CLINTON LINDSAY » BREAKING NEWS, GUEST RUNDOWNS, NEW RELEASES » JAMAICAN-BORN NEW YORK-BASED SOCA SINGER DANCEMASTER, REACHES OUT TO HIS HOMELAND WITH NEW RELEASE!

JAMAICAN-BORN NEW YORK-BASED SOCA SINGER DANCEMASTER, REACHES OUT TO HIS HOMELAND WITH NEW RELEASE!

March 9th, 2016 | Add a Comment

Dancemaster—-

To fans who attend West Indian events in the United States tri-state area, soca artist Dancemaster has been a stalwart performer for 30 years.

Not much, however, is known about him in Jamaica, his homeland. Recently, the Port Antonio-born singer released the aptly titled EP, Dem Nuh Know Bout Me.

It contains five songs including the title track. All are remixed versions of previously released songs which Dancemaster hopes will introduce him to Jamaican fans.

“You have people coming here from Trinidad and Barbados every year doing soca, but no one knows that there is a Jamaican out there who does soca. I would like to establish myself here, that’s the objective,” he said.

Dem Nuh Know Bout Me also contains In The Centre, Dancemaster’s biggest hit. The original was released in 1995 and became popular among West Indians in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Jamaica Bolt (re-recorded on Dem Nuh Know Bout Me as Jamaica), a tribute to sprint superstar Usain Bolt, was recorded and released in 2009.

Dancemaster was born Noel Stevens. In the 1970s when roots-reggae was the sound of choice for most Jamaican youth, he was drawn to calypso from the Eastern Caribbean.

“I loved songs like Dragon Dance, loved Sparrow and Lord Laro. There was something about calypso and soca, the tempo grabbed me,” he said.

The Mighty Sparrow

Migrating to the United States in 1979, he moved in soca circles, performing on West Indian shows. It was not until 21 years ago that he got the breakthrough withIn The Centre.

The song entered in Trinidad’s 1999 Soca Monarch competition.

Dancemaster, who hosts the bi-weekly The Money Train show on WVIP 93.5 FM in New York, has two albums to his name. The previous,Creation, was released in 2010.

— By Howard Campbell