'Afro Soca' is the new hybrid of African and Caribbean sounds that has been taking over dance floors on both sides of the Atlantic. The style lives at the intersection of afrobeats and soca, as heard in genre crossovers and collaborations like Runtown, Wizkid & Walshy Fire's “Bend Down Pause" and Olatunji's “Oh Yay."
In this new mixtape, DJ Jam Central lays down an extensive journey into the cross-continental sounds of 'Afro Soca' for the first installment of LargeUp's Mix Series. Speaking to LargeUp on the early origins of the genre DJ Jam Central mentions:
"I will say it began in the 70s with Ras Shorty when he created soca music, fusing African rhythms and calypso with Indian rhythms. If you look at a lot of Ras Shorty songs from early, it had heavy African riddims...Of late, I started noticing when Machel did “Possessed" with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. That stood out to show that this is a direction the music was going and then Olatunji [when] he directed his imagery and everything towards being very Afrocentric."
The term 'Afro Soca' was initially coined by dancer, choreographer, and original Fela! cast member Shakira Marshall (who graces the mixtape's cover art) for her Brooklyn dance class.
Stream LargeUp Mix Series Vol. 1: Afro Soca Mixed By DJ Jam Central below and see the full track list underneath.
