adv., door £12. Time 8-11pm.

MANGROVE STEELBAND

Live SteelPan: Mangrove @ All Saints Road, W11 1HA. Price Free. Time 7.30pm.

RELEASE D RIDDIM

Soca Lockdown

@ Fire Club, 39 Parry Street, Vauxhall, SW8 1RT. Music

By Credable, Mr Hardwine, DJ Bliss, Hyper Spice, DJ Tate, Soca Mafia, C Jay & DJ Hendrik. Price Free with ticket b4 10.30pm. £10 B4 midnight, £12 after, door £15. Time 9pm4am. [18] You are strongly advised to check with the event promoter, as details sometimes change and cancellations may occur; all information was correct at the time of going to print.

SPECIALIST ENT

Socalicious: The 13th Anniversary

@ Club Valbon, 23 Lewisham Way, New Cross, SE14 6PP. Music By Private Ryan, Shot Master J, D’Enforcas, QT 2HYpe, DJ Bliss, Mr General, Triple M & DSI. Price £7 & £10.

Time 11pm-5am.

friday/28th SCORCH IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHIPWRECKED CARNIVAL & EUPHORIA

SCORCH Duck Work

On board the Dutch Master, Tower, Tower Millennium Pier, Lower Thames Street, EC3N 4DT. Music By Private Ryan & Back2Basics. Time 11am-4pm.

ONE ISLAND

Pon De Roof top 2015: The Carnival Rooftop Party and Grill @ The Prince Of Wales, 467469 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH. Music By DJ Markee, Private Ryan, Shep Beats & Monsta Piece. Price £15+bf Time 6pmmidnight.

TRI ANGELS ENTERTAINMENT

On My Way: Machel Montano Live in concert with full band @ Eventim Apollo, 45 Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH. Live Acts Machel Montano + full Monk Band, Angela Hunte, Olatunji Yearwood & Skinny Fabulous. Price £45+bf (or 3for2 offer).Time 6.30-11pm; showtime 8.30pm.

MANGROVE STEELBAND

Live SteelPan: Mangrove

@ All Saints Road, W11 1HA. Price Free. Time 7.30pm.

AUGUST 2015 SN 31

events SOCANEWS.COM/EVENTS

KEY: [18] = OVER 18 & ID WILL BE REQUIRED | BF = BOOKING FEE ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH CALYPSONIANS

LONDON CALYPSO TENT: PEOPLE’S CHOICE

@ Carnival Village, Tabernacle, Powis Square, W11 2AY. Price £10 adv., door £12. Time 8-11pm.

By Credable, Mr Hardwine, DJ Bliss, QT 2Hype, DJ Tate & Martin Jay. Price £12, £15 & £20. Time 9am-3pm.

ICE BOX ENTERTAINMENT

TRI ANGELS ENTERTAINMENT

SUITS: Notting Hill Carnival Cruise

@ see tri-angels.com. Price VIP ticket holders free entry; circle & stalls £5 off. Time 11pm.

SUN BAILANTE

daylight: the official after party

BUSSPEPPER

Bacchanal Friday

@ Electric Brixton, Town Hall Parade, SW2 1RJ. Host Patrick - The Hype man of Nuphoric.

Price £15+bf. Time 11pm-5am.

Music By Shep Beats, DJ Markee & Back2Basics & Jam Masters. [18]

FLAGZ

Carnival Friday NHC 2015 @ Coronet Theatre (Elephant & Castle), 28 New Kent Road, SE1 6TJ. Price £10 & £15. Time 10pm-10am.

saturday/29th RUK-A-TUK

The Notting Hill Carnival Premium Breakfast Cruise

Onboard The Dixie Queen (Butlers Wharf Pier), SE1 2YD. Host Konata Alleyne. Price £40+bf.

Time 7.30am-2pm.

RELEASE D RIDDIM

Sun Raze: Breakfast Party

@ Carnival Village, Tabernacle Powis Square, W11 2AY. Music 32 SN AUGUST 2015

On board the Dutch Master, Tower Millennium Pier, Lower Thames Street, EC3N 4DT. Price £25. Time 11am-4pm.

Carnival in D Garden

@ Egg Nightclub, 200 York Way, Kings Cross, N7 9AX. Music By DJ Stephen, Jay Sun Bailante, QT 2Hype & Triple M. Price £10, motd. Time 3-10pm.

Tel 07921 891 611.

SHIPWRECKED CARNIVAL LONDON

Shipwrecked® in India - The Ultimate All Inclusive

@ Vinopolis, 1 Bank End, Southwark, SE1 9BU. Music By D Raskal, DJ Markee, DJ Dale, Private Ryan & Back2Basics.

Price £65+bf. Time 6pmmidnight. Tel 07990 587 333.

BAS (BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF STEELBANDS)

National Panorama: Champions of Steel Competition

@ Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance, Kensal Road, W10 5EH. Price Free entry. Time 6-10pm.

BUSSPEPPER

Tribe: Ignite London

@ The Anthologist, 58 Gresham Street, EC2V 7BB. Host Patrick Anthony - The HYPE MAN of Nuphoric. Music By Private Ryan, Back2Basics, DJ Markee & Jam Masters. Price £15.

Time10pm-4am. [18]

SUN BAILANTE

Carnival Energy: Brazilian Edition

@ Mayfair Exchange, 34 Brook Street, W1K 5DN. Price £15, motd. Time 10pm-4am. [18]

SOCA MAFIA

Oh Gosh 7

@ Ican Studios, 33 Monier Road, E3 2PR. Live Acts Ricardo Drue, King Bubba, Sunshine & Nadiva & Villanz.

Host Martin Jay. Price £20 & £25. Time 11pm-5am. Tel 07939 238 735.

sunday/30th BAS

j’ouvert and bomb competition

@ Ladbroke Grove, W10, W11.

Price Free. Time 6am-9pm.

Children’s day

@ area bounded by Harrow Rd (N), Chepstow Rd (E), Westbourne Grove (S) and Ladbroke Grove (W). Price Free. Time 11am-7pm.

SUN BAILANTE

The Hot Caribbean Carnival 2015: Fire Edition

@ O2 Academy Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS. Price £12, motd. Time 11pm-6am. [18]

MONDAY/31st adults’ day

@ area bounded by Harrow Rd (N), Chepstow Rd (E), Westbourne Grove (S) and Ladbroke Grove (W). Price Free. Time 11am-8pm (sound systems shut down at 7pm)

AUGUST 2015 SN 33

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mas bands SOCANEWS.COM/MASBANDS/UK

beeraahaar SPLENDOUR OF D. NATIONS

020 8809 4325

Burrokeets UK CARNEVOLUTION

07703 676 238 www.burrokeetsuk.com

Chocolate Nation mas 07976 372 870 www.chocolatenationmas.com

ABIR the colours of life LOVE FIRE

Cocoyea NEON

020 3006 2311 www.abir-mas.com

07956 223 247 www.cocoyea.com

Addicted Mas

Dimensions Entertainment

ATOMIC

07949 269 948 www.specialist-events.com

Bacchanalia Mas band LEGACY OF SHE

07909 616 251 www.baccmas.com

Bajan Revellers IGNITION

07809 679 507 facebook.com/bajanrevellersuk 36 SN AUGUST 2015

DIMENSIONS OF HEAVEN

DUKA - Mas Domnik UK DOMINICA - IN YOUR FACE

020 8533 1261 www.duka.org.uk

Eclipse Mas LA LUNE

www.eclipsemas.com

Euphoria Carnival TAKE FLIGHT

www.euphoriacarnival.com

Flagz Mas Band HIDDEN TRIBES

07956 815 370 www.flagzmasband.com

Flamboyan International Carnival Arts DE FIRE IN WE

07944 624 652 www.dimensionslondon.com

07739 657 738 www.flamboyancarnivalarts.co.uk

Dragons Cultural Mas

Funatik Mas

FESTIVAL MALVADOS

07922 554 462 www.dragonsculturalarts.com

D Riddim Tribe Mas Band RISE OF AN EMPIRE www.releasedriddim.com

I AM

www.funatikmas.com

Hype Masqueraders ARIKARA

07411 076 824 www.hypemasuk.com

Infinite Mas

Masquerade 2000 (M2K)

www.infinitemas.com

020 8556 1659 www.M2Kmas.com

APHRODITE: THE GODDESS OF LOVE, BEAUTY & DESIRE

Invaders Mas Band JAMETTES

07403 474 947 www.invadersmassband.co.uk/ home.html

Lagniappe Mas TRIBAL WAR

07940 957 618 www.lagniappe.co.uk

London School of Samba VOODOOSAMBA: THE DARK CABARET

020 7394 7359 www.londonschoolofsamba.co.uk

Lush BNM UK Carnival LIFE IN COLOUR

www.cocoyea.com

MaKING Carnival (ISIS Mas) ENCHANTED

0843 886 3776 www.isismas.com

REVOLVE 3015 (CHANGE THE PRESENT. SAVE THE FUTURE)

Sunshine International Arts

Pure Lime

07881 571 743 www.sunshineiarts.co.uk

VOTE WITH YOUR FEET

OIL SLICK - BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA

07973 784 202 www.purelime.co.uk

Tears Mas Band

Smokey Joe Roadshow

www.tearsevents.com

MEMORIES - TRIBUTE TO GEORGE BAILEY

07984 894 795 www.facebook.com/SmokeyJoeRoadshow

Soca Massive Fancy Sailors SAILORS ASHORE

07958 319 954

Soca Saga Boys AZURA

07958 140 958 www.socasagaboys.com

South Connections LA MODE

07446 698 876 www.southconnections.co.uk

socanews.com/masbands/uk

CORAL REEF

TriniPosse UK TWILIGHT

0780 057 3662 www.triniposseuk.com

UCOM Carnival

GATHERING OF NATIONS

07507 864 808 www.unitedcoloursofmas.com

Utopia Mas LE CHIC

07852 172 911 www.utopiacreativearts.co.uk

Xtreme St Lucia UK SUBMERGE

www.xtremecarnival.com

Yaa Asantewaa Arts NEW ORLEANS

07515 850 711

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