HUGO STARNS
A2 Media Portfolio
Caribbean Influenced
Caribbean Influenced music mainly shows 4 genres;
-
Calypso
-
Soca
-
Zouk
-
Reggae
Reggae is by far the most popular due to influential artists like Bob Marley. ​Others are popular too and like african often have dances and accompanying instruments like the steel drums which are a trademark sound from the Caribbean.
Reggae was created in the 60's and has strong connections with the religous movement 'Rastafarianism'. It features guitars, drums and simple chord sequences. It is what Caribeann music is best known for.
​
Calypso is best known for its relations to Carnivals mainly based in Trinidad and Tobago. It is based upon simple harmonys/rhythms and then usually features verses and choruses.
Soca meaning 'Soul Calypso' is a spinoff from tradional 'Salsa' music. It is usually associated with partying and features fast beats that play 'horn' sounds extremely loud and fast. Lyrics often focus on 'Love' and 'Partying' and some don't even make sense.
​
Zouk is similar to calypso but can be defined as a 'fast jump up carnival beat'. It lost popularity in the 80's due to culture change and other issues however it is still listened to today.
The passion and meaning behind these genres/sub genres is easy to see however once again, this can be quite hard for us to feel and relate to. We respect legends like Bob Marley who inspired millions including myself but we feel the lack of cultural knowlegde and locations to suit this genre would take too much time.