Welcome to Montserrat
Soca artist Scrappy gathered some of the most gifted artistes from his homeland to present the world a musical invitation to the Caribbean island of Montserrat. The result is a compilation called “Welcome to Montserrat Vol. 1 & 2″, packed with reggae, soca and calypso released for the Montserratian carnival that will open your heart and mind for this tiny, volcanic island and its proud people.
There are great vocalists like the lovely Nikiesha, the legendary Montserrat road march master Drago with his new release, Montserrat Soca Monarch Scrappy himself, and many more to make you dance and sing along.
In Scrappy’s own words the compilation “is the 1st of an annual project aimed at getting the best of Montserrat’s carnival music exposed to the world.” Great aim, great music, great compilation! Go and get it now, as long as it is still fresh ‘n’ hot..
Nikiesha – What I Want by Faluma
Scrappy feat. Flawless Lutenants – Soca Music & Rum by Faluma
The Soca Rebels: 2 New Digital Releases
Two beautiful albums from the backcatalogue of our Swedish friends, the Soca Rebels, are now available online in all major download stores. The live album “Raw Soca” which was recorded in the year 2000 and the album “Soca Nation”, originally released in 1993.
Soca Nation was the second record of the band from Gothenburg that was founded in 1990 and that is active ever since. They performed live on TV, at Carnivals and other festival, together with big names from the Caribbean like Crazy from Trinidad & Tobago, Moonblast from Barbados and many more.
Raw Soca was recorded during a live session together with the national calypso queen of Trinidad & Tobago Shirlane Hendrickson. Watch a video of a fantastic performance of her and the band at Norrkoping Carnival, Sweden 2001:
In case you ever wondered how soca with Swedish lyrics might sound, please listen to Farmor Sväng (Nani Wine) and enjoy!
Farmor Sväng (Nani Wine)
Please find the download links here:
Soca Rebels feat. Shirlane Hendrickson – Raw Soca
Soca Rebels – Soca Nation
Oh Snap!!
DJ and producer Oh Snap!! from Baltimore knows how to make people dance. And he knows how to make people laugh. And he knows what is hot in the clubs around the world as well as the music blog scene. Thank God this young man found Soca, or rather Soca found him! His talents just blend perfectly with the sounds of the Caribbean: club beats meet steel drums, funny lyrics meet the traditions of humourous commentary as to be found even in the earliest Calypsos, jumping around meets waving rags.
In the title track of his brand new Soca EP „White Bread“ he is telling us about being the only white guy at a fete in Trinidad – isn’t that just the perfect tune to be released on Faluma, the Caribbean music label run by a bunch of Germans…
Other tracks deal with the effects of too much rum at parties on choosing a partner for the night , or more or less lovely ladies or are just making you want to party wildly.
Mashing up underground club music with Caribbean elements became quite fashionable these days, but no one ever did that with that much good, zesty, but with a twinkle in his eye kind of humour like Oh Snap!!. We are proud and happy to have his first Soca EP on our label.
Please find the links to your favourite download stores here.
You may also check out Oh Snap!!’s blog for free mixes and promo tracks or read a review of the EP “White Bread” on tgrionline.com.
We paranging!
Christmas time is coming closer and closer and that means: it is Parang season! Get yourself some black cake and sorrel and listen to Parang classics! For example my favorite album “A Mastamind Christmas”, packed with only the best parang tunes you can imagine. You can purchase it for example in the new download store of our partner T&T Ent or on iribbeantunes.com, a great Caribbean music MP3 shop we just recently started to cooperate with. There you may also find two atmospheric Christmas albums by The Calypso King of the World, The Mighty Sparrow, who sings Christmas ballads in his very own unique style.
On our sublabel T&T Ent we’ve just released ““Sing Noël”, a very festive concert recording of The Marionettes Chorale.
And if you are looking for a wonderful present for your loved ones, check out the Parang CD section in the Faluma online shop! Lots of classics are just waiting for you there.
For all our friends who happen to be in Berlin next friday we have a very special event for you: the MashUp Crew and Faluma are celebrating their annual xmas fete at
Flo Club
Tucholskystr.32
Berlin-Mitte
18.december 2009
De parang starts: 10pm
Please come and join in! Entry is free, drinks are cheap and rum, Soca and Parang are going to rule the place that night!
Here is an oldie but goldie Parangmix of the infamous MashUp Crew: Mudds & Marflix – We parangin (2005)
T&T Ent and Faluma
News worth noticing!
The music of Trinidad & Tobago has to reach the people worldwide – from traditional trinidadian folk, intensive steel pan and smooth pan-jazz to the music of the carnival – soca and calypso. This very interest is the concern of two institutions affiliated with the music: T&T Ent and Faluma.
The Berlin based Caribbean music label Faluma, Europe’s specialist for Soca & Calypso, joined forces with the Trinidad and Tobago Entertainment Company (short: T&T Ent), a state agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
The joint venture of Faluma and T&T Ent started off with the
creation of a special own download store which is part of a new and unique portal. The aim of this portal is a comprehensive presentation of and easy access to all aspects of the cultural assets and heritage of the Caribbean republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Besides the download store, it offers an artist database, streams of events, assistance for entertainment practitioners with international projects, and much more.
To fill the download store with adequate content Faluma and the Trinidad and Tobago Entertainment Company founded a sublabel called T&T Ent. All facettes of music from the island republic is to be represented, however the main focus is on the local musical achievements: soca and calypso as well as the “national instrument”, the steelpan.
Thus the first bunch of digital releases is meaningful and groundbreaking: by the end of this year the majority of the catalogue of SANCH, the specialist for steelpan recordings will be available for download, not only in the T&T Ent store, but also in all notable MP3 shops around the globe.
The steelpan, the national instrument that was invented and brought to perfection in Trinidad and Tobago, is featured with all its facettes in this one-of-a-kind selection. Sanch was the first to produce CDs with authentic steelband music back in the 1980s and since then is always a step ahead when it comes to record the unique warm and fascinating sound of this original Caribbean instrument in highest audio quality. Reaching from traditional Calypso or groovy Soca tunes accompanied by pan, to overwhelming interpretations of classic masterpieces by huge steelbands, or to jazz standards and solemnly played christmas carols – there is something for everybody to get hooked on this versatile instrument and the music of its homeland.
Check out our Coming Soon page, to see the detailed release list for the next two months.
Carnival 2k9 Photo Contest!
Dear Faluma-fans and Carnival-maniacs,
we have wracked our brains to brighten up the grey time of the year between the end of all Carnival festivals and the beginning of the parang season. So how about a photo contest to share your memories of your greatest time of the year with your friends and the Faluma family on facebook?
The Faluma photo contest started already and will be running for the next two weeks – so grab your best pic and post it on the Faluma fan page wall.
We made a little album with sample pics for you to get an impression.
To be a part of the contest just follow the instructions:
1. Choose your best picture
2. Post it on the Faluma fan page wall: http://www.facebook.com/Faluma (if you ain’t a fan yet, well…what are you waiting for?!)
3. Add location and time (names and links if you like)
4. All entries will be collected in an special album, to see what’s hot and what’s not.
Your picture is then running in the contest, waiting to be loved – that means: if you like one the best, just click your “I like” button! The three pics which will get most likings by our fans will win the contest and will be rewarded with prizes out of the Faluma shop:
1st: On…e 50€ voucher for the Faluma shop
2nd: Choose one single CD f…or free from our catalogue + one Moko Jumbie – Up & Dancing DVD
3rd: One Moko Jumbie – Up & Dancing DVD
Any further questions concerning the contest? Just post them on the wall or write us a mail or a comment and…
…may the best pic win!
Faluma News October – Get gift voucher!
The carnival season has more o less reached the finish line for 2009.
So it’s the right time to refresh our Soca newsletter. You are not on the list? No Worry: Become a part of it by sending us your email address to info@faluma.com and you will be updated with the latest news of your beloved caribbean music and your favourite online shop Faluma.
For your subscription you will receive a unique £5 gift code to get your personal roadmarch winner and much more at Juno Download: www.juno.co.uk
Attention all Soca train personnel! Feel free to share your memories of your favourite roadmarches, fetes & events of this very season: We are going to set up a photo-contest soon – if you think you have the best shot of 2009’s carnival season, let us know and send it right in! We will surely honour the best ones.
We will keep you informed. And please remember…
…Parang season starts soon – The fete won’t stop!
Brandnew El-A-Kru Album “De Road Show”
The crazyness of the summer Carnival days in the Caribbean just came to an end recently, the revellers barely had time to rest and scrape off glitter and colours and we already have something for you to stir up the bacchanal again and revive the Carnival feelings! From today on the brandnew 2009 album “De Road Show” of the fantastic Antiguan band El-A-Kru is available in all major download shops.
Packed with addictive Soca tunes that were going strong on the road during the Carnival of their beautiful island.
For more than a decade El-A-Kru releases an album a year, bursting with energy and the joyful spirit of the Caribbean Carnival. Owing to their long-time cooperation with Faluma, most of the albums are available online. With “De Road Show” the band reaches a new peak level, presenting ten exhilarating tunes. The inspiring voice of the crew’s adorable lead singer Tizzy will make you all jump and dance!
Click here to find the download links, please.
High Intensity’s 2008 album online
For all fans of one of Antigua’s sweetest sounding bands on the road, High Intensity, we have great news: the 2008 album of High Intensity called “Bitta Betta Badda Fiyah One” is now available in all major download stores. As all of their albums, this one again is packed with sweet sweet Soca songs that will bring the Caribbean summer carnival feeling to you, wherever you are.
Contributing album after album for many years already to the Antiguan Soca scene this band knows how to make carnival revellers and concert audiences dance, wine and wave their rags and flags.
Their music is real and authentic, with the special atmosphere of their beautiful West Indian home. Not as digitalized, commercialized and adjusted to international pop sounds as you can find on albums from the bigger Caribbean islands. With nice and fun lyrics and beats that remind the listener of the roots of this music style, the beating of iron tools to create the driving rhythm specific to Soca and Calypso.
High Intensity speaks the musical language of their island, but this is an international tongue that can easily be understood by any music lover around the globe. So let’s all celebrate these beautiful tunes – the wining can’t dun!
Click here to find more infos about this album and links to download stores.
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Soca Rebels and Crazy
Even in places as far away and distinct from the Caribbean as Scandinavia, the spark of Soca caught fire and caused a heatwave among music lovers. The Swedish band Soca Rebels from Gothenburg has been around since 1990, playing Soca and Calypso and promoting the culture of Trinidad & Tobago. This did not only arouse interest in their hometown and let their fanbase grow all over Europe, but also attracted the attention of some of the finest Caribbean Soca artists. After cooperating with the Bajan producer Moonblast, the Soca Rebels now teamed up with the Calypso and Soca legend Edwin “Crazy” Ayoung from Trinidad.
Crazy is not only a repeated winner of the Roadmarch title of T&T Carnival, but also one of the most commercially successful artists on international Soca scene. He is performing for more than 30 years, pioneered Parang Soca and played a leading role in promoting Chutney music.
The result of this prolific collaboration is the brand-new album “Rebel Jam”. Comprising nine totally sweet and catchy tunes, this album can be ranked as an instant classic. Fun lyrics as well as beautiful melodies guarantee that these songs stick to your mind for a long time.
Please click here to find the tracklist of this album and links to the download stores.