On youtube I reseived this Djee’ promotional work.
He writes, “Hiii, I am “matt pleztrom”, I create music since I am 11. I fund the crew Disable in 2008 with friends of a music forum. I work on video (cut/fx), abstract creation and graphic design also, and the official website (my official job is webdesigner)…
This video is just a glimpse, we’ll post other live and videoclips soon…
thx
ginger matt”
Disableparty is based from France.
Strobe light display…Matrix-ist
This is the first night of the Hosay precessions on the streets of St. James, Trinidad and Tobago. There are three families who celebrate the Day of Muharram, Night of Flags. A procession that began at 11pm on the quiet streets and echoed the rhythms of the Tassa drummers surrounded by a small but attentive audience.
The clip on youtube shows a synopsis of the evening from the three processions. Note the energy and compassion from the drummers.
Rum is my lover – Perpetuating a stereotype
These stills are taken from a local television show that promotes the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. Once a week or so, it slots in a chutney video count down in a cheesy commentary format.
Making low-budget Soca Chutney videos as such seen on Synergy TV requires the following; Rum, a river, a beach, roll-on-roll off cars, Indian dancers in costume, wedding guests, family and friends,feuded neighbors, a iron pot for a cookup, domestic animals such as fowls (cocks) or cats (catt) and more rum to incite fights and cutlass chopping.
The star Ravi Bissambhar from the video clip is a bit of a celebrity himself, and as he was interviewed by the VJ, a older woman kept accosting him then uttered the words, “I want to rape yuh.” One wonders why it was not edited out. And although the melody is about Rum drinking, in part of the video (the river scene) it shows Mr. Bissambhar holding up a bottle of scotch. ??? There are the lyrics from song which, Ravi Bissambhar sings with great passion
Rum is meh lover and I don cyare, so we drinking today and we drinking forever, akela hoon main
But I don cyare what people say, Ah drinking today and we drinking forever, akela hoon main
Rum kill meh muda
Rum kill meh fada
Rum kill meh whole family
Rum kill meh broda
Rum kill meh sista
Now it want to come and kill me
But I don cyare what people say, oh ah drinking today and ah drinking forever, akela hoon main
For readers unfamiliar with Trinidad and Tobago, the backdrop is Mayaro beach and the video is a broad generalization of desires and wants of East Indians. The whole idea of promoting alcoholism with East Indians equals the vulgarity of mainstream music which perpetuates the stereotype of young black men and women. Note: akela hoon main is Hindi for I am alone
Knowing how to work the crowd…..
What got me thinking was standing knee deep in people on Saturday night waiting for Machel. Yes, I did crawl out of my hole long enough to go and take the jamming at AC5. I had hoped that the organisers had learnt some lessons from years gone by, they may have but they’ve still got some ways to go.
I could whinge at the less than great treatment meted out to the folks who shelled out the 500 bucks to go to the VIP section. Stop, hear me out, not everyone who goes to VIP is going to “coast”, make style or whatever it is people go to all-inclusive fetes for. There are some of us who can’t deal with being trampled in the middle of crowds, or want to feel safe in an all girls lime, we go to the VIP section largely because we want to SEE what is going on. As much as we are loathe to admit it, some of us can no longer stand and jump all night.
So there we were in VIP, we had the worse view of the stage, there were long lines for food. That said, we were waiting for Machel. We were not looking for a concert in the park, a trip down back in times lane or to “big up” the other folks. Let’s understand this clearly. When people pay money to hear an artist perform, they’re coming for that person. You expect that there will be a warm up band, but not six. You expect that the show will run with few interruptions and that you will get home at a decent hour.
Well, you could hope anyway. By the time Machel made it to the stage at 2:30 am people were leaving. I stayed put because I had not driven and because I was curious. I like the music, I think he’s a great performer, Machel Montano is a world standard, A Lister, now if only he’d get his head around that.
He came, he gyrated, he sang, he wined, he put on a show, we lapped it up…in quiet desperation I might add. Twenty five years after being too young to soca, Machel did in fact show that he was now a Soca Master. A showman in every sense of the word. Those of us who were not too tired to appreciate this fact may well have been too drunk. Sad but true. You had to give it to the man though, he can surely make you move.
For me it was extremely poignant and personal for reasons I don’t care to discuss. But I realised while standing there in the midst of 30,000 gyrating, jumping people that maybe I was now too old to Soca. Not in body, but certainly in mind. I was no longer remotely interested in maniacally following instructions all night, or being out until the crack of dawn just because I could. I just wanted to enjoy the show, dance and leave when I was tired. So yes, I enjoyed Machel. Will I go next year? Only if I’m driving myself and can
From her personal point of view, Natasha reports on a Carnival event.
