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  • Mr. Slaughter Captures Spirit of Carnival




    Mr. Slaughter has been captivating audiences since the early days of Xcaliber Sounds. Known as a man of multiple talents, he is one of the few disc jockeys’ to cross over into the performing artist arena. With hits such as “Pokey”, “Carnival I Love You” & “Tic Toc”, he has been an act capable of bringing unique and mesmerizing ideas to the soca market.

    This year is no exception. His latest release, “Spirit of Carnival”, is a 2010 offering that fully engulfs the emotions, energy and flavour of carnival season. It has elements of Jouvert, groovy and ragga soca all in one cohesive presentation. Visualizing this song on the road Carnival Tuesday, one can imagine the Spirit of Carnival taking full possession and causing carnival bliss.

    “Spirit of Carnival” was co-produced by Michelle “Miche” Williams for Catalyst Music and Tony “The Mad Architect” Brown for Mad Architect Music. This song is one of the first tracks from their new campaign entitled “The Unity Sessions.” The Unity Sessions is a project created by the two production camps in an effort to foster bigger creative and collaborative processes in a genre that is often a one person show.

    “Cooperation is the key for overall success” says The Mad Architect. “I was happy to work on this project. There was a lot of talent between all the parties involved. The creative energy was so high at points that it was hard to sleep while working on this. I hope it shows what the power of working as a team of musicians can do. And this is only the first project. I am excited to see what the future holds for the Unity Sessions. This is truly what the Spirit of Carnival is all about.”

    Damian Holder, CEO of Catalyst Music states, "We at Catalyst Music look forward to producing innovative projects with the Mad Architect Music camp. "Spirit of Carnival" is just the beginning. We both share similar visions on where we want to take the music and culture, so working together will only result in positive things in the future. Look out for more dynamic Unity Sessions releases coming very soon."

    “Spirit of Carnival” can be legally purchased on trinidadtunes.com, or anywhere legal downloads are sold. Listen to it here, or at www.madarchitectmusic.com
    2:27 AM

  • NEW DANCEHALL SMASH: LOCK THE BLOCK

    Two soon to be mega stars combine on this track to take the reggae scene by storm. No stranger to releasing hits, they are now poised for international success.
    Zeego Zarro has been a recognizable name in music since his teenage years. He has recorded tracks with reggae heavy hitters, and even pop and soul super star Rick James. A Jamaican native now living in the US, he has capitalized on his love for music by his uncanny ability to stay current throughout the years. He has extensively toured in California, New York and most Southern states. Leaving behind a life in the streets, he has chosen to do something positive. He now voices his experiences in his music, talking about the hard street life he once lived.
    Viper is a phenomena in music. He is one of the only true cross over reggae artists there is, fusing dancehall style delivery, in a hip hop environment. Penned for his deep, raspy voice, he has recorded with some of hip hop’s biggest acts, including T-Pain, Kardinal Official & Bobby Valentino just to name a few. With a pending album release in his immediate future, he is one of dancehall’s newest sensations to keep an eye on. Also spitting gangster style lyrics over the Mad Architect produced track, his street style and cross over appeal is sure to garner even more credibility in the industry.
    The song will be available everywhere digital songs are sold on the 18 Karat Reggae compilation due to be released November 17th, 2009.  It is also readily available exclusively on trinidadtunes.com.
    “Lock The Block” was composed, produced, mixed and mastered by Tony “The Mad Architect” Brown for Mad Architect Music, a Caribbean label based in New York, dedicated to bringing the voice of reggae and soca artists based in the US to the attention of the world.
    9:19 AM

  • Soca vs. Reggae? Who wins?

    Current mood:artistic


    Growing up in the Caribbean, or another part of the world where Caribbean culture is very apparent, we have all run into this argument. Both sides claim credit as being the best party music, both claim to be the most original, and both have created a unique culture amongst it's indigenous and foreign fans.


    If we were to base it off of worldwide influence, who could we say claimed the title? Dancehall has made its way to commercial radio limelight outside of Jamaica for over the last 20 years at least. Now claiming fans of all colors, races and ethnicities, it would be a fair assessment that it has claimed its space in the forefront of world music. Hell, its an official genre and recognized by the American culmination of "good" music, The Grammy's. Soca is not. But, most forget one thing...CARNIVAL..That is right, carnival in Trinidad and Tobago (as well as the other leeward and windward islands) is probably the biggest attraction of any celebration in the world, earning a cult like following from all islands, continents and corners of the globe. Is it the music? Probably more like the atmosphere that the music creates. But at the end of the day, a shining star in a clear glass case that dancehall cannot claim.


    I believe for years the "Soca vs. Dancehall" debate was really an inherent "whose island is better" argument, which spilled over into the Caribbean's most popular and recognizable trait...Music.. But in these times it seems we are on the cusp of a major change. For the generation of the late 70's through 90's (my generation) we have had many, many cross over artists. The biggest in my mind to date is a toss up between Byron Lee, and Beenie Man's number one soca hit, "Jump and Wine." Since then, we have seen an influx of reggae and soca artist collaborating and musical masterworks, with sayings, nuances and dances crossing the cultural borders. Even the BPM's of some reggae songs of late can rival that of a Groovy soca song. So it just seemed fitting that eventually, along would come a spider, and spin a web of fusionary bliss between the two.


    Yet, that attempt has only helped to add fuel to the argumentative fire. Tony "The Mad Architects" debut riddim, entitled "The Major Riddim" was supposed to be the beacon light, symbolizing the union of two cultures, ideals and musical styles. But it has turned into a bigger competition from both sides of the musical isle. (Yes "isle" is purposely misspelled, clever I know). This fusionary music style (name of genre still pending) has sounded the call from soca and dancehall artists, squaring off of the riddim to settle the argument. However, fortunately, and unfortunately, it doesn't seem like we are any closer to settling the beef. The soca artists have come up with some songstry ballads that are sure fire hits; while the dancehall side has stringed together some lightening like lyrics, along with well placed punch lines and hooks, placing them amongst the top of this riddim's elite.


    So who will win this epic battle? Who has taken the lead? Seemingly this will be and endless saga that will never end with a clear victory. But it sure is fun to witness!

     

    3:45 PM

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