Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
General => Entertainment & Culture Discussion => Topic started by: Socapro on February 24, 2011, 08:30:56 PM
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Soca Fireman
Starting things off with this excellent Rachel Price interview!
Looks like he's not going to allow Machel to walk away with the $2 million Soca Monarch Prize that easy!!
Machel :flamethrower: Bunji
http://www.youtube.com/v/9umX9OrtCHs
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my favourite soca artiste
bunji is Mr. Soca Monarch. always comes out HARD on dat night
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Warning to Machel at Army Fete!!
http://www.youtube.com/v/rGSnwIssu88
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Bunji trumps everybody because he always bringing a new verse, from the original Hold a burn he already drop about three new verses in different fetes. I expect to hear another new one on Fantastic Friday.
His tunes have more lyrical content than any other artist and being able to harmonize that into a soca beat is what will give him a good chance to win Soca Monarch.
Plus we already saw that he is not afraid to set himself on fire. :D
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Bunji trumps everybody because he always bringing a new verse, from the original Hold a burn he already drop about three new verses in different fetes. I expect to hear another new one on Fantastic Friday.
His tunes have more lyrical content than any other artist and being able to harmonize that into a soca beat is what will give him a good chance to win Soca Monarch.
Plus we already saw that he is not afraid to set himself on fire. :D
he coming real good friday. bunji doh stick for soca monarch
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i feel we go need to buy ah whole new stadium after bunji performance yes lol
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First minute is nothin special but after dat....crazy :o :timeout:
http://www.youtube.com/v/ebzk6xqczFw
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Bunji, Machel nominated for Soul Train Awards
http://www.guardian.co.tt/entertainment/2013-09-18/bunji-machel-nominated-soul-train-awards
Ian 'Bunji Garlin' Alvarez and Machel Montano have been nominated for Soul Train Awards in the Best International Performance Category.
Alvarez was nominated for his hit song Differentology, which has garnered international attention.
Montano, reigning Power and Groovy Soca Monarch, was nominated for The Fog, another popular selection from the 2013 Carnival season.
Other nominees in the category are Next to Me by Scotland's Emeli Sande, Personally by P-Square from Nigeria, and Ur Waist by Iyanya, also from Nigeria.
Montano and Kes the Band were nominated for 2011 Soul Train Awards in the Best Caribbean Performance category.
The Soul Train Awards will be presented November 8 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The awards will air December 1 on BET and Centric.
U.S. actor-comedian Anthony Anderson will host the show.
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Emeli Sande - Next To Me:
http://www.youtube.com/v/-nwdjQmc_N8
P-Square - Personally
http://www.youtube.com/v/ttdU19Kwce8
Iyanya - Ur Waist
http://www.youtube.com/v/94cFx9Y7LQU
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Bunji Garlin - Differentology (Official Music Video)
http://www.youtube.com/v/u5g4EsftP8I
Machel Montano - The Fog (Official Music Video)
http://www.youtube.com/v/ea57flloyaw
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Bunji song sweet boy. He should win. Best I've heard for some time.
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Bunji song sweet boy. He should win. Best I've heard for some time.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Here is the voting link people:
http://www.centrictv.com/shows/soul-train-awards/soul-train-awards-2013-voting.html
Please go cast your vote for Bunji or Machel like I did! :beermug:
You can also leave a comment in suppport of our nominated artists that you voted for.
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Done!
Bunji!
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Have to vote for Machel just for the Mtl Expos cap
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Bunji should win this....creative and very well chereographed
Plus d song have Positive vibes.... TOP VOTE..
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Emeli Sande - Next To Me:
P-Square - Personally
Iyanya - Ur Waist
How come you didn't post none of the links for tunes on pages 2-4? ;D
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Emeli Sande - Next To Me:
P-Square - Personally
Iyanya - Ur Waist
How come you didn't post none of the links for tunes on pages 2-4? ;D
It had more pages? ::)
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Battle Of The Beats:Music Meeting Ep 3
http://www.youtube.com/v/g5hXGxlbyIM
You can Vote here: http://www.hot97.com/battleofthebeats/
Apparently you can vote for 3 different songs every 24 hours so you can vote for Bunji for a number of times on different days if you wish. :thumbsup:
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"BUNJI GARLAND"
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they bawl when cee pick bunji oui
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There's no stopping the success of Trinidadian vocalist Bunji Garlin's latest anthem "Differentology." The soca star's song will be featured on tonight's episode of ABC's top-rated TV drama series Grey's Anatomy. Tune in tonight (Nov. 21) at 9pm ET / 8pm CT to watch out for the jam in season 10, episode 10, titled “Somebody That I Used to Know.” "Differentology" is also quickly becoming one of the NBA's new favorite arena anthems. It aired this week during the Brooklyn Nets vs. Portland Trail Blazers game at Barclays Center on Nov. 18 and the Toronto Raptors blasted the hit during their Miami Heat face-off on Nov 5.
"Differentology" has been this year's biggest hit throughout the Caribbean Carnival season, scoring over one million YouTube views since February. More recently, the song has been making major strides in North America. "Differentology" was recently declared the reigning champion on NYC’s HOT 97 FM’s Battle of The Beats competition, which put the track into full rotation at hip hop’s premiere station. He landed a nomination at the 2013 Soul Train Awards for Best International Performance for the song, and it also caught the attention of DJ supergroup Major Lazer, who immediately jumped on the remix.
http://tinyurl.com/l9qkey9
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:beermug: :beermug: :beermug:
Differentology playing in NBA games take a look: Click here (http://video.ak.fbcdn.net/hvideo-ak-prn2/v/1246220_10152345549743362_760967405_n.mp4?oh=90dec90ce36e54ca7218c074d715a6bb&oe=528FB8EB&__gda__=1385212091_d5b5a6552d9b8f23a4162d6c58fa6139)
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https://www.youtube.com/v/44XniwLotR4#t=29
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:beermug: :beermug: :beermug:
Differentology playing in NBA games take a look: Click here (http://video.ak.fbcdn.net/hvideo-ak-prn2/v/1246220_10152345549743362_760967405_n.mp4?oh=90dec90ce36e54ca7218c074d715a6bb&oe=528FB8EB&__gda__=1385212091_d5b5a6552d9b8f23a4162d6c58fa6139)
Nice!!
Mr Montano must be sour
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He might make a new Music video I'm sure of it.
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Bunji Wins!
http://www.trinizagada.com/2013/12/bunji-garlin-wins-soul-train-award-best.html
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bac6dxRCIAEaud0.png)
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Congrats!!!!!!!
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Bunji deserve whatever rewards this song brings him......it too sweet......good for T&T that we had two entries on the list.
And for Bunji to beat Emeli Sande woman is something to really take note because of all the songs from outside T&T on the list, hers is the only one I heard on local radio from time to time. Its a nice song.....but Differentology just on another level.....dat guitar dread.....lawd this melody sweet......
All yuh hear his offering for 2014 so far?? Redlight district?? Dat sweet too.....
http://www.youtube.com/v/KIf0K8UZ0k0
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Bunji wins Soul Train Award
By Joan Rampersad (Express).
Tuesday, December 3 2013
Ian Alvarez, more popularly known as Bunji Garlin, was a happy and relieved man on Sunday night, after it was announced to the world he had won the 2013 Soul Train Award for Best International Perfor-mance for his song “Differentology”.
He told Newsday yesterday, “My beautiful wife and I celebrated with wine last night. We know we’ve got to celebrate with our fans too, and that will come soon.”
Alvarez, who is married to soca queen Fay-Ann Lyons, said they got confirmation of the award via email two weeks ago, but even though the show was pre-taped in Las Vegas on November 9 the winners were not officially announced until the event was aired on American network’s BET (Black Entertainment Television) and Centric on Sunday night.
Alvarez, a former Soca Monarch, said of his initial reaction, “I was happy since then, and very joyous. The most difficult part was keeping it away from everybody. It is now a weight off my shoulder.”
He dedicated the award to his wife, their daughter Syri, his parents and fans. “This is for them,” he said. Alvarez’ award, a replica of a “soul train”, is being shipped to the soca star who did not attend the taping, and is expected to arrive this week.
“Differentology” a soulful, Latin jazz infused soca ode to Carnival has received critical acclaim on the international music circuit.
On the BET website, “Differentology” was listed under Best International Performance and the following was written: “Are you ready? The soca artiste kept listeners moving at a steady pace with this Caribbean banger.”
Alvarez beat out fellow TT soca star Machel Montano whose “The Fog” was also nominated, as well as English-born Scottish recording artiste and songwriter, Emeli Sandé with “Next to Me”, Nigerian R&B duo, twin brothers Peter and Paul Okoye, known as P-Square, with “Personally”, another Nigerian recording artiste, singer, songwriter Iyanya who sang “Ur Waist” , to win the award.
To his fans, Alvarez said he would need a very long scroll to list everybody he has to thank.
“The people of Trinidad and Tobago moved the song,” said Alvarez. “How the song was placed on nomination in the first place, I don’t know. I am still trying to find out. People had to vote for it afterwards. The power of the people moved the song and I am very grateful and humbled by this award.”
Alvarez also stated that after many years of people doubting his style of music, even questioning himself, he nevertheless persisted and his efforts are now paying off.
The music award comes after “Differentology” was played as the background music to the opening scenes of last Thursday’s episode, titled “Somebody That I Used to Know”, of Grey’s Anatomy, a hit medical drama that airs on American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and is now in its tenth season. Grey’s Anatomy is the most popular prime time TV show in the US, with over nine million viewers and millions more worldwide.
Alvarez said he felt very humbled and thankful such an opportunity had come his way.
His song has also become one of the NBA’s Top Arena Anthems for 2013-2014 Season, having been played during the Brooklyn Nets vs Portland Trail Blazers game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on November 18, and the Toronto Raptors blasted the hit during their Miami Heat face-off in Toronto, Canada on November 5.
Asked what’s next on the agenda, Alvarez said different opportunities were going to come forward. “We have to stay focused now as the real work is about to begin in the real world,” he said, starting with the launch of his band Vikings this weekend.
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Differentology and The Fog make NPRs Top 100 Songs of 2013
(http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/12/10/fog2_wide-002b007cbf40d5e1766db38df88c35e968a8c71a-s40-c85.jpg)
http://www.npr.org/blogs/bestmusic2013/2013/12/11/249734685/npr-musics-100-favorite-songs-of-2013?utm_content=socialflow&utm_campaign=nprfacebook&utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook
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https://www.youtube.com/v/XLeHarg3m-k
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Here is the link: 13 for 2013: You Choose MTV Iggy’s Song of the Year | MTV IGGY (http://www.mtviggy.com/lists/13-for-2013-you-choose-mtv-iggys-song-of-the-year/)
Scroll to bottom of page to find Bunji's "Differentology" in the voting list and cast your votes.
He was in third place when I last checked so we need to all vote for his song if we would like him to move up into first place.
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Too many Koreans...
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Bunji now back in 2nd place. I guess the Koreans have woken up so please keep voting folks.
These are the instructions on how to vote from CaribKaraoke:
Go here 13 for 2013: You Choose MTV Iggy’s Song of the Year | MTV IGGY (http://www.mtviggy.com/lists/13-for-2013-you-choose-mtv-iggys-song-of-the-year/) and scroll to the bottom of page.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
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Bunji now back in 2nd place. I guess the Koreans have woken up so please keep voting folks.
These are the instructions on how to vote from CaribKaraoke:
Go here 13 for 2013: You Choose MTV Iggy’s Song of the Year | MTV IGGY (http://www.mtviggy.com/lists/13-for-2013-you-choose-mtv-iggys-song-of-the-year/) and scroll to the bottom of page.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Aye, I is ah honest man. Isn't that cheatin'. But , anyway, I go follow you directives!
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Today is de deadline and bunji behind by about 8%!! Ah voting till dey block mih!! ;D
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Okay guys, there is now a Run Off between Bunji’s “Differentology” and the Korean song and the new poll has now been extended till 11am EST tomorrow Sat.21st December 2013 so please keep voting to help Bunji win the International Song Of The Year.
Here is the new voting link: http://www.mtviggy.com/blog-posts/song-of-the-year-runoff-vikings-vs-vips/
Please keep voting as Bunji is currently ahead but we can't take it for granted that he will win as the Koreans will be up before us tomorrow and will do their best to ensure that their song regains a healthy lead.
Here are the most effective instructions on how to vote to make your presence felt: ;)
Go here: http://www.mtviggy.com/blog-posts/song-of-the-year-runoff-vikings-vs-vips/
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
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wtf
Bunji 47.68%
G Dragon 47.7%
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vote off..he in the lead but we hadda keep pressing while g-dragon's fans are still asleep
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good article in fader mag
http://www.thefader.com/2013/12/12/interview-bunji-garlin/
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Voting is closed, those figures are final.
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Voting is closed, those figures are final.
No Peong. They decided to do a run off until 5 pm EST today. Then extended it to 11 am EST tomorrow.....last tally so far in the run off........
Bunji 87.62%
G Dragon 12.38%
But the Koreans now waking up.....(pun intended.... ;D)
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10 am in Seoul, plus who knows whatever time in the Korean diaspora. Real wuk.
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Voting is closed, those figures are final.
No Peong. They decided to do a run off until 5 pm EST today. Then extended it to 11 am EST tomorrow.....last tally so far in the run off........
Bunji 87.62%
G Dragon 12.38%
But the Koreans now waking up.....(pun intended.... ;D)
Haha I now see it.
Voted a few more times
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Okay guys, we are in the final hours of the Run-Off and the Koreans have been up for the past few hours and voting like mad and their song is about to overtake Bunji's in the voting poll.
So we all need to vote like crazy between now and 11am EST to see if we can keep or get Bunji back in the lead in the poll so "Differentology" can hopefully win the International Song Of The Year.
Here is the voting link: Song of the Year Runoff: Vikings Vs. VIPs. | MTV IGGY (http://www.mtviggy.com/blog-posts/song-of-the-year-runoff-vikings-vs-vips/)
Bunji was on 50 something % last time I checked with his leading gap getting smaller by the minute so we all need to keep voting hard to try to keep his song ahead or to help him to get back into the lead before the poll closes at 11am EST.
Don't forget the voting method as recommended by CaribKaraoke.
These are the instructions on how to vote:
Go here: Song of the Year Runoff: Vikings Vs. VIPs. | MTV IGGY (http://www.mtviggy.com/blog-posts/song-of-the-year-runoff-vikings-vs-vips) and scroll down
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
Vote, then refresh in your browser, then vote again, then refresh in your browser.
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Current poll results show!
Song of the Year Runoff Poll
Bunji Garlin 48.83%
G-Dragon 51.17%
As no one else seems to be able to vote either the poll has closed and G-Dragon has won or the site has crashed/freezed up and the result will be declared a draw.
Not sure which but we will surely find out pretty soon.
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Too many Koreans out there.
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Too many Koreans out there.
Yeah, their population is 50 million and that is just the South Koreans to our mere 1.4 million.
Hopefully the website to the voting system crashed and the result would be officially declared a tie for 1st place. ;)
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Battle Of The Beats:Music Meeting Ep 3
http://www.youtube.com/v/g5hXGxlbyIM
You can Vote here: http://www.hot97.com/battleofthebeats/
Apparently you can vote for 3 different songs every 24 hours so you can vote for Bunji for a number of times on different days if you wish. :thumbsup:
mr cee is of trini decent btw
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Yeah, it was declared a draw.......
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Please post them to this thread thanks.
I'll get things rolling with this very recent Bunji interview with NPR (National Public Radio in America).
Bunji Garlin: 'Here To Stand My Ground' For Soca Music (http://www.npr.org/2013/12/23/256571633/garlin-here-to-stand-my-ground-for-soca-music)
by NPR Staff
December 23, 201311:54 AM
If you're a fan of the NBA, Grey's Anatomy or Major Lazer, you're probably familiar with Bunji Garlin, the man behind this year's international soca anthem, "Differentology." While the Caribbean tune has been acknowledged via popular TV shows and electronic dance DJs alike, Garlin's hit resides within a genre that struggles to churn out chart-topping tracks.
http://www.youtube.com/v/0FWHavH6IQw
"This is a music that is almost over a century in existence, but yet still you can almost count all our international hits on two hands," Garlin says.
The Trinidadian musician says he's undaunted by the task of becoming the next crossover soca sensation.
"I'm here to stand my ground, and you're going to take note of what I am here to do musically," Garlin says.
Tell Me More guest host Celeste Headlee recently spoke with Garlin about the roots of soca and his reaction to winning a 2013 Soul Train Award for Best International Performance. Hear more of their conversation at the audio link. NPR Media Player (http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=256571633&m=256571634)
Alternatively you can read the transcript of the entire interview in the next post below.
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CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:
Now as winter is setting in, you may be dreaming of, say, a sunny beach in the Caribbean, some relief from the cold. Imagine you're relaxing on a lounge chair somewhere in the sand and somewhere nearby there's soca music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DIFFERENTOLOGY")
HEADLEE: So if you like soca, then you know that voice. That's star Bunji Garlin and that's this year's anthem, "Differentology." Bunji Garlin is no stranger to the soca scene of course, but this year he's broadened his appeal by winning a Soul Train Award this month for best international performance. And he joins me now to talk more about his music. Welcome.
BUNJI GARLIN: Hi. Hello.
HEADLEE: First of all, I'm sure that there's many people who've never heard of soca music, and it's decades-old. Can you help us understand exactly what it is. Is it as simple as combining calypso with East Indian instruments and African rhythms?
GARLIN: That is the technical explanation, which is combined in the derived African rhythms and the East Indian rhythms of Trinidad and Tobago to form a new merged sound. Both of them actually represent or are derivatives of the original music of Trinidad and Tobago, which is Calypso.
HEADLEE: So let's take a listen to another one of your songs. This is "Soca Bhangra," which was a crossover hit among Trinidad's Indian community when it came out 10 years now. Let's take a listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOCA BHANGRA")
HEADLEE: Is that an accordion?
GARLIN: Yes, I think so. I think so.
HEADLEE: So you have a soca song...
GARLIN: Yeah.
HEADLEE: ...Using calypso, talking about Pakistan and its Bhangra...
GARLIN: Yeah.
HEADLEE: With an accordion.
GARLIN: Yes.
HEADLEE: That is totally fabulous. What made that one such a hit do you think?
GARLIN: Well, the East India community in Trinidad and Tobago - they support their own - so when they release a song, it becomes one of the biggest songs, if not in the country, amongst their community. And I think what made that song work was the fact that it was the first time I myself was doing a collaboration and integrating with the East Indian society with the music called chutney music. And, of course, I was young because at that time it was considered that the older artists would be the people to do that type of music. Here, you have two young people - one on the East Indian side, one on the African side - we decided to merge worlds. It made the whole young generation know, like a Wi-Fi - everybody wanted to be a part of it. And, of course, the song was a playful song as well. The atmosphere of the song was very playful, it was very happy, it was very colorful, and that took it a very long way as well.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOCA BHANGRA")
HEADLEE: So you know you haven't made a successful soca song if no one's moving.
GARLIN: Exactly.
HEADLEE: So you were actually born Ian Alvarez, right?
GARLIN: Yes, ma'am.,ha
HEADLEE: And how did you choose the name Bunji Garlin, and why?
GARLIN: Well, I chose the name Bunji from looking at the bungee rope, the bungee jumping. And what I did notice - the more you pull downwards on the rope, the higher it goes when it release. So what I did is I applied that terminology to my life and my experiences. The more you try to pull me down or hold me down, is the higher I go up on release. Garlin is the Caribbean definition of what the military weapon Galil is, a semiautomatic firearm.
HEADLEE: It's a gun.
GARLIN: Yes, right because of its size and the damage it does, I applied that to myself. I'm not big in size - I'm 5'6'' - but when I'm on stage, I'm a very dangerous human being. I approach the stage very aggressive because it is not a game, and I make sure my package is delivered.
HEADLEE: Do you feel like you're at war? I mean, you're talking about a warlike weapon.
GARLIN: No, it's not the fact that I'm at war, but I put my mind in a battle-type atmosphere because you're this lone single artist about to go on stage to face 20,000 people. If they sense any fear in you that can be the end of your career immediately. So I approach the stage very aggressive. Like, I'm here to stand my ground and you are going to take note of what I am here to do musically.
HEADLEE: And you're married to a socha star, Fay-Ann Lyons - daughter of one of the most famous soca singers, Superblue. So this is - I have to imagine that in your family soca becomes kind of a way of life.
GARLIN: Yes, it is actually. The amazing thing about it, though, is that the way we were grown, musically, in Trinidad and Tobago, in our homes - soca wasn't the dominant force of music in the household. It would've been other music from around the world. And more so because in my family - my mom is actually Pentecostal - so I grew up in a Christian home and there was the notion of when carnival time comes around in Trinidad and Tobago, we would leave our homes and go to the church camp. And we moved the whole communities away from the carnival atmosphere because our parents didn't want us kids to be a part of the carnival arena or the soca arena.
So we grew up listening to music from all around the world. But what it did do is that it forced us to start to emulate music from around the world rather than home. And that, too, kind of damaged the industry back home because, like, three - four generations was held back from things that they should of known and could have known. And that probably could've had our music at a different level on the world scale right now.
HEADLEE: I wonder what you think about why soca hasn't gotten a huge foothold in the United States on a par with, say, reggae music. They were kind of coming up at the same time, you know. Soca was developing also in the late '60s and early '70s.
GARLIN: Yeah.
HEADLEE: Why the difference?
GARLIN: Well, if you look at the songs way back when, again, soca wasn't the existing music at the time when reggae music came on to play - it was reggae and calypso. But what made both of them work internationally at that time - they had a wide range of topics. People from any part of the globe could relate to the music. What started happening was when calypso music started to become territorial, political arena-type songs. So a calypsonian in Trinidad basically started singing songs that was geared towards the Trinidad and Tobago market only, and about the politicians and governments and stuff like that. And if you're selling music to the wide world, they may not necessarily want to hear that.
They want to hear something that they can connect with. Reggae music had crossed that bond and was continuously catering for audiences around the world in terms of content. And that is why I always say there was so few international releases from the calypso and soca world - "Rum and Coca-Cola," "Day-O," "Hot-Hot-Hot," "Who Let The Dogs Out," and then way down, afterwards you had Rupee and Kevin Lyttle. I mean, this is a music that is almost over a century in existence, but yet still you can almost count all our international hits on two hands.
HEADLEE: And yet, you're starting to change that. You just got the Soul Train Award I mentioned. I understand the song, "Differentology" was featured on "Grey's Anatomy," the show on ABC.
GARLIN: Yes, yes it was.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DIFFERENTOLOGY")
HEADLEE: Is there something consciously you're doing as a songwriter to make it have more universal appeal?
GARLIN: Well, yes and no. When we did this song, the goal wasn't really for international appeal, but was more so to do something to stand out from what we already know - a fresh sound. Soca music usually has anyway from 10 instruments to almost a hundred instruments playing in one song. We decided to simplify it and go back to the original way, which is, like, five basic instruments - drums, keyboards, bass, guitar and your voice.
When we did that, we realized that the song was easier for anyone to sing. It could go absolutely anywhere in the world and stand. So I think now it was a lesson learned in this situation, that there's a new formula or a new recipe or new format that we could try with our music to reach international audiences.
HEADLEE: Well, let's hear some more music. This is "Carnival Tabanca," something you might hear at carnival.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CARNIVAL TABANCA")
HEADLEE: That's about - you know, to a certain extent, that's about as sort of smooth and slow as a soca song gets. Don't you think?
GARLIN: Yes, ma'am.,ha
HEADLEE: There's no such thing as a slow groove in soca.
GARLIN: Yeah.
HEADLEE: Do you ever feel like there is a slow song outside of soca that you want to write?
GARLIN: I've never - I don't think I've gotten to that point yet in my mind. I guess it's somewhere there waiting to be discovered. And I may not be the person to do it, it may be someone else. And if it does, I guess it will be a good thing as well.
HEADLEE: Trinidadian soca star Bunji Garlin was kind enough to join me from our bureau in New York. His single "Differentology" is remixed by the DJ group Major Lazer - is out now. And his album comes out - his new album comes out in the spring. Thanks so much.
GARLIN: Thank you very much for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CARNIVAL TABANCA")
HEADLEE: And that's our program for today. I'm Celeste Headlee. And this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. We'll talk more tomorrow.
Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved.
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Just read a comment from Bunji on Instagram. Did things really descend into a race thing? Steups.
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Just read a comment from Bunji on Instagram. Did things really descend into a race thing? Steups.
What was the comment?
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Just read a comment from Bunji on Instagram. Did things really descend into a race thing? Steups.
What was the comment?
I would like to humbly thank everyone in Trinidad and Tobago , the Caribbean and elsewhere in the world for the time you spent voting your hearts and fingerprints out for the MTViggy song of the year. Sadly it has taken an unexpected turn for the worst. I was deeply saddened to see racial slurs flying around back and forth on social sites and I need to declare that I am in no way at all in support of that in any volume. We people of the Caribbean are the embodiment of variants and colours and as such let the world learn from that. I DO NOT stand for racism and will make damn sure it doesn't represent me. Not all people are good but not all are bad either. You cannot be a fan or supporter of me and want to be a part of hurting humanity be it verbal, physical or mental. Let the record show on this day 21 of December 2013 , I absolutely oppose the promotion of racism in any design especially from my corner. If someone else sees it fit for them to do it doesn't mean the recipe is doing it back to them. What is done is done it is time we move on and grow and share goodness in this world to whom and where we can. Yours truly Ian Antonio Alvarez - The Viking of Soca.
Read more at http://web.stagram.com/n/bunjigarlin/#iHciV4PhoEMmg4WZ.99
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Just read a comment from Bunji on Instagram. Did things really descend into a race thing? Steups.
What was the comment?
I didn't see the actual comments myself but apparently the Koreans started using the "N" word on the last day of voting. I was made aware of the comments based on a fb post on Bunji's page. After that apparently racial slurs started being thrown back at the Koreans. Again I was made aware of eventual back and forth based on the post quoted above which I read on Bunji's page earlier.....
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Bunji turns Texas into Red Light District (http://www.guardian.co.tt/entertainment/2014-03-16/bunji-turns-texas-red-light-district)
Published: Monday, March 17, 2014 (T&T Guardian)
Laura Dowrich-Phillips
T&T is in for some surprises soon. That’s the word from Ian “Bunji Garlin” Alvarez following performers by him and his wife Fay-Ann Lyons on Thursday night at South by South West (SXSW), one of the largest music festivals in North America.
Garlin, hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the Top 25 Must See acts for SXSW, performed at The Empire Garage, which featured a two-part show, one in the day featuring American electronic music star Skrillex as the headliner and another in the evening featuring rapper Riff Raff and electronic music producer Paper Diamond as the headliners.
Garlin performed in the night on the main stage, delivering his hits Differentology, Carnival Tabanca and the Tun Up remix by Jus Now. Lyons performed her 2014 releases Catch Me and Gimme Dat.
“It’s the first time soca ever represent at SXSW and it is an honour for me and Fay to bring it, we sell it off,” said Bunji, via telephone from Austin, Texas, where the festival is held.
Garlin and Lyons were invited to SXSW by Mad Decent, a record label spearheaded by Diplo of the DJ collective Major Lazer, and when word got out that they would be at the festival they were invited to perform at other events, namely the Large Up and House of Marley showcases.
“The first day we did the House of Marley and after our performance the DJ went into half an hour of level soca he didn’t know he had there,” he said.
The excitement evident in his voice, Garlin said this experience is one that he cannot stop smiling about.
“It was really, really good, it was fruitful. The first day we started making crazy links and connections, it is a healthy atmosphere for every artiste and we would like to be a part of it every year,” he said.
Describing the festival as a real melting pot, Bunji said SXSW is where people come to discover new sounds and new people. Asked what benefits he could see emerging from their experience, he would only say: “We have some surprises for T&T soon.”
One source who attended the show, told the T&T Guardian that Bunji received the largest ovation of the night and had the mostly North American crowd jumping and waving. Other performers of the night were Slick Shoota, Nicky Dab, Gent and Jawns, What So Not, LIZ and Annie Mac.
SXSW is an annual music, film, and interactive conference and festival that attracts thousands of people including a wide array of industry heavyweights, talent scouts, media, actors and musicians. This year the event saw performances from Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Jay Z, Kelis and Justin Beiber among others.
A 2013 report on the economic impact of the festival on Austin describes the event as the single most profitable event for the City of Austin’s hospitality industry attracting over 100,000 people with nine days of industry conferences, a four-day trade show, and a six-night music festival featuring more than 2,200 bands, and a nine-day film festival with more than 400 screenings.
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BUNJI AND FAYANN APPEAR ON BET’S 106 & PARK
Boom Champions 94.1 FM (http://loud.boomchampionstt.com/bunji-and-fayann-appear-on-bets-106-park/)
Fans of Bunji Garlin can look today as he and his wife star on BET’s 106 and Park airing at 6 p.m. (local time).
Their appearance on the show was actually recorded yesterday at the show’s studio in New York, USA, where they also chatted with the hosts, Bow Wow and Keshia Chante.
The couple took the stage at around 1 p.m. for the recording and according to people who were present for the session, they “smashed it”.
Bunji’s music video for his 2013 mega hit song, “Differentology” debuted on 106 and Park two weeks ago and proved to be a big hit with the live studio audience.
A live audience was present for the recording also, many of them already fans of Bunji’s and of soca music as a whole.
The show is one of the popular shows on BET and commands quite a wide audience so that Bunji and soca music will tonight be introduced to a mega audience for the first time.
“Differentology” was released by Bunji for Carnival 2013, and the song has helped to land him deals with at least two international music labels, positioned him to win a Soul Train Award and an MTV Iggy Award, along with other opportunities.
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ISM Spotlight: Bunji Garlin for BET 106 and Park!
https://www.youtube.com/v/LQ_nTaVHh_Y
The Love for Soca has always been GLOBAL, and Head ViKing Bunji Garlin speaks exclusively to #ISM2014's Harande Elie just before he makes his way to New York for his upcoming live performance on BET's 106 and Park on May 1st. 2014!
Listen to the Lyrical Assassin talk about everything from "Differentology" to breaking down barriers for "Soca Seasons", and of course the increased appeal for our culture worldwide!
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Bunji rocks ‘106 and Park’ (http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,194160.html)
By Leiselle Maraj Friday, May 2 2014 (T&T Newsday)
https://www.youtube.com/v/PU4eJYCmpJo
Bunji's live performance of Differentology on BET's 106 & Park including interview
Host of BET’s 106 and Park, Bow Wow (Shad Moss), did his research before interviewing local artiste, Bunji Garlin, and his wife, Fay-Ann, on the show’s episode that aired yesterday, questioning the two about their boycott of the recently concluded Tobago Jazz Experience.
A little bit of freestyling, a little bit of wining and a lot of soca were on display on the popular American music video countdown show when Bunji (Ian Alvarez) and Fay-Ann made their much anticipated appearance.
It comes less than a week after the couple and their band, the Asylum Vikings abruptly cancelled their scheduled performance on April 25 during the festival that ran from April 19-27 at different venues across Tobago. The band refused to perform claiming they were poorly treated as not enough rooms were booked for its 18 members. The Tobago House of Assembly, organisers of the event, said attempts were made to secure additional rooms but by the time they were successful, the band had already left.
During the interview segment, Bow Wow questioned the soca couple about the incident and asked whether the jazz promoters issued an apology. Bunji put aside the incident stating, “An apology was put out, somewhat and in some form but we are not dwelling on that. That happened already, we are here now and we are dealing from this point onward.”
Trini eyes all over the world were glued to their televisions as Bunji made a brief appearance at the beginning of the show, which began at 6 pm local time, chanting “We Ready” with the show’s co-host, Keisha Chanté. The show’s DJ then played the intro to “Differentology” to get things started. The show focused first on Rita Ora, British singer, songwriter and actress who premiered a video, before making way for Bunji’s performance. Chanté, whose father is Trinidadian, made the intro for Bunji who spoke and sang in an undiluted Trini accent.
He took the stage with Fay-Ann in tow to the cheers of the audience members waving different Caribbean flags, most of which were Trinidad and Tobago’s. Decked in a red jacket and black jersey with jeans, he continued to work his magic with “Differentology”, the song that has won him much recognition around the world, particularly in the US market where he copped Soul Train and MTV music awards last year. The song was played in the opening minutes of an episode of hit US medical drama Grey’s Anatomy and was recently played during a NBA game.
With Fay-Ann as his “hype woman”, the “Viking” moved the crowd as if it were a Carnival fete, freestyling about his appearance on the show while the “Vi-Queen” gave them a taste of her waist.
After the performance, Bow Wow said the crowd was going crazy for the artiste, making way for both hosts to conduct a short interview. Bow Wow asked Bunji about the origins of his name, to which Bunji explained that it came while watching documentaries on bungee jumping. “I realised the further down you pulled the rope, the higher it goes on release and I applied it to my life. The more I am pulled down, when I’m released, I go higher.”
He was then asked about his hectic schedule earlier this year, performing nine full shows in one night. Bunji said he was accustomed to this pace, having performed for 15 years during Carnival seasons and it was easy because the band boasts of two frontline singers: him and his wife who he described as one of most dynamic female singers in Trinidad and Tobago.
When asked about their upcoming work, Fay-Ann mentioned she is working on her new album with Canadian producer Boy Wonder (Manuel Alejandro Ruiz) and Grammy award winning singer/songwriter Angela Hunte among others while they both spoke about upcoming performances at Summer Jam on June 1, Caribana, Labour Day in New York, in Belgium among other gigs.
The couple did not leave the audience empty handed but gifted copies of his 2013 CD featuring “Differentology” to each member of the crowd. Those who were not lucky enough to be in the live audience took to Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites to proclaim their excitement. Among those were the man himself who tweeted, “Celebrate all you want but know that the road is very long. Now is when all need to be pushing. Every hand on deck. We are Soca.”
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Represent Bunji, I like it :beermug:
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BUNJI POSTS STATEMENT, SHUTS DOWN NEGATIVE COMMENTS
Boom Champions 94.1 FM (http://loud.boomchampionstt.com/bunji-posts-statement-shuts-down-negative-comments/)
Many locals were very happy to see Bunji Garlin appear on BET’s 106 & Park, representing T&T!
And many took to social media to share the performance and interview.
Unfortunately, there have been a lot of negative comments concerning his wife’s appearance on the show.
Persons wondered why Fayann Lyons performed the song with her husband since it was his song, along with other issues.
However the Viking has answered all naysayers with a simple statement posted on their facebook page.
“I would just like to take this opportunity to thank MY wife, my life partner, my support and also my fellow frontline singer, Mrs. Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez, for being at my side for the last 10 years and motivating me to see and be MY best. Since 2004 you have shown me that when you truly care about someone you don’t leave them to their own devices, you encourage positive growth and maturity. From our dating in 2004, to a very enjoyable and dynamic marriage in 2006, to a great life together now and forever, I thank you for being in my life.”
Nice Bunji!
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Not much of a Bunji fan (anymore)... can't stand Fay Ann (that much). That being said the criticism is nonsense... now that I've seen the clip. I understand the criticism generally, but in this particular instance it off base. They both represented very well :beermug:
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MAY 16 2014
Bunji Garlin Signs Deal With RCA Records In Conjunction With VP Records For His International Hit "Differentology (Ready For The Road)" (http://www.rcarecords.com/news/bunji-garlin-signs-deal-rca-records-conjunction-vp-records-his-international-hit-differentology)
"Garlin is on the verge of the elusive crossover success....merging of soca with EDM... expanding the future of Trinidad's homespun genre." -The FADER
[May 16, 2014 - New York, NY] Trinidadian soca vocalist Bunji Garlin has inked an exclusive deal with RCA Records in conjunction with VP Records. The two labels will join forces to promote Bunji Garlin's international smash hit "Differentology (Ready For The Road)."
Garlin is thrilled to partner with RCA. "It's an honor to be considered to be a part of this entity and I look forward to all the possibilities, ups and downs that comes with it. Our whole camp is excited about this development and would hope that it will be encouraging to many who have dreams and have been constantly told that it can't happen for or to them," he states.
VP Records CEO Chris Chin comments: "The partnership represents another monumental step forward for Caribbean music. 'Differentology' is a song that has proven itself well beyond the core audience and connected to so many through mainstream radio airplay, placements on hit TV programs, and features at major sporting events. We are now primed for RCA to propel this track to the masses."
"Bunji and the team at VP have laid an incredibly successful foundation, fueled by great music, hard work and determination. This is an exciting time for all involved as RCA and VP collectively navigate Bunji to the next level of his career," states Peter Edge, CEO of RCA Records.
Known to many as the "Viking of Soca," Bunji Garlin has taken the genre to new heights. His explosive single "Differentology (Ready For The Road)," which was remixed by Major Lazer as well as Busta Rhymes, is currently a massive hit in North America more than a year after its release in the Caribbean. In 2013, the single received a Soul Train Award win for Best International Performance, was featured on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, won NYC's HOT 97 FM's Battle of The Beats competition and chosen by NPR as one of the year's favorite anthems, as well as MTV Iggy's Song of the Year.
On May 1, 2014, Bunji Garlin made his national TV debut on BET's 106 & Park to perform his hit. He will return to New York City area on June 1, 2014 to take over the main stage on Hot 97's Summer Jam concert, followed by a day of promotional activities for "Differentology (Ready For The Road)."
Born Ian Alvarez, Bunji Garlin is known for his high-energy stage shows, lyrical confidence and eloquence. The Trinidadian artist and international soca royalty is both a composer and performer of soca and ragga soca. The latter is a blend of soca with dancehall music that he made his own during the start of his career in the late '90s. He has won the "Ragga Soca Monarch" competition in both 2000 and 2001, the Young King title in 2001, the coveted title of International Soca Monarch in 2002 and then reclaimed this title for three more years. Bunji Garlin recently unleashed his new EP Carnival Tabanca and will release his upcoming studio album later this year. His anticipated release will be his first full-length release since 2007's Global (VP Records).
Purchase "Differentology (Ready For The Road)" now on Soca Gold: 2013: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/soca-gold-2013/id633775218
Watch the official video for "Differentology (Ready For The Road)" (directed by Nigel Thompson):
http://www.youtube.com/v/u5g4EsftP8I
Purchase Major Lazer remix of "Differentology (Ready For The Road)" on Strictly The Best Vol. 49:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/strictly-the-best-vol.-49/id766579979
Watch the video for Major Lazer remix of "Differentology (Ready For The Road)":
http://www.youtube.com/v/8HgpnX6QUQY
" 'Differentology' is the perfect track... the song of the year not just for Trinidad but the whole Caribbean....with its massive builds, Spanish guitar, and celebratory lyrics, it could very well become your festival anthem."- ROLLING STONE
"Soca's new leader...putting a uniquely Caribbean sound firmly on the map."-BET
"[Differentology's] complex construction and electronic elements prove that Garlin is serious about taking soca forward."- NPR
www.twitter.com/BunjiGarlin
www.facebook.com/Bunji.Asylum
www.instagram.com/BunjiGarlin
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Congrats. Go Brave!!!
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Bunji to release new CD this week (http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sunday-mix/Bunji-to-release-new-CD-this-week-270562201.html)
Story Created: Aug 8, 2014 at 11:21 PM ECT
VP Records and RCA Records will on Tuesday release the much anticipated? Differentology album from local artiste and recent Soul Train Award winner, Bunji Garlin (Ian Alvarez). The collaborative major label release comes at the height of Bunji’s international success and recent breakthrough into the US mainstream market - and approximately 14 years after his entry into the world of soca music.
Formerly a practitioner of the dancehall style of “chanting”, Bunji adapted his oratory prowess into the soca genre over time and ushered in a new generation of soca performers who sang about more than just flags, rags, jumping and waving.
From impactful and insightful commentary on social issues such as rape, tribalism, the ins and outs of impoverished “ghetto” communities, festive uptown anthems and powerful calls to action, Bunji has solidified his presence throughout the Caribbean Diaspora with an extensive catalogue of annual hit songs and a decidedly lyrical and spontaneous performance aesthetic.
With the release of “Differentology” in 2012, Bunji opened new doors and markets to the sound of soca and the result has been a constant stream of accolades, nominations, awards and now a collaborative major label release of the album that carries the title of the hit selection.
Express reporter, Nigel Telesford caught up with Bunji last week, in the midst of his hectic touring schedule and a promotional campaign for the album, which will occupy his every waking minute:
NT: How are you feeling on the eve of the release of the Differentology album?
BG: I’m feeling great. I reflect on the work that everyone put in on this album and the promotional runs and all that and feel great. Brian and Edwin from VP really pushed and Fay was just a godsend in getting a lot of things in gear, so the whole picture is perfect. My thoughts are constantly “a major label is actually about to put out a soca album”… More so a Trinidadian Album… Lol…
NT: Yes, it’s an amazing achievement for someone who was once criticised for sounding “too Jamaican”. Tell us about the songs on the album… Who chose them? Who arranged the order of the songs?
BG: The songs are mostly anthems in one place or a next. These were selected to continue the momentum inward to new international audiences as they are paying attention closely because to some it’s a fresh sound now knowing we’ve been here since the beginning. The team at VP I think chose the songs out of the many and arranged the order.
NT: Would you be filming any more music videos for songs on the album?
BG: I do hope to do a few videos for the other songs on the album once time permits but our tour schedule is crazy again so we’ll have to see.
NT: Compared to your many other albums, what are your thoughts on the music you have featured on Differentology?
BG: Compared to my other albums this one is geared for territories beyond our shores. This one is about export. We have given home-base everything over the years, now it’s time to give the world a piece.
NT: How would you describe the last 20 – 24 months?
BG: Hectic, promising, challenging, fulfilling…
NT: “Differentology” is unlike any other song you have ever made, how much convincing did it take to get you to actually write and record that song? When you first heard the beat, what came to your mind?
BG: It took me no convincing of any sort to do “Differentology” – as it wasn’t a case of someone writing it, then bringing it to me. We were in studio and wilding out and everything just happened in a matter of about 20 minutes. Pure organic vibe. Exactly the way the song starts lyrically is what came as soon as I heard the first chord…
NT: Wow! That’s amazing…A lot of artistes have found success with the independent route recently, are you happy with the promotion you have received from the labels that you’re working with?
BG: Yes. The promotion was and is on point. Sometimes I have to ask them to allow a bit of time so that our family can get some stuff done. It’s just on overdrive at times and it’s a blessing when that happens.
NT: Where have you performed in the last three months?
BG: I think everywhere besides Asia and Africa… Lol…
NT: Given the additional/increased exposure, have you seen a different kind/level of response from the audiences you have faced in the last three months?
BG: I think as I open up more beyond music, eg interviews and such – there has been a dramatic increase of those who would come and genuinely pour their hearts out in terms of my success, as though it encourages them. The screams and crowd reactions are constant, so I pay that no mind, but when lives are affected positively by action that’s when I sit up and take note.
NT: Your album release comes in the midst of a series of West Indian festivals – Crop Over in Barbados, Caribana in Canada, NottingHill Carnival in London and NY Labor Day celebrations… Was this a strategic plan? Or a coincidence of dates?
BG: The target time was always around July/August. Everyone is in a festive mood at that time so it’s easier to tap into the mind when it is relaxed. Buying music takes focus as well so waiting till focus doesn’t have to be split too much, works. This is just one of the sciences in music consumer affairs.
NT: Have you started recording for Carnival 2015 yet?
BG: I won’t start 2015 sessions till maybe November. I work quick and I don’t put pen to paper as everything is made in my head. When I go into studio now, it’s about business as opposed to years ago it was a relaxant.
NT: Will your approach to the T&T Carnival season change next year? And if so, how exactly?
BG: I don’t know what my approach will be for Carnival 2015. Now is too early to determine that. I know I will maintain being different to everyone else. I observe then strike.
NT: If you could speak to all of the people in America on the eve of your album release, what would you tell them to convince them to buy it?
BG: Be the first to try something new again.
NT: What is your message to the world on the Differentology album?
BG: My message to the world basically without actually saying it is that “WE EXIST”. We have been here being denied by the world and by our own and we will not just fade away in the dust. We are a people with an art that exists for a reason and if it takes 10,000 years for all to admit that we have a place here then we will be heard then.
NT: We saw you embrace many of your old friends and collaborators at your “Birthday Bash” held last month at Woodford Café, Chaguanas and it seems like all these developments have served to only make you MORE HUMBLE and forgiving… Tell us how Ian Alvarez has been affected by Bunji Garlin’s success
BG: What I learned from all this is that it all goes away in time. One way or the next. It is an empty vessel that accommodates anyone that can fit into it therefore fame and celebrity is owned by none but is fuelled by all.
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Bunji Garlin - Freestyle on Dancehall with Robbo Ranx
https://www.youtube.com/v/OGPwWx3jrp0
Bunji Garlin returns to BBC Radio 1Xtra with this exclusive freestyle for Dancehall with Robbo Ranx.
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Bunji Garlin Says Why Should I Collab With Machel??
https://www.youtube.com/v/BOpwHFvYhdA
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Bunji Garlin’s ‘Differentology’ Album Release (http://www.thepier.org/bunji-garlins-differentology-album-release/)
The “Viking of Soca” also known as Bunji Garlin is, set to release his newest album entitled Differentology via a joint venture between VP Records and RCA Records.
Bunji Garlin, known for his high-energy stage shows, lyrical confidence and eloquence, is both a composer and performer of soca and ragga soca. The latter is a blend of soca with dancehall music that he made his own during the start of his career in the late ‘90s. He has won the “Ragga Soca Monarch” competition in both 2000 and 2001, the Young King title in 2001, the coveted title of International Soca Monarch in 2002 and then reclaimed this title for three more years. Throughout his career, Garlin has released eight albums independently and two additional albums on VP Records, including Revelation (2002) and Global (2007).
The new album’s title track, “Differentology”, produced by Sheriff Mumbles in 2012, received critical praise across the board (2013 Soul Train Award and MTV Iggy Song of the Year), heavy rotation on Urban and Top 40 radio, exposure on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy show and airplay at NBA arenas (Barclays Center & Air Canada Centre) as well as NYC’s Golden Gloves Boxing tournament. Along with the original song, Major Lazer graces fans with a remix, which is also featured on the album and features an EDM fusion into the song.
Many of the album’s songs are full of dancehall and hip-hop influences, including “Touchless” and “Gi Dem Dey” (both produced by Trinidad’s Klase Gonzales of 1st Klase Productions). Garlin delivers his Trini-accented flow over the hip-hop track “West Indian Jungle” produced by Jason Farmer (whose credits include hits with Keyshia Cole, Estelle and Rihanna) and teams up with rapper A$AP Ferg on the Doc & Jes trap remix of his 2014 song “Truck On D Road.”
NPR, who describes his new album Differentology as “exceedingly danceable beats that fuse the island’s irresistible calypso with EDM and hip-hop, as well as the traditional East India bhangra,” are currently giving fans a chance to stream the album in its entirety for this week only.
You can check out the link right here at NPR First Listen HERE!
1.) Red Light District
https://www.youtube.com/v/KIf0K8UZ0k0
2.) Carnival Tabanca
https://www.youtube.com/v/CiYTfkvdtNg
3.) Savage
https://www.youtube.com/v/2XKjLOMINEY
4.) Differentology
https://www.youtube.com/v/0FWHavH6IQw
5.) Truck On D Road (Remix) feat. A$AP Ferg
https://www.youtube.com/v/_x3ZmYvBKeg
6.) West Indian Jungle
https://www.youtube.com/v/HfSM79AQxkQ
7.) Touchless
https://www.youtube.com/v/co2Uqkij2w0
8.) Differentology (Major Lazer Remix)
https://www.youtube.com/v/gOXykxHDuqQ
9.) Carnival Tabanca (Viking Remix)
https://www.youtube.com/v/6KpXNdqHTME
10.) All O’Dem
https://www.youtube.com/v/PzI_JdNC528
11.) Stages
https://www.youtube.com/v/YU32JQJwuDM
12.) Over the Hills
https://www.youtube.com/v/-oZH1Q4FZMw
13.) Gi Dem Dey
https://www.youtube.com/v/wkELTRqVHu0
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First Listen: Bunji Garlin, 'Differentology' (http://www.thepier.org/bunji-garlins-differentology-album-release/)
by Natalie Weiner
August 03, 201411:03 PM ET
For an artist who trades almost exclusively in music about one of the world's biggest parties, Bunji Garlin (a.k.a. Ian Antonio Alvarez) is surprisingly serious about his craft. "When I'm onstage, I'm here to stand my ground, and you're going to take note of what I am here to do musically," he said in a December interview with NPR. From his name (equally inspired by bungee cords and machine guns), to his entourage (he tours with his wife, soca star Fay-Ann Lyons, and their daughter), little about Garlin fits expectations. His seriousness makes more sense, though, when you find out that the Differentology is the soca singer's 11th album, and that after 16 years in the business, Garlin is finally poised for crossover success.
To understand soca, you have to first understand Carnival. Specifically, carnival season in the Caribbean. Held annually in March, the legendary festivities of Trinidad & Tobago (as well as almost all the other islands) require a soundtrack lively enough to inspire days of constant dancing and revelling — something new, but still familiar enough to appeal to all ages. Thus, out of the fusion of Caribbean calypso and East Indian music and instruments, soca was born. Today, each carnival season is accompanied by an onslaught of tracks by artists from around the islands, all vying for the Soca Monarch crown (which Garlin has won four times).
Since coming onto the scene in 1999 with "Send Dem Riddim Crazy" (a carnival ode over an Aaliyah-inspired beat), Garlin has been consistently popular in his native Trinidad. It was the slow-burning success of 2013 Carnival single (and title track of this album) "Differentology," that's brought him an American audience. The track is, as the title would suggest, a different take on the soca sound — slightly darker, with an instrumental feature for Trini guitarist Nigel Rojas — but with a refrain ("We're ready") that sounds as natural next to international pop hits as it does "on di road." By last fall, "Differentology" was on urban radio around the country. Since then Busta Rhymes (who is Jamaican) and Major Lazer have remixed it, it's appeared on Grey's Anatomy, and was even one of NPR's favorite 100 songs of 2013.
The self-professed Soca Viking isn't resting on "Differentology"'s laurels: On "Over The Hills," he describes wanting to "see my music rise, rise, rise"; on "All O' Dem," he envisions soca music soundtracking both black tie and Mai Tai parties. His crossover ambitions are backed by exceedingly danceable beats that fuse the island's irresistible calypso with EDM and hip-hop, as well as the traditional East Indian bhangra. A$AP Ferg, also of Trinidadian lineage, adds his trademark flow to the "Truck On D Road" remix (as he previously did with "Carnival Tabanca").
Ultimately, the album's first line is its mission statement: "Somebody give me a riddim to activate the waistline on the feminine gender, now please," Bunji intones. Thankfully, someone complied.
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Nice collection!. Go for it Bunji!!!
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Bunji Garlin & Fayann Lyons Tell Us Which Countries Have The Most Vibes
https://www.youtube.com/v/wMOki4krVGc
DJ Triple M for UK Soca Scene managed to catch-up with the ViKing and ViQueen of soca, Bunji Garlin and Fayann Lyons during there recent wirlwind tour of Europe. Many topics where covered in a short space of time.
To see pictures from their Viking 15 show follow this link http://bit.ly/wm-viking15
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Bunji Garlin Breaks Out: On the Road With America's First Soca Pop Star
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/bunji-garlin-breaks-out-on-the-road-with-americas-first-soca-pop-star-20140918
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Nice article.
This link was the most interesting to me.
https://soundcloud.com/jusnow/truck-on-d-road-voice-memo
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Just like dat America fuhget Kevin Little 10 years ago, lol
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Just like dat America fuhget Kevin Little 10 years ago, lol
Who? :devil:
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Just like dat America fuhget Kevin Little 10 years ago, lol
Who? :devil:
De fella who used tuh sell coconut on de beach nah :D
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Bunji Garlin Breaks Out: On the Road With America's First Soca Pop Star (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/bunji-garlin-breaks-out-on-the-road-with-americas-first-soca-pop-star-20140918#ixzz3DmJSQsnT)
By Nick Murray | September 18, 2014 | Rolling Stone
Trinidad's hero takes us aboard his float in New York's West Indian Day Parade and tells us the long story behind his massive success
New York's West Indian Day Parade has marked the city's Labor Day weekend for decades, and this year, the festivities begin at 9 p.m. on a Wednesday night. "They say this is the last weekend of summer!" yells local radio celeb DJ Prostyle, doing his best to make everyone aboard the VP Records' "Carnival Gold" yacht party forget that Thursday and Friday are technically still work days.
Sailing down the Hudson River, Prostyle and his 105.1 colleagues DJ Self and DJ Norie spin 2014's biggest Caribbean hits: springy dancehall from Jamaica and uptempo soca from Trinidad. Under normal circumstances, this music would create a frenzy. Tonight, however, the boat's main hall is nearly empty. After all, who wants to listen to soca when one of the genre's biggest stars — Bunji Garlin, the man who intends to spread this music all the way across the globe — is outside shaking hands and posing for pictures?
An hour later, however, he and his fans are back inside, and the whirlwind begins. Bunji gets behind the mic and plays his latest smash, "Truck on D Road," changing the words to refer to a "boat on the sea." He enters into a genuine freestyle that describes the vessel and raises the room's energy level. He drops "Differentology," the breakthrough track that has appeared everywhere from sporting events to Grey's Anatomy, from Port of Spain fêtes to global EDM festivals, and when he reaches the song's chorus, a resounding "We ready for the road," the sing-along is so loud that it can almost be heard back on shore.
Born in 1978, Garlin (government name: Ian Alvarez) grew up in Arima, one of Trinidad's larger towns and the birthplace of calypso legend Lord Kitchener. In the decade before Garlin entered this world, another calypso legend, the six-foot-four-inch Lord Shorty, created soca by making the older genre even more danceable, adding Indian rhythms and instruments, a little bit of Haitian cadence and – depending on whom you ask – some American R&B. Over time, the music became faster and harder, and its lyrics began to incorporate more party-starting call-and-response. It now rules the island – especially during its pre-Lenten Carnival celebrations – and tracks like Arrow's "Hot, Hot, Hot," Kevin Lyttle's "Turn Me On" and, yes, the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out" (originally a hit for Anselm Douglas) have reached the American mainstream.
Garlin, though, like almost all Trinidadians, has long listened to much more than just soca. Sitting in a Midtown Manhattan office, taking care of a little work before returning to Labor Day celebrations, the singer cites a list of early influences that includes – but somehow is not limited to – "latin, zouk, reggae, soca, calypso, pop, drum-and-bass, techno and house."
"Because of where we are situated in the chain of islands, and because the way our society is built, I was exposed to all kinds of music," he says. "At that time, American Top 40 was a big part of Trinidad and Tobago society, so I gravitated to anything that was on Casey Kasem's show."
Soon, dancehall replaced American Top 40, and Garlin ditched Kasem for artists like Yellowman and Wayne Smith. "Every day going to school was like a party on the bus," he remembers. "In Trinidad we called them Maxi-taxis, and the drivers would have soundsystems in their vehicles, as loud as if they were going to a car show. Because of the way dancehall was engineered, the sound quality was more suitable for a soundsystem like that — especially opposed to soca."
When Garlin finally made it to school, he and his friends would freestyle back and forth, reworking the Jamaican themes and flows that they had heard on the Maxis. After graduation, he kept clashing, engaging in what he describes as "lyrical exchanges of war" and developing his skills against artists who were doing more than killing time between class. After producer Daryl Braxton suggested that he add a little soca back to his style, he made his first professional recording, scoring his professional hit with the frenetic, Aaliyah-interpolating "Send Dem Riddim Crazy."
The record has become a classic, holding its own on many of the compilations that define the era, and it was received the way classics are so often received: "The initial reaction was close to blasphemy," says Garlin. The singer had brought his style closer to soca, but many felt it still wasn't close enough – even though his intense lyricism was a throwback to Lord Shorty's original vision for the genre and Sixties bands like Byron Lee and the Dragonaires had previously canonized Jamaican-Trini fusion, the new wave of so-called "ragga soca" was said to be tainting the country's music.
"It took some hip-hop elements, it took dancehall, it even took some EDM – whatever songs were hot at the time, they'd just take the melody and flip it," explains Walshy Fire, a Jamaican DJ whose Miami radio show helped Garlin's early music reach America. "Jamaica was the most dominant island in the region, and dancehall and reggae were the most dominant sound. The people who would have been not happy with ragga soca would have thought soca should stay pure or authentic."
Garlin, however, offers his own interpretation of soca authenticity – and a cutting defense of the open-mindedness that has central to his career: "Soca was itself not an original music, it was a merge of the two cultural backgrounds from the indentured laborers and the slaves. So ragga soca was just doing what soca had already done."
Ragga soca, it turned out, wouldn't survive past the early-Aughts, but 15 years after releasing his first single, Bunji Garlin continues to get bigger and bigger. On the Friday after the yacht party, he performs alongside Beenie Man and Shabba Ranks at Hot 97's annual On Da Reggae Tip concert. From there, he flies to Texas, joining artists like Skrillex, Diplo and Dillon Francis for two dates with the EDM-centric Mad Decent Block Party; and on Sunday night, he returns to join his wife, a fellow soca star named Fay Ann Lyons, at Hot 97 DJ Mister Cee's annual 5 Alarm Blaze. The West Indian Day Parade, the weekend's main event, starts early the following morning.
As ragga soca began to wane in the early-to-mid 2000s, Garlin continued to move his style closer to the genre's mainstream, winning the annual Soca Monarch competition – a three-round attempt to determine Trinidad's hottest star – four times in a seven years. Where tunes like "Soca Bhangra" experimented with more Indian elements (a style now known as "chutney soca"), "Warrior Cry" and "Blaze De Fire" became global anthems, the singer's aggression and lyricism setting him apart from other artists.
"That's where the production started to get really good and the topics started to vary," says Walshy. "'Warrior Cry,' that could be a political song, it could be a rally song for a team, it could be something that you listened to during carnival time – it was one of the most amazing songs I'd ever heard."
Still, the hit that defined Garlin's career wouldn't come until 2012. Titled "Differentology," the song begins as j'ouvert – the overnight celebration that precedes carnival – ends: The sun is raising up, the crowd is waking up and the party still goes on. While the verses describe the scene, minor chords, hand claps and flamenco guitar build a tension that won't be released until the song's massive hook, that simple, sustained "We ready for the road" bellowed over rave-suited synth stabs.
"Those minor keys are what carnival is based on," says Lazabeam, the Trini half of trans-Atlantic production duo (and frequent Bunji collaborators) Jus Now, discussing the track's greatness. "What makes our carnival different from the Roman-style carnival, it was brought out of an uprising: The streets of Port of Spain were burning, and out of that came j'ouvert. It's a very euphoric kind of time, but to be frank the music is darker at the time, and it tends to have a realer edge to it."
Not coincidentally, those minor keys also bring "Differentology" in line with the sort of global dance anthems heard on the main stage of festivals like Tomorrowland and Electric Daisy Carnival. From the disco hi-hats of Eighties hits like Ras Isley's "Spring Garden on Fire" through Machel Montano's 1995 Chicago house-influenced "Come Dig It" and the club mix of Nigel & Marvin's crossover "Follow da Leader," soca has always rubbed shoulders with outside dance music, but now, that influence is stronger than ever.
Garlin, ever at the forefront, explains it thusly: "Some of the soca songs started borrowing synths from EDM. At the same time EDM was borrowing some bass lines and stuff from dancehall. Then hip-hop was borrowing synths from EDM, and dancehall was borrowing from hip-hop. So everyone basically kind of started mirroring each other, so the whole world of music started to become a more palatable place."
In this new, more palatable world, "Differentology" was an almost immediate hit. "That song was dropped on November 7th, 2012," recalls Garlin, "Three days later, it was playing on every radio station throughout the country. Four days later, I was performing the song, and people were singing it word-for-word."
After dominating the Caribbean, the record got its U.S. break when aforementioned Hot 97 DJ Mister Cee entered it into the station's "Battle of the Beats," where it defeated competition by artists like Eminem and DJ Khaled five nights in a row, earning a slot in regular rotation. With that story, VP was able to push the record north through Hartford and Boston and down the coast to Atlanta and Miami.
"I've been working in this business for 20 years, and this is one of the most unique records I've ever come across," says Brian Greenspoon, VP's senior director of marketing.
"Normally when a soca song comes out, the West Indian community kind of leaves the song on its own strength and lets it die out on its own," says Garlin. "Here you had people from all over the West Indies, and it seems as though they were proud of the song. It seemed like it represented them in a different way, and they were not ashamed to sing it."
The song's tense build-up, heightened by a repetition of the phrase "we ready," helped make it a staple at several pro sports arenas and the New York Golden Gloves tournament. Eventually it got the ultimate American seal of approval: A group of Long Island teenagers used it as the soundtrack to their airport flash mob.
Meanwhile, Major Lazer, an open-eared DJ trio that includes Jillionaire (a native Trinidadian who has known Garlin for over a decade), Diplo (the head of taste-making indie label Mad Decent) and Walshy Fire, had taken to playing "Differentology" in their live sets, and eventually, they decided to put together a remix. "One of the guys involved with it, Jarrod Faria, he hit me up a long way out and was like, 'We've got this song that's doing really well in Trinidad right now, and it's really different,'" remembers Jillionaire. "Around the same time I played it for Wes [Diplo] and he was like 'We should definitely do something with this.'"
After changing the drums, removing the guitar and adding the sort of wooshes and drops that play well at large EDM festivals, the group introduced their edit during a set at Coachella, not only bringing Garlin to a new American audience but endearing their own project to previously hesitant Caribbeans.
"If you ask Diplo, he'll tell you: Nobody would come to the shows," says Walshy. "They'd be in little clubs with 10 fans, and everybody else would be like, 'What the hell is going on?' The last two years, maybe year-and-a-half, is when it all changed. Coachella was the first time I think that Caribbeans began to see what Major Lazer was doing, as far as representing the Caribbean and representing the music that came out of the Caribbean. Somebody from Trinidad watched and then sent it to everyone from Trinidad, and that's when it blew up."
Following this success, Garlin wanted to make an album that could play to all audiences. "The songs in themselves carry a blend of universal elements, so that anywhere it plays, it automatically could fit between any genre or two," says the singer, insisting on using the word "include" rather than the phrase "cross over." "As human beings, you kind of fear what you don’t understand – it may make you look this way, it may make you think this way, whatever. I believe this album breaks all those barriers."
Whether or not that proves to be true, Differentology embraces life like few LPs in recent memory. On one representative track, the euphoric, carefree "All O'Dem," the singer documents his plan to attend every party of the year, from uptown to downtown, mai tai to black tie. Even the one supposed bummer, "Carnival Tabanca," named for the depression that sets in after carnival ends, finds the party palimpsests that exist under the surface of normal life: "Every time I hear a police siren I'm thinking it's escort/Coming to take me to the next venue so my performance will not be short." There's even an EDM remix.
That EDM sound is never better integrated into Garlin's soca than on "Truck on D Road," his biggest hit of 2014. Produced by Jus Now, the song combines crisp drums that shift between four-on-the-floor house and syncopated dembow, heavily processed trombone blasts and a synth line that ingeniously mimics the sound of Trini steel pans.
"Bunji's an appreciator of all styles of music, but he understands why it's important to include the traditional elements of Trinidadian music," says Lazabeam, who outside of the music world is better known as Keshav Chandradath Singh. "We're in constant communication. We're always working on songs, sending ideas back and forth, utilizing the technology as much as possible. He sends us voicemails, and he'll mouth the whole beat."
"He has impeccable taste," says Greenspoon. "He is just on top of all music trends that are happening right now – not just in the Caribbean but in the world in general. He has an ability to see what's working best in all cultures and communicate that effectively through his music."
Mister Cee's 5 Alarm Blaze keeps Bunji up until nearly five in the morning. Three hours later, he wakes and heads East New York, where a team of a builders has been working overnight to prepare a flatbed truck that will carry him, A$AP Ferg, Kranium, "Rompin' Shop" dancehall singer Spice, local radio host DJ Norie and two dozen fans, DJs and assistants down Brooklyn's Eastern Parkway, the site of the weekend-closing West Indian Day Parade.
"He works harder than any artist I've ever seen," says Greenspoon, who's sitting with the singer behind the tinted windows of a black Suburban, attempting to get some rest before hitting the road. "When he's at Trinidad carnival, he'll do a dozen shows in a night – just location to location until the sun comes up."
When we finally board, the truck is so covered with speakers – the system's bass levels all the way up and treble all the way down – that many of those who aren't standing behind DJ equipment end up dancing on top of them, grabbing a two-by-four for occasional support. "You think there's gonna be a lot of people out there?" asks Ferg, a Harlem rapper who jumped on a "Truck on D Road" trap remix after visiting Trinidad earlier in the year.
Sure enough, every one of the route's 15 long blocks is filled with revelers: Even standing atop the tallest stack of speakers – the same ones where Spice will later attempt a daredevil, 20-feet-in-the-air toe-touch – the crowd stretches past the horizon. All down the road, people walk alongside the truck, grinding when DJ Norie plays dancehall and breaking out into a mass schmoney dance when he plays – at multiple points – local rapper Bobby Shmurda.
When Bunji performs the energy doubles. Standing on a giant generator and hanging out the side, he tries another freestyle, stringing together the names of the islands and a few bars about the size of his truck, but again, it's "Differentology" that makes the place go mad. This time, the "ready for the road" call is especially appropriate, and the crowd yells the words so loud that you wonder if they can be heard all the way back in the Hudson River.
Not long after he finishes this short set, however, the singer disappears, hopping off the truck due to a frustrating combination of technical issues and pure exhaustion. On the Parkway, he wades through the crowd and rides off to the Queens hotel room where he begins preparing for the eight-hour flight home.
And the next morning, when Bunji finally arrives back Trinidad, does the hardest working man in soca take a much-deserved day off? Relax in the mountains with Fay Ann and their one daughter? Open up his diary and reflect on the long journey from dancehall-pumping Maxi-taxis to soca-funded jumbo jets?
"As soon as we touched down, it was straight to work, straight to office," he says, later in the week. "The whole carnival momentum is already in the air here – promoters are already putting their bookings in place."
Come October, he'll begin working on the songs that will rule the 2015 season.
"I don't like to make music now for six months later," he admits. "What I do is I wait for that moment. Then I catch it and go."
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Bunji: No duet Machel
By CAROL MATROO
December 24 2014
There will be no collaboration between soca superstars Ian “Bunji Garlin” Alvarez and Machel Montano, at least not in the near future.
This according to a source, who said Machel had been trying to entice Bunji to do a collaboration with him.
“Machel has been trying for the last year or two, since Bunji’s ‘Differentology’ to do a collaboration with him,” the source said.
The recent Soul Train Award winners met on stage during the “Sunset Festival” at Chaguaramas, last Sunday as Bunji was performing.
The source said it was not part of the show.
It was suggested that Bunji and Machel had agreed to collaborate on a new song, but the source said Bunji said this would not happen since he was not contacted.
“Bunji has maintained that while a collaboration between him and Machel was not impossible, he (Bunji) has not been formally contacted. Machel has never called him. Bunji was like if you want to do something call me and let’s do something, but he never called personally,” the source said.
The source said there was no official meeting between Bunji and Machel.
“There was no arbitration. Machel went on stage and said the people had spoken. He maintains that he and Machel had not spoken
“Bunji has maintained that you call me and we would negotiate, not try and send a video to the public. That was his stance. Let us not do this in the public space .Why don’t you call me and we can discuss this,” the source said.
The source said all Bunji wanted was a one- on-one between them.
Machel took the next serious step to draw “Garlin, the Girls Dem Darling” to his end. He even took to Instagram on Monday night where he posted, “What’s the next step??Sounds like the people have spoken.”
Bunji replied: “The people have spoken...but we have not. What’s the next step?” Bunji stated that making a play for a collaboration did not sit well with him without proper discourse.
Machel responded that he was ready to speak. “We’ve reached out in every possible way all in good faith and in the name of unity for soca and the Caribbean people that love it...I thought last night made a lot of sense and it was very organic, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I think people loved it,” Montano posted, referring to the performance the night before.
However, Bunji was adamant that this discussion was to be in a private arena.
“Let us NOT engage the public in this...the public supposed to be after not before..”
Machel’s response was a humble one.
“I humbly await your instructions on the next step. When you decide where and when and how you gonna let me know where and when. I am there in peace and love and give thanks.”
When contacted yesterday, Machel said he was having lunch with his staff and “please understand.” Efforts to contact Bunji were unsuccessful.
Also on his post, Machel said he has tried several times to get Bunji to work with him.
“I’ve reached out to Bunji maybe four times this year alone. I asked him to come to Machel Monday. I asked him to let us show the public, because people feel if Bunji win an award they must put Machel down and put Bunji up. We always want to shoot down somebody.
I have been here for 30 years and many men will come and many men will go. I will always be here. My name is already set. I am not about me. I am not about fame. I am about these young people. I have helped make Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Zan, Umi Marcano, you name them, Fireball. I have helped everybody I have come in touch with,” he wrote.
“I am always looking for what is best for this country, what is best for this culture. It is time for Bunji Garlin to step up, sing with Machel, put the differences aside. We in Soca Monarch, we throwing picong, that is water under the bridge.”
Both men have won the Soca Monarch four times.
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Saw this unfold on social media.
I'm a fan of both Bunji and Machel and have mutual respect for each. But I must admit..
- Bunji seems to be trying 'too hard' to be different with the direction he's taking with the music. Now it can be argued that "different" is what made him.
- since his marriage (well at least the past 2 years), we've seen a shift in his overall attitude (almost comes off a little egotistic)
I'v had the opportunity to speak with both parties in the past and they have been very gracious and humble.
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Bunji seems to still be licking his wounds from the picong he got from Machel live on stage at the ISM in 2011 and which Bunji had no reply for and soon after that was when Bunji cut off his locks (some say ordered by Fay-Ann) and shifted the direction of his music away from the power soca fire songs.
Before that point most of Bunji's songs seemed to be about him being the Fireman which Machel give Bunji a verbal lashing for during his winning 2011 ISM stage performance.
But to me Iwer should have won the Power Soca Monarch in 2011 with "Come To Meh" and not Machel based on crowd reaction and participation to his power soca performance. I think Iwer was penalized for overstaying his time on stage or some technicality like that in 2011 if I remember correctly.
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Two of TNT biggest egos in stand off- no hype could make me pay money to see either one of them.
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Two of TNT biggest egos in stand off- no hype could make me pay money to see either one of them.
If you've never been to Machel Monday you are missing out though.
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Saw him when he was 12 - saw aBunji inconcertnever see ah song with two words repeated for ten minutes - by the time he done say he ready- after 10 minutes I ready to go home.
Ah go take on Cro Cro before any of this jump and wVe wine back noise in my ear thanks
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Saw him when he was 12 - saw aBunji inconcertnever see ah song with two words repeated for ten minutes - by the time he done say he ready- after 10 minutes I ready to go home.
Ah go take on Cro Cro before any of this jump and wVe wine back noise in my ear thanks
Jump & Wave has been out of flavour for quite a while now. Most of the music these days is groovy soca and much of it is pretty sweet and very nice to dance along with your partner to as well.
You seem to be seriously out of touch. I too like Cro Cro and the other serious calypsonians but not much of their stuff is nice to dance along to but is more usually suited for listening to and getting yourself updated with the current social and poltical situation in T&T which is fine.
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You must think I just born or what? I just came back after a month in the homeland - my annual visit and yes I know the groovy music ting- but leh we just beg to differ mr springer- look Ian I have a preference for Kaiso and that is that. Me eh saying I doh like meh groovy soca and meh get on bad music I just enjoy the lyrical quality of the Kaiso.
Say what yuh like after each of my post but I too old to get into pissing contest- so leh we just keep we own taste aside and move forward- doh get personal- keep up the unity on the forum
1. Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. Practice this principle on 26th Dec, Boxing Day.
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You must think I just born or what? I just came back after a month in the homeland - my annual visit and yes I know the groovy music ting- but leh we just beg to differ mr springer- look Ian I have a preference for Kaiso and that is that. Me eh saying I doh like meh groovy soca and meh get on bad music I just enjoy the lyrical quality of the Kaiso.
Say what yuh like after each of my post but I too old to get into pissing contest- so leh we just keep we own taste aside and move forward- doh get personal- keep up the unity on the forum
1. Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. Practice this principle on 26th Dec, Boxing Day.
I was simply correcting your assertion that the majority of new stuff is jump and wave. As I said jump and wave has been out of flavour for quite a number of years now. Your post was very misleading in its assertion so I brought some facts to the table and you shouldn't take offense to what I said unless you are against hearing the truth. Your taste in music doesn't change the reality that your post was misleading and not based on current realities.
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Machel is a real prick... gracious and humble are two words most people would never associate with him. One of my exes is a friend of the family and related to me an incident where he cussed out Liz Montano, his own mother. Hearsay aside, I personally witnessed him assault a DJ on stage in Miami because he felt the DJ was messing up too much. But all that being said, Bunji acting like a grade A nanny. As others have noted, his personality seems to have changed once he married Fay Ann, who... to put it charitably, is a real piece of work herself. He acting real diva-ish right now, talking about what and what shouldn't be playing out on social media, all the while putting shit out on social media. Pick up a phone and talk tuh de man, or if that is too much fuh you, a better response on instagram would have been "leh we see what happens", or "this might not be the proper forum, let's have our people get in touch in the next few days and see what we could work out." Nah... you have to manners Machel... "the people have spoken, but we have not." FOH
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Bunji is ah arse. Machel realize the impact from both of them on stage the night before and looked to continue that response with the fans on social media. Machel is a master of marketing and sought to take advantage of the collaboration, but Bunji some how did not get that.
All Bunji had to do is say, "yes fadda, it was nice on stage we go definitely link up." Then send Machel a couple mudders runt in a DM. People would have been buzzing nd going on about how Machel and Bunji going and team up, how Machel and Bunji dropping ah song nect week, how Bunji leaving Fay Ann for Machel. Woulda been real positive talk about them and people woulda been going crazy. But Bunji pms at the wrong time.
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"gracious and humble" my experience.
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TriniTMZ?
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I like the fact that Bunji has evolved and is not afraid of trying different things, but as others have stated this was a bad PR move. He becoming the Trini version of Kanye West with his diva mentality....
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Allyuh giving Bunji a RAW deal.
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I grew up with Machel in La Romain until his first album "to young to Soca" came out and then he moved to Siparia, Santa Floria.
I can tell you he has a great brother and great parents, they use to take us in the swimming pool almost every week where is Dad works.
But Machel is a real idiot and thinks he is above the law (which he is in T&T).. ;D
But he has a large ego.
I remember him going Presentation after he moved from by us and the guy would pass us straight like he didn't know us, he use to get beat up a lot.
We had a football game against Pres once and the girls from our school (Tech) was hitting him real clout, he was a punk and only now he acting bad because he have all these body guards around him.
His brother Marcus use to play in his band, he is really cool.
His mother is the reason for Machel success, he really pushed that kid.
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I grew up with Machel in La Romain until his first album "to young to Soca" came out and then he moved to Siparia, Santa Floria.
I can tell you he has a great brother and great parents, they use to take us in the swimming pool almost every week where is Dad works.
But Machel is a real idiot and thinks he is above the law (which he is in T&T).. ;D
But he has a large ego.
I remember him going Presentation after he moved from by us and the guy would pass us straight like he didn't know us, he use to get beat up a lot.
We had a football game against Pres once and the girls from our school (Tech) was hitting him real clout, he was a punk and only now he acting bad because he have all these body guards around him.
His brother Marcus use to play in his band, he is really cool.
His mother is the reason for Machel success, he really pushed that kid.
Thanks for some of the background info! :thumbsup:
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Watch the making of my new video "Stay In Your Lane" Feat: Bunji Garlin, Gauge & Pettidee
https://www.youtube.com/v/y2r8romYZGQ
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The rapper Guage is originally from Trini. Got a couple of his earlier rap albums.
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Gauge was actually born in Brooklyn, but his mother was Trini.
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Gauge was actually born in Brooklyn, but his mother was Trini.
Ok cool. I think he views himself as Trini-American.
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Gauge was actually born in Brooklyn, but his mother was Trini.
Ok cool. I think he views himself as Trini-American.
Yeah Pro..most definitely.
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The bandana over the face has to go breds. We have have issues with play acting bandits!!!!
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Skrillex And Diplo won the best dance/electronic album at the Grammys 2016 for Jack Ü. On that album they have a song called - Jungle Bae that features Bunji Garlin. So Bunji played a part in those guys winning a Grammy :beermug:
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:beermug: Soca icons Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons- Alvarez land acting roles in Los Angeles
https://www.facebook.com/SocaTv/posts/1394717437269780
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Bunji and Fay Ann performing last weekend at an Atlanta Carnival Soca event
https://www.facebook.com/SocaTv/videos/vl.1355048684539574/1459846514090205/?type=1
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Bunji Garlin On His Battle w/ Machel Montano & Why Trinis Are So Divided
https://www.youtube.com/v/pyzlfuBJCA0&t=923s
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Bunji garlin unplugged live at Apple store in Williamsburg
https://www.youtube.com/v/fiaTxfmQstQ
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Bunji Garlin Discusses the Importance of Caribbean Culture & Soca Music History
https://www.youtube.com/v/YBR26rO-MM8
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Bunji garlin unplugged live at Apple store in Williamsburg
https://www.youtube.com/v/fiaTxfmQstQ
:thumbsup: :chilling:
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BUNJI GARLIN TO RECEIVE HUMMING BIRD SILVER!
https://www.facebook.com/SocaTv/posts/1592421477499374
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Bunji and Fay Ann performance on BET Experience ahead of 2018 Hollywood Carnival
https://www.facebook.com/groups/208704342837146/permalink/617305945310315/
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https://www.youtube.com/v/yKYOl6QyAKE