Bunji Garlin’s “Differentology” needed no such assistance, instantly taking the Caribbean by storm with its release during 2013 Carnival season. Taking inspiration from Beres Hammond’s 1990 hit of the same name, Bajan-British singer Rupee crafted a track that sat perfectly in the crosshairs of soca, dancehall, R&B, reggaeton and pop, and it suited the mood on dancefloors around the world just perfectly.Ĭrossing over for Caribbean artists in recent years has often meant compromise, or at least outside help, be it a pop-friendly remix or a cameo from a mainstream-approved artist. Island music was at its commercial peak in 2004, and tunes like “Tempted to Touch” were a major reason why. 1 band Square One, Alison Hinds solidified her place as soca’s biggest female solo act with “Roll It Gyal.” A girl power anthem inspired by Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women,” “Roll It Gyal” has just the sort of twist you’d expect from a Caribbean winin’ queen like Miss Alison. The longtime frontwoman for Barbados’ No. Soca artists pretty much perfected the instructional dance song so it’s no wonder that this track has made its way into wedding DJ playlists (as well as at the occasional bar mitzvah) alongside other kid-friendly staples like “Cha Cha Slide,” and “Macarena” Originally written and performed by brothers Nigel and Marvin Lewis, the track was covered by the Soca Boys and re-recorded as a dance track for the European market by Nigel Lewis in the early 2000s. Nigel & Marvin “Follow The Leader” (1997) After picking up a second wind during Carnival time earlier this year, “Carnival Tabanca” found it way into the rotation on influential New York radio station Hot 97 this spring.ħ. Released “off season” last summer (Trini artists usually release new soca during the winter, in the months just before Carnival), “Carnival Tabanca” is a song which captures the wistful mood that washes over when Bacchanal is done. Not only is he responsible for the most ubiquitous and internationally recognized soca tune of the decade thus far in “Differentology” but, in a rare feat, he was actually able to follow it up. Bunji Garlin “Carnival Tabanca” (2013)īunji Garlin is having an unprecedented run among soca artists. 6 in France, while also charting in Spain, the U.K. Even with Sinclar’s touch, the frenetic rhythm still reads as soca, and it’s success abroad was undeniable: it reached No. His track featuring the operatic vocal stylings of Trini artist Fireball, was originally recorded in Trinidad, but the popular version was produced by house music superstar Bob Sinclar for his Caribbean-inspired 2007 album Soundz of Freedom.
Fireball and Bob Sinclair “What I Want” (2007)
It’s also reportedly the first record from an artist out of Trinidad & Tobago to be certified gold.ĩ. Our North American readers might not know this one, but Trini vocalist Sugar Daddy’s “Sweet Soca Music” was a huge hit in France, where it reached No. The main guideline used in selecting these songs is: Do people who’ve never been to a soca party or a soca-producing country know them? Hence the absence of such pan-Caribbean classics as “Dollar Wine” and “Tiny Winey.”ġ0. *This is not a countdown of the most popular soca songs across the Caribbean. In light of Bunji Garlin’s recent success bringing unadulterated Carnival music to the fore with “Differentology”-as well as the 10th anniversary of Kevin Lyttle’s ascension into the upper echelons of the pop charts with “Turn Me On”-here’s a look at some of soca’s most notable crossover hits. Soca has only palanced its way into the mainstream on a handful of occasions since it first developed in Trinidad some 40 years ago.
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