Caribbean Beat — 25th Anniversary Edition — March/April 2017 (#144)
A calendar of events; music, film, and book reviews; travel features; people profiles, and much more.
A calendar of events; music, film, and book reviews; travel features; people profiles, and much more.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Single Spotlight<br />
No One Tano & Kalpee (self-released)<br />
Right off the bat, on their new<br />
single “No One”, Trinidadian<br />
producer Michael Montano<br />
and singer Christian Kalpee<br />
introduce an earworm that<br />
has been a hallmark of much<br />
popular hit music in 2016:<br />
the flutelike squiggle called<br />
the “dolphin.” EDM superproducers<br />
Skrillex and Diplo<br />
created this motif in the song “Where Are Ü Now”,<br />
where singer Justin Bieber’s “vocals are pinched into a<br />
dolphin call” at that song’s drop, using various distortion<br />
and equalisation effects. Tano & Kalpee have recreated<br />
this riff to maximum effect, making this laidback dance<br />
groove a choice between a regretful post-breakup<br />
song that successfully reflects a tropical house genre<br />
definition, or a lame imitation of a played-out hook.<br />
The former seems apt in this case, as Kalpee’s voice gives<br />
favour to a lyric and melody which signal a confident<br />
approach to hit songwriting and production that has<br />
global appeal. Our <strong>Caribbean</strong> reputation as dance music<br />
adventurers sustains here.<br />
Fete You R City (Precision Productions)<br />
Brothers Timothy and Theron<br />
Thomas (R City) of St Thomas<br />
in the US Virgin Islands are<br />
working with Trinidadian<br />
producer Kasey Phillips<br />
(Precision Productions) on a<br />
number of songs that point<br />
to a new direction in island<br />
music, where the modern<br />
R&B influences are subtle<br />
enough not to obscure the <strong>Caribbean</strong> musical accent,<br />
but still distinctive. The opening synth chord progression<br />
signals a pulse that will make couples get closer on the<br />
dance floor, while the vocals overlaid hint at something<br />
provocative: “I just want to fete you / From night ’til a<br />
morning / I know that you want it.” Once the song gets<br />
grooving its zouk-flavoured backbeat and soca phrasing,<br />
the double entendre becomes clear. “Fete You” is a<br />
sexy demand for something more than a party. This is<br />
hedonism with a capital “F.” It’s also a catchy tune that<br />
works by supplying a wider <strong>Caribbean</strong> palette for soca<br />
to evolve.<br />
Reviews by Nigel A. Campbell<br />
WWW.CARIBBEAN-AIRLINES.COM 31
Change language