Caribbean music in Canada
Encyclopedia
Caribbean music
The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. They are each syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves...
in Canada has developed significantly since the year 2000, particularly in the genres Soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
and Calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
. Recent changes in Canada's immigration laws have seen several prominent musicians from the Commonwealth Caribbean like David Rudder
David Rudder
David Michael Rudder is a calypsonian from Trinidad.-Career:David Rudder is one of the top calypsonians of all time. In 1977, he joined Charlie's Roots, one of the top bands in Trinidad and Tobago. He spent many years as one of the vocalists with the band...
and Anslem Douglas
Anslem Douglas
Anslem Douglas is a musician and composer from Trinidad and Tobago, most famous for the hit single "Who Let the Dogs Out?"- Biography :Anslem Douglas first became interested in music watching folk performers at the local community center in his native village of La Romain, in Trinidad...
resettle in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and help to develop the Caribbean music industry based there.
New York Caribbean radio
The Caribbean music industry in Canada has been reinforced by a decreased influence of the New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area spurred significantly by the rebranding of the historically Afro-Caribbean
Afro-Caribbean music
Afro-Caribbean music is a broad term for music styles originated in the Caribbean area, most notably music of Cuba, music of Puerto Rico, music of Haiti, music of Jamaica, music of The Bahamas, music of Belize, music of the Dominican Republic, music of Trinidad and Tobago, music of Venezuela, music...
radio station WLIB 1090-AM
WLIB
WLIB is an urban contemporary gospel AM radio station located in New York City. WLIB is owned by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation along with sister station WBLS...
in 2004. Prior to its rebranding, WLIB was the only radio station to feature a schedule rotation of near 24/7 Soca, Calypso and Reggae music outside of the Caribbean region. The 2004 rebranding by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation
Inner City Broadcasting Corporation
The Inner City Broadcasting Corporation is an American media company based in New York City. ICBC is notable for being one of the first broadcasting companies wholly owned by black people...
was a tremendous setback to the Caribbean community and splintered the Commonwealth-Caribbean and Caribbean music industry across the New York City metropolitan area. The Caribbean community in New York gravitated towards competitor WWRL 1600-AM
WWRL
WWRL is a radio station in New York City, broadcasting at 1600 kHz AM owned by Access.1 Communications. Since September 1, 2006, its format has been progressive talk radio...
briefly until talk radio Air America
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
moved their programming from WLIB to WWRL in 2006.
Some members of the Commonwealth-Caribbean in New York City have since launched 1-2 low-power pirate radio
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
stations to broadcast Soca and Calypso but are not powerful enough to reach all of New York's boroughs or produce the monetary capital to drive a whole music industry.
Growth in Canada
In Canada, stations like Flow FMCFXJ-FM
CFXJ-FM is a Canadian radio station in Toronto, Ontario, which uses the on-air brand FLOW 93.5. It first aired in 2001 as Canada's first urban music station...
and CHIN, both located in Toronto, Ontario have served to bind the Caribbean music industry with their regularly rotated scheduling for soca and calypso music. During this time several of the leading Caribbean music DJs
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
in the industry (which just happen to be based in Ontario) take to the air and launch new songs or mixes. Many of these DJs have even started to launch various websites that feature some of the largest online collections of Caribbean soca and calypso music samples on the Internet. Several song mixes created in Canada have even been entered for various Carnivals
Caribbean Carnival
Caribbean Carnival is the term used for a number of events that take place in many of the Caribbean islands annually.The Caribbean's Carnivals all have several common themes all originating from Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, based on folklore, culture, religion,and tradition, not on amusement...
back in the Caribbean region and have served to create more awareness in the Caribbean region of the new soca and calypso talent and music influence based in Canada.
The Canadian Urban Music Awards have also begun to award various award titles in the soca and reggae genres.
In 2007, Anslem Douglas who originally wrote the song Who Let the Dogs Out?
Who Let the Dogs Out?
"Who Let the Dogs Out?" is a song written and originally recorded by Anslem Douglas for Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival season of 1998. It was heard and taped on a float by hairdresser Keith from the London salon Smile, who played it to Jonathan King, who recorded it and released it under the name...
, re-entered the Caribbean music scene after a four-year hiatus. Anslem recorded several of his 2007 Carnival
Trinidad and Tobago Carnival
The Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is an annual event celebrated on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago is the most significant event on the islands' cultural and tourism calendar, with numerous cultural events running in the lead up to the street parade on...
songs from Canada. Additionally, Deejay Mystro D, entered his song "Thunder" for the same Carnival. Neither song won, however it is expected that the number of Canada-based soca and calypso music entered into Caribbean based competitions should stand to increase.
Companies of Canada in Caribbean music broadcasting
Beyond the scope of Canada-based Caribbean artistes, a growing number of Canadian companies are being tapped both in Canada and in the Caribbean region for their expertise in broadcast technologies.Jamaica
JumpTV Inc. has been busy in the JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n market. In Jamaica the company provides Internet solutions for HomeViewJamaica.com and various radio and television stations including Hot 102FM, Roots FM, CVM TV and Hype TV.
Trinidad and Tobago
Besides Jamaica, in Trinidad and Tobago several Canadian-based media broadcasters have licensed their technology and partnered with Caribbean-based media houses to simulcast their live island-based broadcasts onto the Internet.The company NetroMedia continues to provide solutions to Red 96.7FM for broadcasting their island-based FM radio onto the World Wide Web. Additionally Canada-based Moontaxi Media had also been a solutions provider for Trinidad's i95.5FM to also simulcast that frequency's live island-based broadcast onto the Internet.
In 2006 JumpTV Inc.
JumpTV
JumpTV Inc. is a Canadian company, the country's largest internet television carrier. JumpTV operates at the intersection of two growth sectors: Internet Protocol Television and ethnic media services...
of Canada moved ahead to seal a deal to become the preferred Internet broadcaster for HomeViewTNT.com and it's handful of radio and television stations. Some of those stations include:
Radio 90.5FM, Ebony 104FM, The Vibe CT 105FM, 103 FM, Sangeet 106FM, Radio Trinbago 94.7FM, Gayelle The Channel and ieTV (a.k.a. "that is TV").
See also
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- Caribana
- Caribbean MusicCaribbean musicThe music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. They are each syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves...
- Music of the Lesser AntillesMusic of the Lesser AntillesThe music of the Lesser Antilles encompasses the music of this chain of small islands making up the eastern and southern portion of the West Indies. Lesser Antillean music is part of the broader category of Caribbean music; much of the folk and popular music is also a part of the Afro-American...