Soca Music Shines at NPR’s Tiny Desk
Machel Montano, the “King of Soca,” brought Soca to NPR’s Tiny Desk for the first time, delivering a high-energy performance that truly showcased the genre’s vibrant, danceable essence.
As Montano shared with Tiny Desk, “It’s dancing all the time,” reflecting the infectious energy of Soca music. NPR described Soca as the high-energy dance music of the Caribbean, perfectly encapsulating the vibe of Montano’s performance.
The set featured a selection of Montano’s hits, including One More Time (2007), Dance With You (2005), Fast Wine (2016), Like Ah Boss (2015), Soca Kingdom (2018), and Famalay (2019). Some of the biggest Soca Songs like Fast Wine, has amassed over 20 million streams on Spotify, and Famalay (2019), the Power Soca hit, with over 13 million streams. Famalay was a standout collaboration with Skinny Fabulous and Bunji Garlin.
The full list of songs performed included:
- One More Time (2007)
- Dance With You (2005)
- Fast Wine (2016)
- Like Ah Boss (2015)
- Soca Kingdom (2018)
- Famalay (2019)
The performance was elevated by the talented musicians accompanying Montano, who helped bring the Soca sound to life. These musicians included:
- Machel Montano – Artist
- Dwain Antrobus – Keys
- Duane Williams – Ableton
- Bayete Williams – Keys
- Damien Neblett – Bass
- Melvin Alick – Drums
- Kyle Peters – Guitar
- Modupe Onilu – Percussion
- Rhys Thompson – Percussion
- Etienne Charles – Trumpet, Flügelhorn
- Lamar Robinson – Background Vocals
- Michael Chandler – Background Vocals
The creative team behind the music featured prominent writers and producers:
- One More Time: Written by Machel Montano
- Dance With You: Written by Machel Montano
- Fast Wine: Written by Jelani “Pops” Shaw, Kasey Phillips & Machel Montano; Produced by PAGE & Precision Productions
- Like Ah Boss: Written by Full Blown Entertainment, Machel Montano & Deputy (Roc Nation) Produced by Deputy (Roc Nation)
- Famalay: Produced by: DadaMuzic & DSM Composers/Writers: Gamal “Skinny” Doyle, Machel Montano, Ian Alvarez, Krishna Clyde Lawrence
- Soca Kingdom: Artist: Machel Montano x Superblue; Produced by: Travis World; Composers/Writers: Joseph “Prince Pronto” Figueroa, Travis Hosein, Machel Montano, Austin Lyons & S Joseph; Live Percussion by Rhys Thompson; Recorded By Travis World & David Sheppard at Sheppard Pro Studios, Trinidad & Tobago; Mixed by Cole NystromMastered by Dave Kutch at Mastering Palace, NYC; “Soca Kingdom” samples
As the Monk team expects an increase in streaming for Montano’s tracks, this performance marks a significant moment for Soca music and a major marketing opportunity for Montano. It’s a special day for Soca and an exciting highlight for Groovy Soca as it gains more international recognition.
Check out the Tiny Desk Performance: