The release of BP Soca’s EP takes it one step further along its goal of making soca mainstream in the UK. The BP Soca Riddim was released on May 25 and features Terrah Dan, Ms Desire, Merzy, and producer Hardware Muzyk. The songs on the EP are Ms Desire's Show It Off, Terrah Dan's Dah You? and Merzy's Dig It.
At this point you’re asking, who or what is BP Soca and how is it going to do that.
BP Soca is an independent record label in the UK promoting the work of Caribbean artistes, producers, sound engineers and songwriters. It was founded by Gareth Sinnerine who is also its managing director.
The release of the EP is “just the tip of the iceberg” for the label, a release said.
Sinnerine’s plan to take soca to mainstream has its genesis in his personal experience.
In a Zoom interview, Sinnerine recalled his TT-born mother playing calypso every Sunday morning and evening and of trips to TT for Carnival.
He was born and raised in the UK while his mum was born in Barataria, grew up in St James, ended up in Diego Martin and then moved to the UK.
[caption id="attachment_893453" align="alignnone" width="768"] BP Soca founder and managing director Gareth Sinnerine. -[/caption]
“Every Sunday, she would play soca from morning to evening and I loved it....And everytime we used to go back to TT...we took part in Carnival. I loved Carnival...Panorama...crowning the King and Queen of Carnival
“I loved the atmosphere,” he said. His mother played a lot of calypso but he particularly remembers her playing Black Stalin's Bun Dem which fuelled his passion for the music.
While the UK hosts Notting Hill Carnival over two days in August, Sinnerine believes that soca does not have a very wide audience there.
“It is very niche. To the point where you won’t see it penetrate the charts at all or penetrate radio or playlists etc,” he added.
Sinnerine said in the UK there is a lot of rock and pop topping the charts but Caribbean music genres were hardly seen on the charts.
“So that is basically what I am trying to do at the moment. I am not saying I am going to be the one to do it but I am going to assist and help anyone who is an upcoming artiste who is passionate about Caribbean genres to release music through BP Soca and then we can help elevate that as much as we can,” he said.
During last year’s virtual Notting Hill Carnival, Sinnerine said a few radio stations as BBC One, and Kiss played some soca but he did not like the way it was played only during the Notting Hill Carnival period.
His solution to getting soca on the UK’s top 40 charts: marketing.
“If we had the marketing behind us and these big marketing companies helped us to elevate this music we would be hearing them on the charts and we would be seeing them on TV and hearing it on radio as well.”
Alison Hinds at a recording session with Kyle Phillips, producer and owner of BadJohn Republic Studios in Palmiste. Gareth Sinnerine of BP Soca said he has wor
