Words by LargeUp Crew
Soca music tends to fan out into the world through two different waves over the course of the year. First, around the start of the year (and increasingly during the holiday season the year before), you have the tunes for Trinidad Carnival. And then, as spring turns into summer, things start getting hot again as the carnival calendar moves through the Eastern Caribbean from St. Vincent to Grenada.
Brooklyn-based DJ Jam Central’s “It’s A Carnival” mix rounds up a sampling of the soca that has been running 2014’s summer carnivals: Vincy Mas (St. Vincent), Lucian Carnival (St. Lucia), Crop Over (Barbados) and Spicemas (Grenada), not to mention Caribana in Toronto. The mix includes both summer releases as well as Trinidad holdovers that are still running d road. Featured artists include Machel Montano (Trinidad), Skinny Fabulous (St. Vincent), Lil Rick (Barbados), Bunji Garlin (Trinidad), Porgie and Murda aka Lead Pipe and Saddis (Barbados), Busy Signal (Jamaica), RDX (Jamaica), Peter Ram (Barbados), Patrice Roberts (Trinidad), Kerwin Du Bois (Trinidad), Tian Winter (Antigua) and more.
Download the mix here and see the track list below. For more from Jam Central, follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Soundcloud, and expect to his see his name more on LargeUp soon.
1. Busy Signal – All Night
2. Big Red The DJ – Nothing To Say
3. Yannick Hooper & Holla Bak – Wine Sampling
4. Sour Sop Riddim – Inches – Vibes (So Nice)
5. Sour Sop Riddim – Saddis – Take Mi Stress Away
6. Sour Sop Riddim – Lead Pipe – Carnival Addiction
7. Nutron – Keep Dancing
8. Sunburn Riddim – Lil Rick – U & I
9. Jackpot Riddim – Rdx & Lil Rick – Wine Come Up
10. Master Blaster Riddim – Lil Rick – I Like Um
11. Master Blaster Riddim – Sekon Sta Feat. King Bubba FM – Bashment Time
12. Bang Bang Riddim – Porgie N Murda – Benup
13. Super Lynks Riddim – Gorg – Drop It
14. Scorpion Pepper Riddim – Sekon Sta – Touchdown.Mp3
15. Scorpion Pepper Riddim – Lil Rick – Can’t Kill My Vibe
16. Scorpion Pepper Riddim – King Bubba Fm – Gimmie Wha Ya Got
(#Allahdaisbumpa)
17. Azonto Riddim – Holla Bak – My Life
18. Azonto Riddim – King Bubba Fm – I’ll Never Give Up (Born To Win)
19. Hypasounds – Dutti (Dj Puffy Edit)
20. Shanta Prince – Stush (Precision Road Mix)
21. Axiom Riddim – Lead Pipe & Saddis – Ah Feeling
22. Stiffy – Girl Stick It
23. Bad Boy Riddim – Lil Rick – I Feel Wotless
24. Bad Boy Riddim – King Bubba Fm – Bad Boy ‘Gimmie Lil Piece’
25. Lil Rick – Drop
26. Mikey Feat. Lil Rick – Next To De Roap (Remix)
27. Skinny Fabulous Feat. Diplo – Party Hardcore (Major Lazer)
28. Bunji Garlin & Major Lazer – It’s A Carnival
29. June Bomb Riddim (First Edition) – King Bubba Fm – Come Out To Win
30. June Bomb Riddim (First Edition) – Lil Rick – Great Day
31. June Bomb Riddim (Second Edition) – Patrice Roberts – Push Up On It
32. June Bomb Riddim (Second Edition) – Blaxx – Badness
33. June Bomb Riddim (Second Edition) – Skinny Fabulous – Anywhere Dat We Step
34. June Bomb Riddim (First Edition) – Sekon Sta – Put In That Work
35. Popso 4 (Stage Show Riddim) – King Bubba Fm & Kerwin Dubois Feat. Jah Cure & Lil Rick – Partyak ‘Party People Anthem’
36. Popso 4 (Stage Show Riddim) – Sekon Sta – Bumper Swag
37. Mr.Romel Riddim – Lil Rick – Flawless
38. Mr.Romel Riddim – Rdx – Shella
39. Mr.Romel Riddim – Porgie & Murda – Giddyup
40. Kes – Just Wanna Jam
Mixing and selections by Jam Central
Cover Image by Spliffington
Photo by Colin Williams
Project supervision by Jesse Serwer