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Christopher Williams
Jizi
UWRT 1104 014
26 October 2016
Annotated Bibliography
"The Caribbean Musical Melting Pot: The Rise and Rise of Soca." Interview by Gemma
Cairney. Audio blog post. Acast. BBC World Service, 08 Aug. 2016. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
This podcast " the Caribbean musical melting pot: the rise of soca" hosted by
Gemma Cairney follows Gemma as she is in Barbados. While in Barbados Gemma learns
more about the culture and soca music through interviewing some of the biggest bajan
soca artists such as Alison Hinds, Stiffy, Nikita and producers De Red Boyz. She asked
questions about how the soca music scene is important in shaping the bajan economy and
also how the genre is spreading to places outside of the Caribbean.
This was my favorite source! I loved how the podcast was produced and I found it
very comforting to listen to people who sounded like my family. This was probably the
most informative source for me because the information came straight from the mouths
of the most influential soca artists. They shared information not only about the present
economy but also how they plan to shape the future of soca. Popular soca producers in
Barbados "De Red Boyz" were on here and I really valued what they had to say because I
would love to be in the same position they are in, in the future.
This source is credible for many reason. BBC world service (who produced the
podcast) is a very well known and trusted news source. Another reason this is really
reliable is because the conversation was with the most influential soca artists. Because

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these artists are actually in Barbados and talking about their own experiences I can trust
their word is reliable.
The Complete $300 Home Studio. Dir. Graham Cochrane. Perf. Graham Cochrane.
YouTube. YouTube, 26 Mar. 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.
This YouTube video made by Graham Cochrane is called "the complete $300
home studio". The video is about how investing just 300 dollars can help you start a
career in music production. Graham tells you the exact products you need to buy to get
started with a home studio (products include microphone, audio-box, software etc.).
Graham says that his reason for making the video is to show people who wish to pursue
music that it is not as complicated or money consuming as they believe.
This video is important because it shows me exactly what I need to start
producing music. It also shows me that it doesn't take as much money or time as I
thought it would. Because I watched this video I can now set a personal goal to save up
300 dollars in order to pursue this dream.
I am familiar with Graham Cochrane's YouTube channel and blog 'The Recording
Revolution'. This is a channel in which Graham shows his own studio as well as his
knowledge on audio engineering. Business Insider wrote an article on him titled "How a
32-year-old freelance sound mixer started making $75,000 a month from a blog". I trust
that this video is a credible source because he is a credible source.
Dittmar, Tim. Audio Engineering 101: A Beginner's Guide to Music Production. Waltham,
MA: Focal Press, 2012. Internet resource.

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Chapter 4 of Audio Engineering 101 by Timothy A. Dittmar is called "People
skills. Recording isn't all technical". In this chapter Dittmar talks about the skills other
than actual engineering that you need in order to be successful. Some skills he mentions
are the ability to communicate positively with your artists and the ability to make sure the
"vibe" of each studio session is perfect for the artists. If you can make sure that you have
these skills/abilities Dittmar believes that artists will want to return to work with you in
the future. He also speaks on how to respond to "insecure artists".
This information is very important for me to know if I want to pursue a career in
audio engineering. I failed to really think about this information before but once I read
this I saw how crucial it was. I agree with everything that Dittmar said especially when
he spoke about positive reinforcement. This is beneficial to my inquiry project because it
let's me know that even if I end up mastering the engineering part of music production, I
won't be able to get a lot of business without knowing how to interact with each artist.
Audio Engineering 101 is a reliable source. I know this because the author
Timothy Dittmar is actually a sound engineer. When I searched his name I found his
'LinkedIn' account that lists all of the places he worked at. The website says that he has
owned the "Las Olas recordings" studio since 1997. To make sure this wasn't fabricated I
looked up that studio and it is a studio in Texas that many people use. Since I know that
he has many years of experience in audio engineering I can trust that the knowledge he
has gained over the years is trustworthy.
Guilbault, Jocelyne. "Music, Politics, and Pleasure: Live Soca in Trinidad." Small Axe.
14.1 (2010): 16-29. Print.

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In the essay Music, Politics, and Pleasure: Live Soca in Trinidad, Jocelyne
Guilbault discusses the "politics of pleasure" that come with live performances of soca
music. The essay starts out with describing how soca is criticized by many "journalists,
politicians and listeners" for not being political. Guilbault disproves this by showing how
soca creates certain intimacies that can be seen as political. Some examples that she gives
are how the soca artists interact with their audience and also with one another.
This essay is very eye opening to me. I already knew of these criticizations of
soca music, such as how some believe it is just party music or that it has no value to
people outside of the Caribbean. The part that is eye opening to me is all of the tactics
that Guilbault points out that soca artists use to break this mold. With that this essay is
very important for me to acknowledge what I need to do in order to change any negative
thoughts about soca.
Jocelyne Guilbault's essay is one that is credible. One reason why the essay is
credible is because she is a professor in the music department of the University of
California at Berkeley. Guilbault is also the author of three books one of which is "Zouk:
World music in the West Indies". Due to these facts I can say her essay is credible
because she has a background in studying the music in the Caribbean. One more reason
this is a credible essay is because she cites all of the sources that she used in coming to
these conclusions.
Serwer, Jesse. "How Soca Is Absorbing Afrobeats To Create A New Subgenre." The FADER.
The FADER, 25 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
This article by Jesse Serwer talks about the past and future for soca music. It starts
by talking about how soca was created. According to this article soca was created by Ras

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Shorty as a mixture of Calypso and Chutney music. The article continues to say how
soca, being mainly the music of carnivals in the islands, makes it less known/desired
throughout the rest of the world. It also touches on how soca "lays dormant for large parts
of the year" but is positively giving artists a chance to reinvent themselves each year.
I found that this magazine article was very eye opening. I enjoyed how Jesse
stated the problem many people have with soca, and then used positive reinforcement to
show that the genre has plenty hope. This article was also important to me because it
showed that the soca industry is one of collaboration and openness between artists from
everywhere.
The Fader is a very respected and well known music and lifestyle magazine.
Many artist and music moguls have trusted the fader with their interviews and integrity.
Jesse Serwer herself is also very credible. Serwer is a writer not only for the fader but
also for Rolling stone, Complex, the Guardian and many other publications.

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