Toppa Top 10: South x Southwest Edition

Words by Jesse Serwer and Eddie STATS Houghton

This time every year the US music industry shuts itself down and heads to Austin, Texas for the annual orgy of live music, informal politicking and drink-ticket-bought tequila shots that is the South by Southwest music conference. There isn’t much in the way of proper Caribbean music showcases this year (Come to think of it, we’re not sure if there ever have been) but there is a healthy sprinkling of Caribbean and Caribbean-influenced acts scattered throughout the program, which officially begins tomorrow and concludes on Sunday. Here’s 10 we recommend seeking out.

10. Uproot Andy

Along with QUE BAJO?! party co-founder Geko Jones, Uproot Andy is one of the driving forces behind the melange of African sounds, cumbia, dancehall and electro dubbed “global bass” or “tropical bass.” He’s perhaps best known right now, though, for the Hold Yuh-rhythm-fueled mix of Los Rakas’ “Abrazame” that’s turned that tune into a global phenomenon. He’ll be on the turntables along with NY Tropical colleague Chief Boima at Habana Bar Saturday night.

9. The Kid Daytona

We’ve been messing with the Kid Daytona ever since the Antiguan-born Bronx MC was “just Daytona” and putting his own Boogie-Down spin on Bogle’s “All Dem Deh.” And his eminently underrated latest mixtape, The Interlude, has us more down than ever–Check our recent interview with him here. The world has been slow to catch on but perhaps things might change after ‘Tona takes the stage at Venue 222 Friday night alongside Collie Buddz, Los Rakas, EPMD, Chino XL, et. al. Check the video for “Take Aim,” his re-imagining of The Chronic intro with Freddie Gibbs.

8. Profetas

We don’t know much about these AfriColombian rappers except that our homegirl Natalia (who works with Collie Buddz and Los Rakas) put us up on them and they are repping the Caribbean coast—Cartagena is clearly visible in the background of many of their videos (Though they actually hail from Bogota). The multi-sex duo bring an infectious and Caribbean-inflected take on Colombian rap, something in the vein of Bomba Estereo but, you know, blacker. After their showcase at Austin club Prague on Friday, they head to New York for a date with Uproot Andy at SOBs on the 29th of this month.

7. Poirier

Our dude in Montreal Poirier specializes in bringing Caribbean and global ghetto sounds to audiences who aren’t always ready to hear them. He’ll certainly have his work cut out for him in rock-centric Austin but if anyone can get Texans and industry types wiling out to kompa and soca blends, it’s this guy. The producer/DJ formerly known as Ghislain Poirier will be joined at his official showcases at Spill Bar on Thursday, Nuvola on Friday and Soho Lounge on Saturday by Boogat, a Latin MC from Montreal with whom  recently dropped the appropriately titled mixtape, Esperanto Sound System. He’ll also be at three unofficial showcases, two by his lonesome and one billed as Esperanto Sound System with Boogat. Check his video for “Wha-La-La-Leng” with Canadian deejay Face-T for a taste of what you can expect:

6. Los Rakas

As we mentioned a few times, Panabaynian (yes, that’s a word. or at least that’s what they call themselves) MCs Los Rakas are about the most interesting thing happening right now at the cross-section of rap, reggae and the Spanish language. Their Gyptian-inspired banger “Abrazame” was a pan-Caribbean anthem for 2010 and a forthcoming set of new songs promises to do the same for Spring 2011. We got the chance to par with the Rakas when they swung true NY for their show at SOBs, so expect more on them in this space soon! Find them in Austin at Venue 222 Friday night.

5. Theophilus London

Category-defying fashionplate rapper/singer Theophilus London has really been on the come-up this past year, and we’ve been documenting it the whole way, from his trip to Trinidad Fashion Week to his cover of Nat King Cole’s “Calypso Blues.” Fresh off the release of his Warner Bros. EP Lovers Holiday last month, he’ll be at Habana Bar Backyard on Thursday night. We hope he can transport some of the tropical vibes from his recent video for “Flying Overseas” to the prairie lands of Texas:

4. Melanie Fiona

It seems like just two weeks ago that we broke down all the power moves Guyanese-Canadian R&B songstress Melanie Fiona has been making recently. Oh wait, it was. No need to repeat here then but on Thursday night at Kiss & Fly you can find out for yourself what all the commotion is about. Watch Mel F. get in touch with her working-class Caribbean roots in her “Ay Yo” video below:

3. Dre Skull

Fans of Caribbean music may not be familiar with the name Dre Skull unless they happen to have the Vybz Kartel tune “Yuh Love”–which he produced–on their iPod, or caught the video posted below this paragraph. But let us be the first to put you up on game. That collabo (and a few others) has lead to a healthy working relationship between Dre and the reigning king of dancehall. The vibe will be manifested in a full-length album project slated to drop an atomic bomb on summer 2011–and we can safely say it is a game-changer because we’ve already heard the tracks! Find him at Club Prague on Saturday night, and tell him LargeUp sent you.

2. Collie Buddz

If you follow these pages, you’re already aware of Collie Buddz’s rep as one of reggae/dancehall’s most reliably consistent studio voices but Bermuda’s “top export since tales of disappearing planes” is known to put on top-quality live shows, too. On Friday, Mr. Buddz plays Venue 222, where he and Los Rakas (See below for more on them) will add some Caribbean flavor to an otherwise all-hiphop bill that includes EPMD, DJ Quik, Chino XL(!) and the Kid Daytona (More on him, too). Collie’s also at Flamingo Cantina on Saturday, with Lynval Golding (of The Specials and Fun Boy Three)’s new band Contra Coup and St. Lucia’s Taj Weeks & Adowa. Check his video for the lead single off his upcoming album Playback, which we premiered in this space last week:

1. Bad Brains

We had to do a double-take when we saw the Bad Brains on the itinerary for this year’s conference. But it’s true: the undisputed champs of punk/reggae fusion will make their South by Southwest debut at Emo’s Main Room on Wednesday night. We’re still not sure if HR or any of the enigmatic band’s members are actually of Jamaican lineage (even after listening to their music for 2/3 of our lives) but their devotion to Jah and flawlessly executed dub interludes have made them honorary yardies since their formation in Washington, DC three decades ago. For a demonstration of how powerful their live show was in their heyday (And it was still pretty nuts when we last caught them five years ago), check this 1982 clip filmed at their NYC homebase, CBGB: