University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus Faculty of Humanities and Education Caribbean Studies Project HUMN 3099 Student name: Keitjè Greaves Student ID no.: 816002997 Degree Program: Musical Arts (Special) Supervisor: Mrs. Kelly Ramlal Title of Thesis: The Dennery Segment phenomena, and an overview of the development of music in St. Lucia Declaration 1. I declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree. Except where stated otherwise by reference or acknowledgment, the work presented is entirely my own. 2. I authorise The University of the West Indies to make a physical or digital copy of my thesis/research paper/project report for its preservation, for public reference, and for the purpose of inter-library loan. 3. I consent to have my attached thesis used in any publication comprising Caribbean Studies Projects by The University of the West Indies. I understand that I will receive no compensation. I hereby assign publishing rights for the contribution to The University of the West Indies, including all copyrights. Signature of Student: ______Keitjè Greaves____________________________ Date: _________08/05/2020__________ Greaves2 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES The Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies INDIVIDUAL PLAGIARISM DECLARATION This declaration is being made in accordance with the University Regulations on Plagiarism (First 2be assessed as part of or/the entire requirement of the course, other than work submitted in an invigilated examination. Statement 1. I have read the Plagiarism Regulations as set out in the Faculty Handbook and University websites related to the submission of coursework for assessment. 2. I declare that I understand that plagiarism is the use of another’s work pretending that it is one’s own and that it is a serious academic offence for which the University may impose severe penalties. 3. I declare that the submitted work indicated below is my own work, except where duly acknowledged and referenced. 4. I also declare that this paper has not been previously submitted for credit either in its entirety or in part within the UWI or elsewhere. 5. I understand that I may be required to submit the work in electronic form and accept that the University may check the originality of the work using a computer-based plagiarism detection service. TITLE OF ASSIGNMENT: The Dennery Segment phenomena and an overview of the development of music in St. Lucia COURSE CODE – HUMN 3099 COURSE TITLE - CARIBBEAN STUDIES PROJECT STUDENT ID - 816002997 By signing this declaration, you are confirming that the work you are submitting is original and does not contain any plagiarised material. I confirm that this assignment is my own work, and that the work of other persons has been fully acknowledged. SIGNATURE - _______Keitjè Greaves______________________ Greaves3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The study of Dennery Segment and St. Lucian music was a very enjoyable and informative experience. Special thanks needs to go to my mother, Dr. Bertha Cyril, who inspired me as she completed her doctoral studies while I started this research. I would also like to thank my supervisor, Ms. Kelly Ramlal, for her unwavering support throughout this process. Greaves4 ABSTRACT This study provides a musical analysis of the popular genre called Dennery Segment, within the broader context of the historical development of St. Lucian Music. Dennery Segment has been described as a “Contemporary Saint Lucian Genre,” and thus an analysis of the indigenous music that developed in St. Lucia during the era of colonialism, i.e. the sixteenth century, to the advent of the new style, was conducted in this research. The study affirms that St. Lucia’s music developed through the marriage of the musical elements of diverse cultures that met on the island during the colonial era. Dennery Segment can therefore be described as a St. Lucian expression of broader 21st Century “party” genres that include soca and kuduro, along with a “St. Lucian Folk” influence, and can thus be described as a soca subgenre. Despite the large popularity of the genre on the island, it was found that the popularity of artistes, wasn’t always proportional to the popularity of their music, and a sizeable segment of the public also desire an improvement in the lyrical content of the music. The study has thus concluded that the Dennery Segment is a musical expression of St. Lucia’s contemporary and traditional culture. Although skepticism exists in St. Lucian society with the text of the genre, external acceptance of the style has led to an increased embrace of the music and a more diverse use of the style. Keywords: Kuduro, St. Lucian Folk, Soca, Colonialism, Dennery Segment. Greaves5 TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………...3 ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………...4 TABLE OF CONTENT………………………………………………………………….5 LIST OF FGURES……………………………………………………………………….6 LIST OF APENDICES…………………………………………………………………..7 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………….8 LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………………….12 CHAPTER 1…………………………………………………………………………….16 CHAPTER 2…………………………………………………………………………….25 CHAPTER 3…………………………………………………………………………….41 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………45 WORKS CITED………………………………………………………………………...46 APENDIX A……………………………………………………………………………..50 APENDIX B…………………………………………………………………………….62 APENDIX C…………………………………………………………………………….66 APENDIX D……………………………………………………………………………68 APENDIX E……………………………………………………………………………69 APENDIX F……………………………………………………………………………73 APENDIX G…………………………………………………………………………...75 APENDIX H………………………………………………………………………….....77 APENDIX I……………………………………………………………………………… 80 Greaves6 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Notation of the Lakonmèt rhythm. Figure 2: Notation of a variation of the Lakonmèt rhythm. Figure 3: Notation of the Mazouk rhythm. Figure 4: Notation of a Variation of the Mazouk rhythm. Figure 5: Notation of 12 Beat Key Pattern. Figure 6: Notation of 3:2 cross rhythm. Figure 7:. Notation of Tresillo rhythm Figure 8: Simplified Notation of Gwada Riddim Figure 9: Simplified Notation of Pim Riddim Figure 10: Simplified Notation of Fuego Riddim Figure 11: St. Lucian Familiarity with Dennery Segment Figure 12: Regional/International Familiarity with Dennery Segment Figure 13: Popularity of Dennery Segment among age groups Greaves7 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A: Perception of Dennery Segment Survey Questions and Results. Appendix B: Interview Questions and excerpt of transcript of Monsignor Patrick Anthony Interview. Appendix C: Interview Questions and excerpt of transcript of Nevin “Mighty” Alexander Interview. Appendix D: Interview Questions and excerpt of Transcript of Luther Francois Interview. Appendix E: Interview Questions and excerpt of transcript of Andrew “Yardie” Haynes Interview. Appendix F: Excerpt of the transcript of Ronald “Boo” Hinkson Interview Appendix G: Excerpt of the transcript of Niger Nestor Interview Appendix H- Excerpt of the transcript of Richard Payne Interview Appendix I- Excerpt of Transcription of Lashley “Motto” Winter Interview Greaves8 INTRODUCTION St. Lucia is a 238 square mile island in the Eastern Caribbean, where prominent features of its colonial history were frequent change in colonial rule between France and Britain between 1674 and 1814, and an importation of slaves from West Africa through the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This unique history has shaped the prominent music on the island. Despite St. Lucia’s small size, a variety of folk forms was developed on the island, with each village on the island developing unique musical forms (Hinkson, Appendix F). The island’s indigenous folk music would eventually lose popularity in favor of regional genres that included calypso, which itself transitioned to soca. By the late 1990s into the 2010s, musical experimentations by young St. Lucian men, created a style that would later be known as Dennery Segment, a genre named after a district on St. Lucia’s east coast, where the music allegedly found its origin (Prospere). This study thus aimed to analyze the historic development of the island’s music, the characteristics of Dennery Segment and the public’s perception of that genre. Rationale: Studying how St. Lucian music has developed, and examining this phenomena of Dennery Segment is an important endeavor, due to the limited scholarly work available on the music and culture of the island. This reality was exacerbated by the destruction of the St. Lucia Folk Research Center in 2018 (D. Nestor). Like any society, the availability of more scholarly work and an analysis of the historical factors that have formed a people’s culture and identity are critical for the development of that society, a reality affirmed by one of St. Lucia’s Nobel Prize winners; Sir William Arthur Lewis, when he said that “a society without the arts is a cultural desert” (Popovic). It is for this reason that this study explores how the island’s music developed, and how a genre initially frowned upon by segments of a society, gained acceptance by that same society. Greaves9 Thesis Statement: St. Lucia’s music developed for centuries through the fusion of cultures that converged on the island through colonialism; by the twenty first century St. Lucian youth used a combination of traditional St. Lucian music, popular Afro-Caribbean genres, and accessible technology, to create a controversial, yet successful party genre/subgenre that became known as Dennery Segment. Parameters: This study aimed to identify the musical attributes of the Dennery Segment phenomenon, and trace the historic development of St. Lucian music. This study therefore analyzed the folk genres that existed during the 1950s, which ultimately had their origins from the colonial era, centuries before. The emphasis of the research on traditional music, focused primarily on the more Afro- based folk genres, as those were hypothesized as being the most influential on the Dennery Segment phenomena. The focus of the study then shifted to the era from the second half of the twentieth century, to the second decade of the twenty first century. The geographic area emphasized in this research focused primarily on the island of St. Lucia; however, given the interdependence that exists among St. Lucia and its neighboring islands, references were made to the Francophone and Anglophone islands that have influenced the island’s music. Recognizing the West African heritage of most of St. Lucia’s population, and the influence of Angolan ‘kuduro’ on Dennery Segment, references to African regions were made during the study. The study finally analyzed the public’s perception of the genre. This analysis focused primarily on St. Lucians, but also included a small representation from regional and international territories. The people personally interviewed in this research were either directly associated with the genre, or were critical Greaves10 figures in St. Lucia’s culture and music. This included Dennery Segment artistes, a producer, musicians, cultural activist, and music educators. Objectives: The aim of this study is to: 1. Analyze how St. Lucian music has developed from the colonial period to the present with emphasis on the period of the second half of the twentieth century into the early twenty-first century. 2. Describe the emergence of the music defined as Dennery Segment. 3. Thoroughly analyze the musical attributes that define Dennery Segment. 4. Analyze the public’s perception of Dennery Segment. Chapter Outline: Chapter 1: Historical Overview of St. Lucia’s Music. This chapter presents a brief overview of the colonial history that shaped St. Lucia’s music, and its musical development. It then provides a musical description of some of the folk genres that emerged on the island, and the traditional festivals and norms that made use of those traditional styles of music. Chapter 2: The Dennery Segment Phenomenon This chapter provides a thorough analysis of how the Dennery Segment genre emerged, with reference to the persons who influenced the genre. This is followed by a detailed musical analysis of the genre. Chapter 3: Perception of Dennery Segment This chapter analyzes the public’s perception of the genre, based on the findings of an online survey conducted for this study. Methodology: This study uses a mixed-methods approach, thus using both quantitative and qualitative data. This was collected from musicology dissertations, peer reviewed articles, newspaper articles and magazine features. Eight interviews were conducted both physically Greaves11 and through electronic media; interviewees included three prominent St. Lucian musicians, three artistes, the director of a music learning institution, and a cultural activist. The quantitative data came from an online survey conducted using Google Forms between March 27th and April 3rdst 2020. There were 571 responses to this survey, with the largest group surveyed being St. Lucians; however, in order to analyze the perception of a regional and international demographic, the survey was also forwarded to the Whats App groups of Halls and Island Associations of the University of The West Indies St. Augustine Campus. Musical accompaniments of the style were also scored and analyzed, to make conclusive statements about the musical characteristics of the genre. Through the analysis of graphs and charts formed from the results of the survey responses; conclusive statements were then made on the perception of the genre. Greaves12 Literature Review The topic of Dennery Segment and an overview of the development of music in St. Lucia is a broad topic that is essentially divided into two parts, one part being a historic overview of St. Lucia’s music, and the other being the phenomenon of Dennery Segment. Due to how recently the actual Dennery Segment phenomenon emerged, no scholarly work existed that directly focused on the genre. Scholarly work that existed on the music and festivals of St. Lucia, highlighted historic, social and musical elements of St. Lucia’s traditional music . The oldest scholarly research relating to the music of St. Lucia was the work of the anthropologist Daniel Crowley in the 1950s. One of his scholarly articles which gave a detailed analysis of the island’s music was “Song and Dance in St. Lucia” published in 1957. This article made references to festivities in the Aux Lyon Community, which is part of the Dennery district. Therefore Crowley’s work provided the oldest scholarly reference to the musical activities of Dennery, after which Dennery Segment was named. Another article by Crowley, which was referenced in this research, was “La Rose and La Marguerite Societies in St. Lucia,” published in 1958. This was the primary source for literature related to the island’s unique flower festivals. Dalphinis’ “Caribbean & African Languages: Social History, Language, Literature and Education,” was a major source for data on the impact of language in St. Lucian society, having provided essential detail on the birth of the kwéyol language on the island, which was essential due to the dominant place of this language in Dennery Segment, and the folk genres of the island. Apart from literature on the historical development of language, provided in Dalphinnis’ work; conclusive statements on factors that influenced the island’s music were also made possible through its analysis of the geographic origins of the island’s colonial slave population, which referenced the Senegambian region as being a major source of slaves brought to St. Lucia during the Slave Greaves13 Trade. Literature that focused on the traditional music of that region was then analyzed using Coolen’s “Senegambian Influences on Afro-American Musical Culture”. The most detailed study of the musical elements of St. Lucia’s indigenous music would be Guilbault’s 1984 dissertation titled “Musical Events in the Lives of the People of a Caribbean Island, St. Lucia Creole Culture, Interpretation”. This dissertation provided the oldest scholarly musical notation of native melodies and rhythms. Guilbault also provided detail on the musical features that defined the island’s folk styles, and gave a socioeconomic description of the context under which those folk styles were sung. Another critical source of data on the folk styles of the island was the book “Musical Traditions of St. Lucia, West Indies. Dances and Songs from a Caribbean Island”, of which Guilbault also was a co-author, along with Krister Malm, Embert Charles and Manfred Kremser. Scholarly work related directly to St. Lucian Music has been rare since Guilbault’s dissertation, though several Caribbean entertainment magazines, online web articles and newspaper articles have discussed and debated aspects of this topic. The most recent scholarly work done was Scovel’s “Function of Gender in St. Lucia: A Historical and Lyrical Analysis of Saint Lucian Soca”. This dissertation focused primarily on the history, the gender dynamics and social factors at play in St. Lucia’s music. A detailed analysis of the rise of Calypso in St. Lucia during the second half of the twentieth century was also provided, in addition to a detailed analysis of the rise of soca music in the Caribbean, and its impact on St. Lucian society. This dissertation provided important accounts about the social factors at play in St. Lucian society, which influenced the lyrics now common in the island’s music. Reference was also made to DJ’s and producers who infused St. Lucian musical elements and kwèyol into soca. This can be interpreted as a reference to Dennery Segment, though Scovel’s work didn’t mention the genre by name; we can infer that the lack of a single name for the Greaves14 genre at the time of her research, might have led to the lack of a direct reference to the genre by name. In the era of Globalization, no culture occurs in a vacuum, therefore the examination of St. Lucia’s indigenous music and its contemporary expressions were inadequate without an analysis of regional and international music popular, and common at the given time. An analysis of the music of Jamaica, the Francophone Caribbean and Trinidad was therefore done in the process of conducting this research. Due to the common reference to dancehall as a major influence on Dennery Segment phenomena during interviews, literature that examined this genre was also sought in conducting this research. The journal article “Spirit of Dancehall: embodying a new nomos in Jamaica” by Brown, provided detail on the vocal style of dancehall which happens to bear similarities to that associated with Dennery Segment. An analysis of soca was also essential in this research, as the Dennery Segment genre is often described as soca-subgenre. Leu’s “Raise Your Hands Jump Up and Get on Bad” gave detail on the birth of the soca genre from the calypso tradition, and the challenges faced by the pioneers of the soca genre in their quest of expressing the established calypso genre in a new form. The African Genre of kuduro also had a major influence on Dennery Segment, to the extent that a common name for the genre was Lucian kuduro. Scholarly work analyzed in this research which gave a historic context of the Angolan genre was Sheridan’s “The Technology and Aesthetics of Kuduro”, which gave detail on the use of technology in the production of kuduro music, which was consistent with what was also done with Dennery Segment. The most interesting information from this article; however, was the influence of Caribbean Music i.e. soca and zouk on the formation of what is known today as kuduro. Greaves15 In describing the musical attributes of St. Lucia’s music and the Dennery Segment phenomena, an analysis of the rhythms were essential. The rhythm that was the main focus of this research was the tresillo rhythm, as this plays a prominent role in Dennery Segment and was also the common rhythm linking most Caribbean genres. The main literature used in this research to analyze the tresillo was Aquista’s “Tresillo: A Rhythmic Framework Connecting Differing Rhythmic Styles”. This article provided a detailed analysis of the African origins of the rhythm, and expanded on how it evolved from the African 12th bell key pattern. Literature on how musical genres evolved in the Caribbean and Latin America on the other hand, came from Brill’s “Music of Latin America and the Caribbean.” This book gave detail on how Latin American and Caribbean folk styles tended to evolve into both art music and pop music. In this research scholarly literature assisted in meeting most objectives. This study will thus provide the scholarly world with a direct analysis of the Dennery Segment genre and provide comprehensive data on the public perception of the style among diverse age groups and nationalities. Greaves16 CHAPTER ONE Historical Overview of St. Lucian Music Socio-political History of Saint Lucia St. Lucia is an island nation located in the Eastern Caribbean and a prominent part of the island’s history was the convergence of ethnic groups due to European colonization. European colonization therefore played a major role in forming many aspects of the island’s culture. Prior to European colonization an “Amerindian” civilization existed on the island, as was the norm throughout the new world (Gachet 1-2). European colonization began on the island in the sixteenth century, and then brought slaves from the continent of Africa.The turbulence of this era was further exacerbated by the island having a change of colonial ownership more abundantly than many of its neighboring islands, however; the colonial period saw the French having a longer period of ownership of the island, resulting in the European influenced culture of the island having a more Francophone orientation (Dalphinis 30). African enslavement was met with much resistance by the enslaved, a strong maroon culture, locally known as nèg mawon, developed in St. Lucia due to mountainous terrain. The island became known as a maroon haven, and nèg mawon settlements served as the birth place of the French Kwèyol language that has dominated the island (Dalphinis 26). This kwèyol language would eventually become the dominant language of the island’s indigenous music, as well as Dennery Segment (Dowrich-Philips). The strong linkage between the maroons and kwéyol is epitomized in the reality that traditional rural settlements of the island have a stronger grasp of the language in comparison to urban centers such as Castries (Dalphinis 34). The community of Aux Lyon is a noted example of a community that had a strong Maroon heritage and was known for its isolation (Anthony, Appendix B). This Greaves17 community was often called no man’s land (Crowley, “Song”) and happens to be part of the district of Dennery. Therefore, through resistance, a unique culture was developing on the island. Slavery was eventually abolished, and after a frequent change in colonial rule; in 1813, St. Lucia became a British colony (Dalphinis 24). The island eventually became part of the short-lived West Indian Federation formed in 1958 , and political independence occurred in 1979, by which time indigenous and imported musical norms had developed on the island, thus contributing to the island’s complex history. Folk Music and their Associated Festivals The Flower Festivals For over two hundred years, St. Lucian civilization was divided into two floral societies called La Rose and La Marguerite (Crowley, “La Rose” 541). These are two rival societies represented by the two flowers whose name they bear. The societies existed in every village on the island and are characterized by a masquerade tradition based on the social and vocational hierarchy that existed in traditional colonial society (Anthony, Appendix B). Both societies celebrate a Grand Fete on the feast day of the Catholic saints who they have recognized as their respective patron saints. Prior to the expansion of St. Lucia’s pre- Lenten carnival, the grand fetes of the two societies were often described as Saint Lucia’s carnival, in reference to the cultural significance that the festivals had in Saint Lucian society, being similar to that which carnival had in Trinbagonian society (Crowley “La Rose” 542). We could therefore conclude that the festivals manifest through art, the history and social realities of the island. The music associated with the festivals are similar as they make use of the folk genres of mampas, and marches in the format of a verse and refrain (Guilbault 29). However a different ideology exists as it pertains to instrumentation and the purpose of music (Guilbault Greaves18 35). The musicologist Jocelyne Guilbault, claims that personality traits and class identity influenced which of the flower societies, individuals would find their identity (Guilbault 33- 34). This contrasts the research of Crowley, who linked membership more to an individual’s personal preference, rather than a strict personality trend, or class divide (Crowley “La Rose” 544). Guilbault asserts that the La Marguerite meetings were characterized a general absence of instrumental accompaniment, with the notable exception being the grand fete celebrated on their feast day (39-40). She stated that La Marguerite members were often of the middle class, were able to speak both English and Kwéyol and were practicing Roman Catholics (Guilbault 33) while the La Rose tradition on the other hand, consisted of members who were of the poorer class, only spoke kwéyol, and greater emphasis was placed on percussion instruments (Guilbault 40). A notable genre used in the La Rose society, but traditionally absent from the Marguerite society was the Lakonmèt. This genre, which is also common in the island’s kwadril tradition, is a triple meter genre, often accompanied by a specific dance that bears the same name (Malm, et al). The music is characterized by the rhythmic pattern played by the banjo, as transcribed below (Malm, et al). A common variant of that rhythm is also common in the genre and is also transcribed below. Greaves19 Figure 1 Notation of the Lakonmèt rhythm Source; Musical Traditions of St. Lucia, West Indies. Dances and Songs from a Caribbean Island Figure 2 Notation of a variation of the Lakonmèt rhythm Source; Musical Traditions of St. Lucia, West Indies. Dances and Songs from a Caribbean Island The St. Lucian African drummer Niger Nestor; has noted, that the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe also share this genre but refer to is as mazouk (N. Nestor). He has explained that there is a European influence in the defining rhythm that resembles snare patterns used in marches (N. Nestor). Mazouk indeed found its origin from the Polish mazurka, which made its way to the West Indies in the 1830’s (Brill 207). The mazurka was a common dance and music form in the European ball rooms of the nineteenth century, and was also common in Greaves20 the French Caribbean (Brill 207). Slaves as well as freed slaves, were often part of small orchestras that played European ballroom music in nineteenth-century Martinique and Guadeloupian society (Brill 206). After playing in the ballrooms, the slaves would commonly Africanize the European style by the use of syncopated rhythms and drums. This African reinterpretation was often frowned upon by the planter class, but gave birth to what is referred to today as mazouk (Brill 206-207). The Saint Lucian renowned saxophonist and Creole Jazz musician Luther Francois, notes that a difference does exist between the fundamental rhythm of the mazouk and that of the Lakonmèt (Francois Appendix D). He notes the fundamental difference is highlighted in how the phrase of the defining rhythm ends. This defining rhythm and its variation is transcribed below based on Francois’ description when interviewed for this research. Figure 3. Notation of the Mazouk rhythm Source; Keitje Greaves based on Interview of Luther Francois, conducted for this research Figure 4. Notation of a Variation of the Mazouk rhythm Source; Keitje Greaves based on Interview of Luther Francois, conducted for this research Greaves21 The lakonmèt and mazouk relationship demonstrates the similarities between the music of St. Lucia and Martinique. The La Rose society also makes use of the kwadril dance tradition of St. to which the lakonmèt belongs and had its origins from the European quadrille (Malm, et al). Both the European quadrille and St. Lucian kwadril consist of five dances, with the first three dances being played in compound meter and the last two being played in duple meter (Malm, et al). The two quadrilles employ the same key and the progressions I—(II)—V—I or I –(IV) – V—I or I – (V/V) –V—I (Malm, et al. A major difference between the St. Lucian kwadril and its European counterpart is the how Violin is used in the music (Malm, et al). In St. Lucian kwadril a détaché style of violin playing is quite common with an emphasis placed on improvisation as opposed to the fixed melodies that characterized European quadrille (Malm, et al). The orchestration of the St. Lucian kwadril is also unique in that it often consist of the violin, banjo, cuatro and chac (Malm, et al). It could therefore be concluded, that the music of the flower festivals and kwadril tradition of St. Lucia, originated from African slaves’ reinterpretation of the music of the European colonizers. African Traditions of St. Lucia The St. Lucian population consist primarily of persons of African descent and the Dennery Segment genre is hypothesized to be a popular expression of folk genres that are linked to African drumming traditions (Anthony, Appendix B). The part of Africa where most St. Lucian slaves originated is believed to be the Senegambia region (Dalphinis 43). Two common instruments in the Senegambia society were the nyanyaur and the xalam (Coolen 10), which happen to be very similar to the violin and banjo, which are important instruments in St. Lucia Folk styles (Malm et al). Several drums and wind instruments were common in Senegambia’s musical tradition; however, in Greaves22 colonial societies these instruments were seen as a forms of communication that could lead to revolts, and were thus restricted on colonial plantations (Coolen 9). The frequent use of the drums in St. Lucia could have thus been preserved in the Maroon communities, as was the case in other Caribbean colonies such as Jamaica, where African culture was preserved in their Maroon communities (Brill 168-169). This could also explain why complex African drumming was preserved better in St. Lucian rural communities like Piaye, compared to the island’s urban areas. Saint Lucia’s African musical traditions are/were reflected in the dance, the way people play and in funeral wakes. An analysis of the traditional musical genres that have been born of those activities was thus essential in this research. St. Lucian Play Activities Play in traditional St. Lucian society consisted of many norms that included listwa which is storytelling, jwé chanté which are song-dramas, and gèm which are song games (Guilbault 78). The four musical genres used in the play song dances were the yonbòt, débòt, solo and jwé poté (Guilbault 90-91). All four genres made use of the African Drum called the ka or bélè drum, the tibwa, which were sticks hit against the rims of the drum or on bamboo, and the chac (Government of St. Lucia 00:15:19- 00:17:45). The text associated with the play song dances varied from events familiar to listeners, to sexually suggestive commentary (Malm, et al). All four genres make use of duple meter and in all cases two or three motifs form the basis for the melody (Malm, et al). The common form used in the genres is call and response (Guilbault 96). The yonbòt and debòt are both rhythmic genres used to accompany dances characterized by an accentuated “vap” often placed on the first beat, which gives a signal to the dancing couple to perform a blòtjé movement. This blòtjé movement consist of the slamming of the pelvic regions of the couple towards each other (Guilbault 114). The introduction of a débót is often sung by a lone song leader without musical accompaniment. Greaves23 He often sings as many as seven verses, followed by a short melodic motif, to which gatherers respond with an equally short refrain (Guilbault 104). Solo The solo is another genre based from the family of song dances used for play activities in St. Lucia (Guilbault 91). The music was associated with traditions of Christmas, bamboo bursting and the souls of the departed (Government of St. Lucia 00:02:15-00:04:32). All those traditions were associated with the end of the calendar year, and therefore indicates that the solo was a genre employed primarily at year end. Niger Nestor has noted that the solo got its name due to the fact that it consisted of one drummer as the prime accompanist (N. Nestor, Appendix G). However, he also notes that the use of one drummer in the genre is no longer the norm (N. Nestor, Appendix G). This expansion in the number of drummers used likely occurred for acoustic purposes as the genre was increasingly used in open fields (Government of St. Lucia 00:16:42-00:17:03). Apart from the drums, the other instruments used in the genre, are the same as those used in the other play song genres (Government of St. Lucia 00:15:19- 00:17:45). The dances associated with the solo have always been noted for their sensual nature and solo dances were known for being freer i.e. with less intricate movements in comparison to other traditional dances (Government of St. Lucia 00:9:54-00:10:53). It should also be noted that in some communities on the island, reservation existed with the solo due to the genre being perceived as being too “hot” (Malm et al.). Interestingly the blòtjè figure that is common to the other play songs genres, is not a figure in the solo dance routine, though the dance is still inspired by that figure (Guibault 116). Sensual dancing has thus been one of the defining features of the solo. The solo is the genre that persons most often credit as being the parent of Dennery Segment (Payne), as referenced most often in interviews conducted for this research. Some Greaves24 activists; however, propose all African drumming and song dance traditions of the island as being influential on Dennery Segment (Anthony, Appendix B). It is worth highlighting the fact that a reservation similar to what existed with sections of the St. Lucian public in relation to the sensual nature of solo, is now being observed with Dennery Segment. We thus need to analyze the contemporary Dennery Segment genre, to understand whether it indeed shares links with folk genres of the past. Greaves25 CHAPTER TWO The Dennery Segment Phenomena Carnival Music Dennery Segment music is a party/dance musical genre, therefore the analysis of this phenomenon involved a look at the history of Carnival in the Caribbean. Carnival in the various islands have diverse origins; however, in the Anglophone Caribbean most of the contemporary Carnivals emulate that of Trinidad and Tobago (Scovel 5). The Carnival of Trinidad and Tobago found its origins from French colonists, who were residents of the islands during the 1700s, and was characterized by costume balls and masquerade (Scovel 6). After Emancipation, slaves had the freedom to participate in their own Carnival, and by the 1880’s this Carnival was termed Jammette Carnival, which was a derogatory term that referred to the rebellious and risqué behavior of the emancipated slaves and by the nineteenth century the middle class of Trinidad was eventually alienated from Carnival (Scovel 7). Out of this Jammette Carnival, a merger of European and African musical elements took place, which formed the foundation of what is today known as Calypso, which became the only power that the newly freed slaves had in their post- emancipation society (Scovel 10). Calypso “The origins of Calypso lies in the several call and response song forms; such as lavway, belair, calinda, and bongo usually sung extempore by slave singers, or chantwells on topical subjects or in order to trade insults among singers” (Leu 45). It is worth noting that the dances associated with the calinda i.e. the precursor of Calypso, were often labeled as lewd and risqué by the colonials, and those labels remained with the slaves and their descendants into the twentieth century (Scovel 12). A similar trend is apparent in how sections of St. Lucian society viewed the solo compared to the way colonials viewed calypso Greaves26 in Trinidad, during its early history. Trinidad, like St. Lucia had a French kwéyol heritage, and in the early caiso /calinda, this language dominated the text (Scovel 13). Calypso would eventually become the music of Carnival celebrations, and its popularity among Americans based in Trinidad during the early period of oil exploration, and World War 2, led to the music eventually having global popularity, with the advent of international hits like Rum and Coca Cola (Scovel 16-17). The Catholic and French heritage of St. Lucia, meant that a pre-Lenten Carnival had also been celebrated on the island, but it was not as popular and significant among the populace as it was in Trinidad (Scovel 19). As mentioned earlier, the flower festivals were in fact the dominant festivals of St. Lucian society prior to the nineteen-forties (Scovel 20) and the rise of Carnival and calypso in St. Lucia dates back primarily to the 1960s (Scovel 23). The global popularity of calypso during that era meant that international tourists who visited the Caribbean sought the genre during their vacations, and therefore St. Lucian musicians initially adopted the genre, primarily for the entertainment of those tourists (Scovel 23). The push of the upper class eventually led to calypso becoming the music that represented St. Lucian identity, while other festivals were given terms such as folk, and were frowned upon for their use of the language that the elites associated with illiteracy, i.e. French kwéyol (Scovel 24). Ironically, though the St. Lucian government attempted to enshrine St. Lucian uniqueness during its independence in 1979; the music they pushed was calypso, primarily due to its commercial value in relation to tourism (Scovel 26). The calypso Monarch competition eventually became one of the largest event of St. Lucia’s Carnival in a manner that followed the trend that was occurring in Trinidad. The class and language prejudice that characterized St. Lucian society would however, manifest itself in the competition in the early days, with French kwéyol performers often being at a disadvantage due to their poor Greaves27 English diction, and the consistent use of judges who lacked an adequate comprehension of kwéyol (Scovel 125-126). Soca Calypso eventually became the parent of a new genre called soca that first emerged in Trinidad in the 1970’s and 1980s. Soca music found its origin from the work of Lord Shorty who fused the rhythms of calypso with that of Indian music (Leu 45). Lyrically, soca is seen as the successor of smutty calypso, which was the form of traditional calypso most often at odds with institutions such as churches, due to is sexualized lyrics (Leu 49). Lorraine Leu has noted in her research, that a key difference between the smutty calypso and soca, is the more direct and raw use of sexual text present in soca (49). Therefore, as soca became more popular in the Caribbean diaspora, the sexual content of soca focused primarily on the female’s body as an instrument of sexual expression and exploitation (Scovel 137). Soca would be widely embraced by St. Lucian society by the early 1990s (Scovel 129), and in contrast to the early history of calypso in St. Lucia, the fact that soca developed as a genre later, meant that the linguistic divide of St. Lucian society was reduced by the time the genre flourished. As a consequence, there was a greater embrace and use of the French Kwèyol language in St. Lucian soca from its inception (Scovel 141). The power of soca as a commercial product would increase globally leading St. Lucian soca artistes to attempt to make gains from this musical market, through the use of the emerging social media. A challenge for soca artistes and producers; however, was producing music that sounded fresh, and therefore, various fusions of other genres with soca has been a constant feature of the soca music industry. In the context of St. Lucia, the previous mindset that saw the use of French Kwéyol and traditional folk instrumentation as a liability began to diminish, and producers started to use synthesized folk instruments in their soca (Scovel 95). This use Greaves28 of St. Lucian folk and kwèyol elements in the context of soca was therefore one of the phenomena that was theorized as giving birth to what we know today as Dennery Segment. The Birth of Dennery Segment Andrew Haynes, who goes by the sobriquet, Yardie, entered the St. Lucian music scene through the junior calypso competition of the 1980s and would eventually become the winner of St. Lucia’s second soca monarch competition in 1998 (Haynes, Appendix E). A unique feature of the artiste at the time, was his persistent use of kwéyol and St. Lucian parlance in his music. By the late 1990s, he formed a team of young artistes that he labeled “Hotness”, which included artiste like Ally Kyat, Shep dawg and Crocodile, “who chanted and rapped over dancehall, zouk and soca beats using their St. Lucian parlance” (Inglis 00:01:12-00:01:17). It is argued that this movement was the genesis of Dennery Segment (Inglis 00:00:45-00:01:17). Industry pioneers such as Dennery Segment artiste and producer Motto however, link the origin of Dennery Segment to the kuduro music of Angola (Winter, Appendix I). He recalls that during the early years of the 2010s, popular music originating from Africa was prevalent in St. Lucia (Winter, Appendix I). He also noted that producers like himself had the desire to replicate those kuduro beats, and local artistes started to sing on those beats as well. What then was this Kuduro music that was so essential to the Dennery Segment movement, that the genre was commonly known as Lucian kuduro? Kuduro is a hybrid genre originating from Angola, which draws from the influences of soca, techno, and African regional styles (Sheridan 83). Interestingly, the soca influence affirms that despite its African origins, the genre had a strong Caribbean influence. This genre was shaped by the increased availability of technologies during the 1990s and 2000s (Sheridan 83). In the early stages of kuduro’s development, the tempo of the music was frequently between 128-135 beats per minute, and originated from the youth’s desire to create Greaves29 a localized version of techno (Sheridan 87). By the early 2000s, the average tempo of the genre increased to 140 beats per minute, and was mainly produced in home studios using software such as Frooty Loops (Sheridan 88). The “vocal recordings reflected lineage to dancehall toasting, and rave rap from Eurodance and hip-hop” (Sheridan 88). Interestingly, the production of Dennnery Segment music also shared this pattern, as many Dennery Segment producers used similar software in home studios (Winter, Appendix I). With increased production, the kuduro genre became increasingly popular in Angolan society (Sheridan 90) and the international exportation of the genre also impacted St. Lucia’s industry. Another perspective exists as to the origins of the Dennery Segment, and this perspective points directly to the district of Dennery, after which the genre was named. Around the year 2000, a young man from Dennery named Jahim Etienne, who goes by the sobriquet Dub Master J, started to fuse St. Lucian folk musical elements, learnt from his grandparents, into his musical productions (Dowrich-Phillips). Etienne pointed to the folk genre of solo as the primary influence of the music he produced, and affirmed that his desire was always to create music that was authentically St. Lucian (Dowrich-Phillips). This theory was also affirmed by the popular Dennery Segment artiste Nevin “Mighty” Alexander, who hails from the community of Grand Ravine, which is also part of the Dennery district. He expressed the belief that Dennnery Segment is a traditional genre, that it is a direct successor to solo, and believes that the genre heralded the entrance of solo into the soca realm (N. Alexander, Appendix C). Mighty also held the view, that despite the fact that artistes initially sang on kuduro beats, that admittedly sounded similar to Dennery Segment; a unique genre was formed through the work of Dub Master J (N. Alexander, Appendix C). However, the path to success for the artiste and producers of the developing style, wasn’t one of unanimous support from society. Greaves30 The Opposition of Dennery Segment Dennery Segment artiste faced much opposition from many sectors of society for lyrics that were considered too graphic, crude and lewd (N. Alexander). The opposition to the genre among the mainstream media, and sections of society was so severe, that at one point, all music from the genre was banned on the radio stations for three months (Prospere). Notable persons who had expressed reservation concerning the genre included the independent politician, Kensley Charlemagne, and cultural activist George “Fish” Alphonse. Charlemagne was of the view that the music objectified women, and the only reason the genre, was making strides, was due to there being a market for negative content (Charlemagne). Though Charlemagne applauded the perpetuation of an African beat in the genre, he was of the view that the lewd lyrics were symptoms of black peoples’ lack of identity and self-esteem (Charlemagne). Alphonse on the other hand, questioned the legitimacy of the view that the genre represented a contemporary expression of St. Lucia’s cultural identity (Mc Dowell). He believed that St. Lucian culture is one of respect, and recalls that while he grew up, hypersexual topics were not conversed freely between adults and children in the manner demonstrated today (Mc Dowell). Like Charlemagne, Alphonse believed that the artistes only viewed the female’s body as an instrument of exploitation (Mc Dowell). The cultural activist went further and expressed his lack of willingness to have included the artistes in the activities for Creole Heritage month that he organized in 2018 (Mc Dowell). Despite this opposition, the music remained widely popular among the youth, and some songs gained popularity in Martinique (Dowrich-Phillips). Ultimately, it was the acceptance of the genre beyond the borders of St. Lucia that led to an increased embrace of the genre by some of the initially resistant sections of the society. This factor combined with Greaves31 an attempt by artistes to reexamine the lyrical content of the music, by singing some parts in English, led to the production of music that became much more marketable (N. Alexander). The Acceptance and Rise of Dennery Segment The international success of Dennery Segment became very visible, when in 2015 an artiste by the name of Freezy, released a song titled “Split in The Middle.” This song arguably became the most successful St. Lucian song in the international market based on YouTube views, and placed a new spotlight on the Dennnery Segment movement (Team Foxx Split). On March 4th 2020, the most viewed video of the song on YouTube had approximately fifteen million views (Team Foxx Split). Also very critical to the international export of the genre, had been the work of Motto, who was able to make linkages with some of the world’s most popular soca artistes such as Bunji Garlin, Skinny Fabulous and Machel Montano (Dowrich-Phillips). Through those linkages, Motto produced Dennery Segment ridddims i.e. musical accompaniment upon which those artiste released hits that exposed the entire soca world to the genre (Dowrich-Phillips). Prominent examples of Dennery Segment hits produced by Moto and sung by international soca celebrities included, Showtime by Machel Montano, Bend Down by Mr. Legz, Motto and Problem Child, and Dip by Shall Marshall (Dowrich-Phillips). The international success of Dennery Segment music led to a gradual change in the level of criticism that the music initially received from sections of the society. The St. Lucia Government began to embrace the genre by 2017, through the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Authority which used the genre as a tool to market the island’s cultural activities (Dowrich- Phillips). The authority began to sponsor artistes as they toured the U.S., thus helping them promote their musical product to an international audience (Dowrich-Phillps). The genre had achieved such a high status in the society, that Dennery Segment artiste Motto, and Freezy were among the individuals that the government of St. Lucia declared as official brand Greaves32 ambassadors for the island in the year 2020 (A. Alexander). In the current period, it appears the Dennery Segment has become the genre that now promotes St. Lucian identity and uniqueness. The Origins of the Name Prior to the adoption of Dennery Segment as the name for the genre, much debate existed as to what the increasingly unique style should have been called (Inglis 00:02:33- 0:03:35). In reference to the kuduro music that influenced the early music of the genre, it was called Lucian kuduro (Winter, Appendix I). However, as the genre became increasingly unique, many persons clamored for a unique name to be given to the unique style (Winter, Appendix I). Various DJ’s gave various ideas for the name for the genre including twaca music and creole music (Winter, Appendix I) however; the artistes who dominated the genre during that period included Dub Master J, Mighty, and Subance, who were all from the district of Dennery. As a result, the population began to associate the genre with the district, and they used terms like Dennery Music when making request to hear the music (Winter, Appendix I). This trend eventually led to the term Dennery Segment becoming the common name of the genre. Though many artistes who were not from the Dennery district expressed dissatisfaction with that trend, they eventually accepted the change (Winter, Appendix I). Interestingly, some of the most successful artistes of the genre, such as Black Boy and Motto, didn’t originate from Dennery. Musical Characteristics of Dennery Segment The musical characteristics that define Dennery Segment as a genre, like other elements related to the style, is an issue that remains debated. Niger Nestor has noted that some persons have argued that it might not be musical elements that define the genre, but rather the unique style of the language that truly defines the genre (N. Nestor, Appendix G). Motto made reference to the fact that the persons who make this argument, believe that if a Greaves33 non-native speaker sings on a Dennery Segment riddim, then the song could no longer fall into the category of the genre (Winter, Appendix I). However, several musicians including pianist and director of the Saint Lucia School of Music, Mr. Richard Payne; hold on to the perspective that the genre is a contemporary expression of the island’s solo music (Payne, Appendix H). The renowned St. Lucian guitarist, Ronald “Boo” Hinkson, also believes that the fundamental rhythms of the genre are so innate to the St. Lucian person, that members of the society of all ages and classes find the music irresistible, despite the reservations some of them might have with the lyrics (Hinkson, Appendix F). Payne believes that one of the core elements of the Dennery Segment rhythm that is also shared with many other St. Lucian folk and Caribbean genres is the Tresillo rhythm (Payne, Appendix H). What then is this Tresillo rhythm that forms such a core part of the music of the Caribbean? The Tresillo The Tresillo is defined as “the three side of clave or triplet.’’ It is the rhythm most common to cultures around the globe, and has thus attained the name universal rhythm (Acquista 1). It is believed to have originated from the standard pattern of Africa, which is a 12 bell pattern, also known as the African 12/8 clave (Acquista 5), a pattern built over two 3/2 cross beat patterns (Acquista 8). The first three notes of this seven stroke pattern is built upon an on-beat 3/2 cross rhythm while the final four strokes are built upon an off-beat 3/2 cross rhythm as notated below (Acquista 10). Figure 5. Notation of 12 Beat Key Pattern Greaves34 Source; “Tresillo: a Rhythmic Framework Connecting Differing Rhythmic Styles.” The master drummer C. K. Ladzekpo believes that what we know as the Tresillo today is a duple manifestation of the African 3:2 cross-rhythm (Acquista 10). The figures below show this relation between the on-beat 3:2 cross rhythm and the Tressillo. Figure 6. Notation of 3:2 cross rhythm Source; “Tresillo: a Rhythmic Framework Connecting Differing Rhythmic Styles.” Figure 7. Notation of tresillo rhythm Source; “Tresillo: a Rhythmic Framework Connecting Differing Rhythmic Styles.” Today the rhythm evokes a Caribbean sound to most audiences, due to its prominence in the majority of styles of this region (Bennett 00:01:16-00:01:24). Its entrance into the region took place through the Atlantic Slave Trade, where it then spread to Europe (Bennett 00:01:39-00:01:47). The introduction of the rhythm to modern pop occurred through dancehall, and the popular track “Dem Bow”, by Shabba Ranks. The rhythm was so closely Greaves35 associated with the track, and dancehall that it was once popularly known as the Dem Bow rhythm (Bennett 00:03:09-00:03:40). Its use in main stream pop music started with native mainstream Caribbean singers like Sean Paul, and was eventually used by non-native artiste and producers (Bennett 00:03:40-00:04:28). How then does this rhythm so fundamental to Caribbean music, and now common in main stream pop manifest itself in Dennery Segment? Motto, in explaining the making of a Dennery Segment rhythm emphasized the importance of the Tresillo Rhythm and described its use as a clap (Fox Productions ST. 00:01:00-00:1:20). It is the norm in the genre that the first two strokes of the Tresillo are played as a clap, but the final stroke is played on another percussion instrument such as a tomb (Fox Production ST. 00:01:30-00:02:12) . This final stroke is the most accented of the three strokes of the Tresillo, and the use of another percussion instrument assist in emphasizing that accent, which Motto describes as having a pulling effect on the underlying Tresillo pattern. Interestingly, the tone used often by producers for the Tresillo clap most frequently resembles the sound of the tibwa which we discussed earlier as being a critical instrument in traditional St. Lucian genres like the solo. This may very well be the factor that gives the Dennery Segment a sound that resembles genres like the solo. Instrumentation and Rhythms of Dennery Segment Producers such as Motto believe that the argument which proposes Dennery Segment as a contemporary expression of folk styles, is largely based on the instrumentation associated with the genre (Winter, Appendix I). Artistes such as Mighty and Subbance make an effort to release songs on beats that use melodies ,rhythms and instruments with a resemblance to the solo style (Winter, Appendix I). These artiste consistently release songs during St. Lucia’s Carnival, as well Creole Heritage month of October, which incidentally, is a festival that was created to preserve the kwéyol and cultural heritage of St. Lucia (Winter, Appendix I). This trend departs from that which existed with soca and calypso, which were Greaves36 traditionally released only during the Carnival season. The genre’s instrumentation is therefore its most vivid connection to the traditional styles of St. Lucia. The instrumentation of the genre however, is evolving, and each producer has his/her unique style which incorporates their preferred instrumentation (Winter, Appendix I). Motto in describing the preferences of Dennery Segment producers, has noted that while he prefers the use of whistles, conch shells, and congas, another company like Ransom Records for example, has a preference for a hiphop influenced instrumentation that uses synths (Winter, Appendix I). However, in referencing the debate over the defining element of the genre, Moto aligns himself closer to the group that believes that the beat defines the genre, as opposed to the lyrics (Winter, Appendix I). The initial tempo associated with Dennery Segment was 140 bpm, with rhythms such as the Revolt riddim, followed by an increasing trend that brought the tempo up to 147 bpm (Winter, Appendix I). However, in more recent years the evolution of the genre has led to a reduction in tempo to about 110bpm (Winter, Appendix I). This new style was pioneered by arties such as Black Boy, with his hit called “Fire Fighter” and Freezy’s “Split In The Middle,” which were influenced by the raga-soca or dancehall influenced soca of Martinique (Winter, Appendix I). Motto notes that of late, the slower version of the genre has been more popular than the generic faster tempo version, as evident by the fact that his most popular riddim for the 2019-2020 Carnival season, was the 110bpm “Fuego Riddim,” ( Appendix I). A unique trend in the newer version of the genre has been the use of the keyboard , a trend that is clearly related to the dancehall influence of the new version of the style (Winter, Appendix I). Also quite influential on Dennery Segment, has been the Dominican genre called bouyon, which has influenced the faster version of the genre (Winter, Appendix I). Greaves37 Melody, Harmony and Form of Dennery Segment The critical feature of Dennery Segment is ultimately the rhythm; however, the genre does have features that define its vocal styles and harmony. Motto notes, that his music follows a strophe and refrain form and there is a deliberate effort to have as few chord changes in the genre as possible, due to the belief that the younger generation has a preference for musical simplicity (Winter, Appendix I). The melody and vocal styles of Dennery Segment on the other hand, is similar to that of dancehall. This vocal style also evident in dancehall, is characterized by “DJ’s/vocalist that chant or toast over a track with a prominent and rhythmic bass line” (Brown, 21). In conclusion, though the genre is changing, certain musical elements have shaped the general trend of the genre. This includes a strong and steady kick from the bass drum, one lead instrument that plays a riff throughout the track, and a Tresillo pattern played by the snare or a tone that resembles the tibwa ( Team Foxx M 00:03:48-00:04:21). Vocalization follows rhythmic chanting, or toasting similar to that of dancehall and kuduro. Below are three simple scores of the Gwada, and Pim riddim, which belong to the faster tempo style of Dennery Segment, and the Fuego Riddim which belongs to the more recent style of the genre. All three riddims were produced by Motto and demonstrate key musical attributes of Dennery Segment. Greaves38 Figure 8 Simplified Notation of Gwada Riddim. Soruce; Keitje Greaves, based on Winter’s description Greaves39 Figure 9 Simplified Notation of Pim Pim Riddim Source; Keitje Greaves, based on Winter’s description (Team Foxx P) Greaves40 Figure 10 Simplified Notation of Fuego Riddim Source; Keitje Greaves, based on Winter’s description (Team Foxx F) Greaves41 CHAPTER 3 Perception of Dennery Segment Familiarity with Dennery Segment This section presents the results of an onlne survey on the percepton of Dennery Segment. The data indicates that the majority of Saint Lucian respondents are familiar with the genre.as seen in Figure 13. In analyzing the regional/international familiarity of the genre, shown in Figure 14, it was found that most non St. Lucian respondents seemed to have a marginal familiarity with the genre’s name. This does not equate to an unfamiliarity with the style of music, as most respondents including non-nationals in the survey were familiar with a number of the songs of the genre (Appendix A). Figure 11 St. Lucian Familiarity with Dennery Segment Source; Perception of Dennery Segment survey (Appendix A). Greaves42 Figure 12 Regional/International Familiarity with Dennery Segment Source; Perception of Dennery Segment survey (Appendix A). Popularity of Genre and Artste The data shows that the age range of respondents were diverse and confirmed that Dennery Segment was a popular genre, as the majority of respondents expressed an intense love for the genre as indicated in Figure 16. The popularity of the genre was lower among the respondents who were above 36 years, as the percentage of respondents who selected “love it” declined with age. However, the two age groups above 35 years i.e. 36-49 and above 50, indicated that they had a moderate liking of the genre The aspect of the genre most appreciated was its musical accompaniment, in contrast to the lyrical content, which was the aspect of the genre, most cited as an area in need of Greaves43 improvement (Appendix A). Figure 13 Popularity of Dennery Segment among age groups. Source; Perception of Dennery Segment survey (Appendix A) The survey found that Motto was the most popular Dennery Segment artiste ,however he is not the singer of the most popular songs, which were “Split In The Middle” and “Bad In Bum Bum,” sang by Freezy, and Mighty and Subance respectively(Appendix A). There seemed to have been a trend of some artistes not gaining a proportional increase in popularity compared to that of their music. This phenomenon is something that needs to be investigated in future research, though we could infer that the marketing and branding of artistes could have been a major factor that contributed to that trend. The Impact of Dennery Segment Dennery Segment has had an immense impact on both St. Lucia’s music industry and its society.The most popular occasions when the genre was used, based on the respondents, were fetes and Carnival,but not limited to such occasions. At least 40% of the survey Greaves44 respondents, indicated that various recreational activities were also desired occasions to use the music. We could infer, that a diversification in the use and purpose of the music may have been taking place (Appendix A). The immense popularity of the genre and its widespread usage in contemporary St. Lucian society meant that varying opinions existed with the societal impact of the genre. Most respondents affirmed that genre gave the island’s artistes more exposure, a belief shared by 83.5% of the respondents. This may explain why the artistes of the genre were gaining more regional and international success, compared to St. Lucian artistes of previous decades. Another impact highlighted by respondents was a perceived increase in the appreciation of the kwéyol language by St. Lucian society, a view expressed by 66% of respondents (Appendix A). Given the historic disdain for the (Scovel 22); it is understandable that a contemporary embrace of the language through the music could have augmented the preservation of the language The controversy that surrounded the genre was often centered on the lyrical content, and the survey affirmed the polarizing nature of this aspect of the music, with 50.8% of respondents declaring it as an aspect that they disliked. Directly related to lyrical content was the view that the music increased the objectification of females, a view shared by a marginal 38.2% of respondents. A more affirmative declaration of this problematic aspect of the genre; however, was the fact that 77.55% of respondents listed it as an aspect of the genre that needed improvement. (Appendix A).We could conclude that though the general opinion of the lyrical content was mixed, a greater unanimity existed with the belief in a need for some sort of improvement in the lyrical content (Appendix A). Greaves45 CONCLUSION This study confirmed the long-established role of colonialism in shaping the traditional musical genres of St. Lucia. The eventual birth and defining attributes of the contemporary genre called Dennery Segment, was influenced by external regional and international factors, which included the easier availability of production software technology, and the increased global popularity of Caribbean and African musical styles, through social media. The two styles most influential on Dennery Segment were kuduro and soca, which were genres that were experiencing increased use in the international popular music industry during the advent of the new style. The St. Lucian origin of Dennery Segment manifested itself through the increased use of the kwéyol language, and musical characteristics that resembled solo. Despite this, the popular view that the genre is a contemporary expression of the island’s traditional afro- drumming styles was found to be not fully conclusive. The linkage between the genre and traditional styles like the solo was found to be based on the use of kwéyol, and the instrumentation associated with the older style of Dennery Segment. A recent evolution of the genre was evident with a reduction in tempo, and a greater diversification of the common instrumentation; factors that have reduced the resemblance that the genre had with solo. The genre would thus better fit the definition of a soca-subgenre influenced by kuduro and the island’s Afro-drumming tradition. The popularity of the music was confirmed by this study, though regionally; there seemed to have been a limited awareness of the existence of a name associated with the style. The also survey confirmed the polarizing opinions that existed with the lyrical content of the genre, though an overall desire for this aspect to be improved was expressed by survey respondents. 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Charlemagne, Kensley P. “Lucian Kuduro: A Cry for Help.” St. Lucia News From The Voice St. Lucia, 2 Feb. 2019, https://thevoiceslu.com/2019/02/lucian-kuduro-a-cry-for-help/. Coolen, Michael T. “Senegambian Influences on Afro-American Musical Culture.” Black Music Research Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, 1991, p. 1., doi:10.2307/779241. Crowley, Daniel J. “La Rose and La Marguerite Societies in St. Lucia.” The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 71, no. 282, 1958, p. 541., doi:10.2307/537460. Crowley, Daniel J. “Song and Dance in St. Lucia.” Ethnomusicology, vol. 1, no. 9, 1957, p. 4., doi:10.2307/924597. Dalphinis, Morgan. Caribbean & African Languages: Social History, Language, Literature and Education. Whiting & Birch, 2015. Greaves47 Dowrich-Phillips, Laura. “Dennery Style: Backstory.” Caribbean Beat Magazine, 29 Dec. 2018, https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-155/dennery-style. Francois, Luther. Personal Interview.10th January2020 Gachet, Charles. A History of the Roman Catholic Church in St. Lucia. Key Caribbean Publications, 1975. Government of St. Lucia. “African Influences on Saint Lucian Culture Solo (Pt 11)”.YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbvmG4XLLGg. Guilbault, Jocelyne. Musical Events in the Lives of the People of a Caribbean Island, St. Lucia (Creole Culture, Interpretation). 1984. Haynes, “Yardie” Andrew. Personal Interview. January 2019. Hinkson, “Boo”Ronald. Personal Interview.3 August.2019. Inglis, Norbert Dylan. “Mini Documentary: What is Lucian Dennery Segment Music (Lucian Kuduro)”.YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1cwZ4RYbyM. Leu, Lorraine. “‘Raise Yuh Hand, Jump up and Get on Bad!": New Developments in Soca Music in Trinidad.” Latin American Music Review / Revista De Música Latinoamericana, vol. 21, no. 1, 2000, p. 45., doi:10.2307/780413. Malm, Krister, et al. “Musical Traditions of St. Lucia, West Indies. Dances and Songs from a Caribbean Island.” Yearbook for Traditional Music, vol. 28, 1996, p. 227., doi:10.2307/767842. Mc Dowell, Eleibox Claudia. “Don't Mention Dennery Segment to 'Fish' Alphonse!” The St. Lucia STAR, 26 Oct. 2018, stluciastar.com/don’t-mention-dennery-segment-to-fish- alphonse/. Nestor, Dean. “FRC Members Find Silver Lining amid Tragic Property Loss.” St. Lucia News from the Voice St. Lucia, 27 Mar. 2018, thevoiceslu.com/2018/03/frc-members- find-silver-lining-amid-tragic-property-loss/. Greaves48 Nestor, Niger. Personal Interview.January.2019. Payne, Richard. Personal Interview.31st July.2019. Popovic, Caroline. “The Arthur Lewis Model.” Caribbean Beat Magazine, 16 Jan. 2019, https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-19/lewis-model#axzz64GwW1ouw. Prospere Meg“Bad in Bum Bum: Charting the Rise of the Dennery Segment, St. Lucia's Scorching Soca Sound.” Large Up, 23 Feb. 2018, http://www.largeup.com/2018/01/03/dennery-segment-st-lucia-soca/. Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Promulgated by Pope Paul VI [Vatican City]:1963. Scovel, Ekeema. Functions of Gender in Soca: An Historical and Lyrical Analysis of St. Lucian Soca.2016. Sheridan, Garth. “Fruity Batidas: The Technologies and Aesthetics of Kuduro.” Dancecult, vol. 6, no. 1, 2014, pp. 83–96., doi:10.12801/1947-5403.2014.06.01.05. Team Foxx. “How Big Ride/Fuego Riddim was made - Lashley ' Motto ' Winter (@teamfoxxmusic).”Youtube.10thJanuary2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp8f2xRZNEY. Team Foxx. “Making of GWADA RIDDIM Ft Bunji Garlin & more Lashley ' Motto ' Winter.” Youtube.19thDecember2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVodvx1Jl9k. Team Foxx. “Motto Explains The 'Pim Pim Riddim' Project From Start To Finish Ft Machel Montano & More.” Youtube.19thMarch2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIYIldnqe5I. Team Foxx . “St Lucia "Dennery Segment" Music Explained (Lucian Kuduro) Lashley "Motto" winter. YouTube, 16th October 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UMEGanU85k. Greaves49 Team Foxx. “SPLIT IN DI MIDDLE - Freezy [ Malay Way Riddim ] Khrome Prod. - 2017 St Lucia Kuduro. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylwm_RgKw-8. Winter, “Moto” Lashley. Personal Interview.20th January2020. Greaves50 APPENDIX A Perception of Dennery Segment survey questions and results. Greaves51 Greaves52 Greaves53 Greaves54 Greaves55 Greaves56 Greaves57 Greaves58 Greaves59 Greaves60 Greaves61 Greaves62 APPENDIX B Interview Questions and excerpt of transcript of Monsignor Patrick Anthony Interview Interview Questions 1. What were the experiences that you had growing up that gave you that love for cultural activism? 2. How was the St. Lucia Folk Research Center born? 3. What were some of the most common parts of Africa that St. Lucians could trace their ancestral origins i.e. what were some of the main parts of Africa that St. Lucian culture found its origins? 4. What are some of the major styles of St. Lucian Folk Music? 5. What were some of the common functions of music in traditional St. Lucian Society? 6. Could you describe St. Lucia’s traditional solo and Afro-Based drumming traditions? 7. Do you believe that the current phenomena of Denney Segment is a contemporary expression of the solo tradition? 8. What factors do you think have led to some genres or cultural traditions being accepted by a particular generation as opposed to others? 9. What impact do you think that the current musical trends could have on St. Lucian society? Excerpt of transcript of Interview Anthony: There is an anthropological theory that says this; that you revert, the richer the material, the more data you have on the material, suggest that is more recent. The older material. Greaves: the less data. Anthony: the less data you have, precisely because of the age, so for example, what is being suggested, that after the abolition of slavery, remember that the slaves didn’t want to work. So what did the planters do? They brought liberated Greaves63 Africans ok. They brought liberated Africans from Africa, who came not as slaves but as. Greaves: Indentured servants. Anthony: Almost like the. Greaves: Indians. Anthony: So the suggestion is that, a lot of our linguistic and other ethnographic traditions that are still existing Greaves: come from this group. Antony: Would come from this group rather than the original. Greaves: That’s interesting Anthony: Yes, so even something like La Rose and La Marguerite, which were the floral festivals that Manfred has researched and found some of the traditional floral festivals in Africa. Greaves: Oh I didn’t know they had in Africa. Anthony: O yes Greaves: I though was like a creolization of European culture, like the secret societies. Anthony: That’s one dimension. For example the La Rose and La Marguerite, there seem to be a kind of a dramatization in theater, of the rivalry between the British and French for St. Lucia. So the concept that one group wears red and pink and the other blue and white. Greaves: That’s interesting. Anthony: La Marguerite is always blue and white, and La Rose is always red and pink. So they suggesting its different armies and their uniforms, and even the whole concept of royalty that is reflected in the La Rose and La Marguerite, that’s Greaves64 a whole study in itself of masking, trying to be what you cannot be in reality, the whole carnivalesk, and play. So you can be Pharaoh King of Egypt for three days; so there is a suggestion that in fact La Rose and La Marguerite, are in fact ongoing, carnivalesking of roles that are played only, like the Canboulay, for example in which they painted themselves in suit and so forth, the white people will take suite and paint themselves black. ……………………………………………………………………………………… Greaves: Am, so as you said, you believe that Dennery Segment originated from the solo tradition? Anthony: Well some have suggested the solo tradition, I would make it more make it more broadly. I would say the African. Greaves: Drumming. Anthony: Song dance, drumming tradition. Greaves: Now Dennery itself, you also mentioned that the drums were common to signal rebellion and stuff like that. Dennery, I think the Mabouya Valley itself in St. Lucia, isn’t that an area where you had rebellion and slave revolts. Wasn’t there a marron community? Anthony: Mabouya, the very name Mabouya, which is from the Native American means spirit. Greaves: Isn’t it evil spirit? Anthony: This is why when Bishop Gachet built a church there, he put the patron of that church as St. Michael the Ark Angel “laugh”. Greaves: It’s one of the places, well that’s going into theology that is rumored to be one of the areas “laughs,” that is. Greaves65 Anthony: to be one of the centers of quote and quote evil occult. Off course what it also meant it could be one of the places where you had original African rituals. Greaves: Because at that time the European culture in the church would have frowned upon, well not comprehend the African culture and just. Anthony: One of the papers I did was on that, The Kele festival. We dealt with that whole issue of European perspective, and St. Lucian, and the whole thing. The whole Mabouya Valley is a fascinating valley to study because, Aullyon for example, is a totally isolated community. Greaves: I think they use to call them no man’s land in Crowley’s work. Anthony: It is one of the communities that was able to isolate itself, and that says a lot. There were very strong ties bonding the community and there were able to protect themselves from infiltration, and there is even a suggestion that there was a level of incest. The community was closed, family was ‘undiscernible’, there was that dimension. Greaves66 APPENDIX C Interview Questions and excerpt of transcript of Nevin “Mighty” Alexander Interview Interview Questions (1) What is your full name? (2) Tell me about yourself, what part of Saint Lucia did you grow up? , What schools did you attend? (3) How did you get involved in music and what type of music did you listen to growing up? (4) What would you say Dennery Segment is? (5) What makes a rhythm a Dennery Segment rhythm? (6) What differentiates Dennery Segment from soca and would you consider Dennery Segment to be a sub-genre of soca? (7) What impact has the Dennery Segment movement have on you as an artist? (8) What are some of the benefits of the genre on the artiste? (9) What are some of the challenges you have experienced as an artiste? Excerpt of transcription of Interview Question: What would you say Dennery Segment is? Alexander: Dennery Segment basically is a combination of solo, which is our traditional music in St. Lucia; it’s a combination of drums, chac and other instruments made up of bamboo and stuff like that. It is where you have a chatwell, and a group of people and you actually singing about stuff that is going on in the community, so it’s something traditional, so Dennery Segment has evolved from that type of music, and it has gotten even broader now into the soca realm. Question: What differentiates Dennery Segment from Soca and would you consider Dennery Segment to be a sub-genre of Soca? Greaves67 Alexander: I would say it is a sub-genre of soca, you know you have some soca instruments in there and also the vibe. The tempo, soca is much, power soca is much of a high tempo, groovy soca is much of a low tempo and Dennery Segment comes in between, so it’s between high and low. ………………………………………………………………………………….. Alexander: The genre developed, I can say in 2012, when you had guys like Shep Dawg, Yardie and all these guys, and they were signing on African kuduro beats, which is similar to Dennery Segment, but it’s more African, like it have more of an African nature. These beats had more of an African nature in it. I believe Dennery Segment evolved when you Dub Master J singing “That Shot” and “undiscernible”, DRC had his “undiscernible” as well, that’s when Dennery Segment became established, that’s when Dennery Segment became original ,because the beats were original, and also the artiste were there as well, it wasn’t incorporated from any kind of beats out there. This genre Greaves68 APPENDIX D Interview Questions and excerpt of Transcript of Luther Francois Interview Interview Questions 1. What were your experiences growing up and how did you end up in music? 2. How did you get involved in St. Lucian folk traditions? 3. In what ways do you think St. Lucia folk culture different from what you have heard in other French islands? 4. What is the solo tradition in St. Lucia in your perspective? 5. Do you believe that the current phenomena of Denney Segment is a contemporary expression of the Solo tradition? Sample Transcription of Interview Greaves: Don’t they say well the la kònmèt beat is similar to the mazouk in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Francois: Not exactly, there is a very fine difference, it’s similar but there is not the same. The mazouk is “sings rhythms”, whiles the la kònmèt is “sings rhythm”. The end of the phrase is not the same, and it affects the music, the way you accent, the way you phrase in terms of the words and so forth. Greaves69 APPENDIX E Interview Questions and excerpt of transcript of Andrew “Yardie” Haynes Interview Interview Questions (1) What is your full name? (2) Tell me about yourself, what part of Saint Lucia did you grow up? , What schools did you attend? (3) How did you get involved in music and what type of music did you listen to growing up? (4) What would you say Dennery Segment is? (5) What makes a rhythm a Dennery Segment rhythm? (6) What differentiates Dennery Segment from soca and would you consider Dennery Segment to be a sub-genre of soca? (7) What impact has the Dennery Segment movement have on you as an artist? (8) What are some of the benefits of the genre on the artiste? (9) What are some of the challenges you have experienced as an artiste? Sample Transcription of Interview Yardie: I’ll tell the exactly the whole story behind the whole vibe. Basically when I came into the industry, I am a musician from young. I remember in 1980, I was the second runner up in the Junior Calypso. Greaves: Calypso, so you were in Junior Calypso and stuff? Yardie: Yes, that’s where I started, I was at school in Vieux Fort Greaves: Vieux Fort Sec, Vieux Fort Secondary. Yardie: And then am I competed, my name was Fantastic Patrick, yes and I got the name form Malady Augier, who was the music teacher. Greaves: Mr.Augiere I think I know him. Greaves70 Yardie: He influence us a lot, and he was with a band named Outer Circle. So I was really close to music plus the background of my. Greaves: Niger was in the school at that time, Niger Nestor the drummer? Yardie: Niger Nestor, I know that name? Greaves: Yes, I interviewed him yesterday, anyway. Yardie: Nestor, I know him. Greaves: Yes he does play with Lapo Kabwit. Yardie: Yes, that’s around my. Yes, I know him. This guy “undiscernible”, he and Mishac had a group. Greaves: Yes, he is Mishac brother. Yardie: Yea I know the man, yes I know that youth. So the vibe is in 1980, I opened for what his name Arrow. When Arrow came with Feeling Hot Hot Hot. I open for that. Greaves: So they came down here. Yardie: Yes, I open for Arrow at that time. I performed with Machel Montano when he was a kid too young to soca. Greaves: Serious! “Laughs” Yardie: Yes me and him we were on the stage. Keitje: Here? Yardie: Yes in Vieux Fort. Greaves: Machel oh ok. Yardie: he had the song, they say I too young to soca. Greaves: woy yo they making joke. Yardie: He was a kid, I was a kid myself. Yes we performed at, it was Bingo too. A whole bunch of Trini artiste I perform with already. Gabby as a young boy. Basically how we got to perform with Arrow when he released the big song Hot Hot Hot. I was the second runner up Greaves71 so that gave us the Bligh to perform when he came down. So they choose us and the winner at the time. And then am. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… Greaves: So that was before the South Tent or out of that the South Tent came? Yardie: Before South Tent; South Tent was nowhere there yet. South Tent came late. I was the first winner of the South Tent. First crown South Tent ever win was me. “Undiscernible”. Greaves: What year was that? Yardie: In 1998. Greaves: That was Soca Monarch? Yardie: Soca Monarch yes, I was the second Soca Monarch of St. Lucia. Peley was the first. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ….... Yardie: And then I say boy, let me do something that’s ours. And then we had Ally kyat, my artiste Ally kyat and Crocodile, I make Ally kyat. Greaves: That’s the same Alkylate that sings calypso today? Yardie: No Ally kyat is the artiste, that one is Ally cat. Greaves: “laughs”. Yardie: But Ally kyat is, we did that song, all the big songs. You don’t know our tunes, we have allot the big tunes that in France, number one and all thing. If you have a thumb drive I’ll give you some of the tunes. We did songs like, Ally kyat did songs like “sings song”. Greaves: I think I have heard that. Yardie: “continues singing”. Greaves: That was in the 90’s or late 80’s? Greaves72 Yardie: 90’s, we wrote all them tunes. Then we noticed the clash between the Ally kyat and Crocodile. I created that; Ally kyat and them is from my stable, from “Hotness.” DJ Cleus was the one in the radio. Greaves: So you had, you brought them into the music business. Yardie: That’s my artiste; up to now we still have that group. Hotness is still there; my company, that’s my company. All the big promotions I do, hotness I do Popcan, Dr. Evil I promote as well, all them big shows is me. Greaves: cool. I didn’t know that “laughs” Yardie: Yes Hotness is my company, we did Idonia last year, and we did Popcan, Dr.Evil, and Konshens. I do a lot, Busy Signal all them people. So we then now create a next vibe. I say since the thing so big, my brother and I say boy let we make a big thing out of that. So I give Crocodile about $1200 dollars to clash with Ally kyat in Vieux Fort, and I brought Busy Signal as the headliner. That time Busy Signal had Unknown Number, and them things. Greaves: That was in the mid 2000’s? Around 2005, I remember that when I was in Secondary School. Yardie: That was me. That was a big thing man that was a national thing. Greaves: Yes I remember that. Greaves73 APPENDIX F Excerpt of the transcript of Ronald “Boo” Hinkson Interview Greaves: What are some of the styles of St. Lucian folk music that exist? I think you mentioned a few, kwadrille, widova. Boo: There is la konmèt, bele, I couldn’t give you all those rhythms off my head now, but when I hear them I know them, because I haven’t been involved in them for so long. One of the guys who preserved that music here was Frank Norville; Luther did a lot of that stuff to. St. Lucia has a lot of rich, the thing about St. Lucia that is unique, is that one village and another 10 miles away, and the music is very different, and hence the advent of the Dennery Segment. That Dennery Segment thing has been there for a while, what the guys have done is they have commercialized it. …………………………………………………………………………………………… Greaves: A lot of people claim Dennery Segment is a contemporary expression of our solo tradition, in your perspective that’s what it is? Boo: It is like the solo thing that comes out of. Greaves: Piyaye Boo: I know they have it in Babonneau and some other villages, but it is very much like that. When people hear that they try to get out of it, but cannot because that is in our blood. You look at the young people, the young people who grew up in Castries, when they hear that music they go crazy. Greaves: I think all ages, even the older generation that was traditionally more critical towards the genre, when they play it in a fete with diverse ages, that’s the one music that seems to connect. Greaves74 Boo: There is something in it that seems to connect to the St. Lucian. You cannot escape your culture. It’s like a Trinidadian telling you he cannot take on calypso, that’s not true, it can’t happen; that is in their blood, and that is what Dennery Segment is like to us. Greaves75 APPENDIX G Excerpt of the transcript of Niger Nestor Interview Keitje: La konmèt though, I have that question “undiscernible”, la konmèt is ours or is it French base. Is it specifically St. Lucian? Niger: Na, la konmèt is a whole, its European to. We were talking about the folk in terms of drumming, we have the other folk which has to do with Violin and the rest of it. When you hear scotish, and widova, and kwadril; these are European dances that as the slaves interpreted. Keitje: “undiscernible” Niger: Interpreted in their own way using the instrument they had available. So they make it become ours. So when you hear scotish it says it direct Scotland. When you go to house parties in the white man thing, is that you use to dance in France and England, its them kind of the widova , and the kwadril and them kind of clothes and stuff, so we have put it in our thing. But am, so we have adopted it in our style, but in Martinique is not called la konmèt; I think it called mazouk. Keitje: mazouk, so it is the same style basically? Niger: So in St. Lucia we will go “plays rhythm”. Now in Guadeloupe I think it will be “plays and sings rhythm”. So they call it mazouk, but it’s the same la konmèt, “undiscernible” as you hear the “sings rhythm” which is the European, which takes it to the kettle, the military style. That is where it is pure in its form in terms of the snare, with us you know it’s African. So the French has its mazouk but we have it as la konmèt. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… Greaves76 Keitje: I think actually I have indirectly asked you all the questions. So what’s your general thoughts, I think we started with that, just your general thoughts on Dennery Segment? What you see in the future? Niger: The lyrical content is like crazy in terms of structure. Its broken English, we don’t care with that. Rick Wayne said something that if you change the lyrics content, it will no longer be Dennery Segment. Probably that makes it what it is, one of the components that makes it what it is. Probably it’s not so much base on rhythm than it is based on. Keitje: lyrics? Niger: Or the kind of language that is used. That’s what Rick Wayne was saying if you change the lyrical content, it may not be Dennery Segment, and you may keep the same rhythm. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… Keitje: Yes what you were saying what’s solo? Niger: solo basically is am, for example, Piaye, am Babonneau and them places, they have the drum on the bele side, which is like the authentic drum pattern that goes with dance and stuff. Solo simply means only it use to be only one drummer. So that’s where the solo thing came about, but because one drummer playing things they name the entire thing solo. So it comes back to the same community thing where the drums are concerned. You have it in Piaye Monchy, Babonneau and those places. Greaves77 APPENDIX H Excerpt of the transcript of Richard Payne Interview Keitje: Dennery Segment has emerged as a new popular St. Lucian genre, based on your observations because you have heard the genre, songs of the genre. What are some of the musical characteristics that define that genre? Richard: Well first of all, what we refer to as Dennery Segment is, this is my humble opinion, the general characteristics of the music are not new. This comes from what you know as the solo. Keitje: Yes solo. Richard: Which is a tradition which is a tradition which is arguably, I don’t know 2-300 years old. Where in the village you have, is very much characterized by the drums and singing and chanting and that sough of celebratory sought of, and each island have its strain, there are a lot similarities, but for me this is the heart beat “plays rhythm”. Keitje: Tresillo rhythm I believe it’s called the “sings rhythm”. Richard: This for me, even with reggaeton and dancehall music , this is a slower version of that “sings rhythm’ “.The musicians who created , the founders if you will , people like Jahim Etienne , manage to take those elements, those creole elements and those essential elements that are highly rhythmic. I think this is something touches a lot in terms of our population, this really hits us, it really touches us well, I think one of the reasons why it is so popular , so highly infectious because it is , for me I see it like it is in our DNA. And I have tried to do the same thing with the Creole Jazz many years ago, especially is that recognizing the highly rhythmic and infectious part of our Creole heritage , which we are somewhat born with . I just feel is just something, it’s like what I like to call our heart beat. So I think we have to give deference to that, that those tangible elements have existed before, but I think the young artiste have managed to put a creative spin on it, make it I suppose fresh Greaves78 and palatable to a new audience . I am sure the themes are still as “gracy” and some people are concerned about it being not appropriate. I know the language and so forth can be a bit strong, for those. I would argue that that has probably existed for a quite a while as well to, a lot of the themes are highly sexually charged themes. Keitje: And I think even the solo itself was always more on the, it was always more on the movement and stuff was more seductive and stuff, from that tradition. Richard: Exactly, so I think those elements, the rhythmic elements of that, they have managed to capture that really well. Basically take the solo and put it in a popular. Take it outside of the village and put it in a very interesting and popular kind of. Keitje: What instruments do you notice that they use most frequently, so is it mainly African Drums? Richard: Are you talking about the Dennery Segment artiste or the? Keitje: Yes the beats, the Dennery Segment beats and the. Richard: To be honest, I haven’t analyzed it to that degree. But like I say, I even have written compositions for instances , I have a composition called Moko Jumbie for instance which is very fast sought of , very similar, borrowed from the same folk Solo kind of tradition as well to. Haiti has rara and other types of musical forms which have the same kind of flavor but subtle differences, but clearly a strong. Keitje: Afro-centric. Richard: Afrocentric kind of feel, doesn’t mean it has to be limited to that, but yes it does. Keitje: So you basically answered the next question. Is there a relationship between Dennery Segment and some of the traditional forms of music as it pertains to St. Lucia, in your observation “undiscernible”? Richard: Absolutely it is not new. I think what is new is that it’s a fresh take “sound of nearby truck is heard”, on what exist, what is routed in our culture, using electronic Greaves79 instruments and sample and all things and so forth. Some of the Dennery Segment artiste have managed to find a color and a flavor that appeals to a younger generation. I have also found as well to that there is am, the singing and the phrasing is very highly rhythmic as well to, which I think is quite interesting. So for instance the song which I know is quite “gracy” and so forth, bend dong for the hmmm, that is quite rhythmic in a sense. It is not sang in the traditional typical way as well. May be the language as well to, if you are in the culture and you know the phrasing and the language and you understand Creole. Some of the language is very, how do I say? Keitje: Some people say, that your language, the way people speak a language also influences the way their music, the rhythms that are in their music. So probably, some of our, some elements of the way we speak English. Richard: The way we speak, the way we communicate. It’s a flavor, because I know there are some people that say if Dennery Segment, they use the word cleaned up, it’s going to go far. Now I may not necessarily, I don’t necessarily agree with that for two reason. I mean because even cutting edge underground hip hop is very raw and very “laughs” probably has to be censored, probably not appropriate for radio and so forth. But Art has to do what it needs to do. Art does what it needs to do, whether one rejects it. I don’t know if it’s yourself or myself to sensor art. But it’s clearly the Creole language is also the flavor which is making it sufficiently appealing to us, may be in the same way that Jamaican dancehall is appealing to us in the same way. I mean some of the new artiste, I mean I don’t follow a lot, I know the young generation is very much into, I don’t understand the patwa, I don’t understand the language but I’m sure the language some is very “gracy” the same way to, but it has a very rhythmic nature. Almost like the way, hip hop is the same way to, there is a poetic kind of way that it is, the flavor is clearly, you cannot deny the fact that this is highly appealing to. Greaves80 APPENDIX I Excerpt of Transcription of Lashley “Motto” Winter Interview Keitje: What were your musical experiences growing up? What type of music did you listen to and stuff, and how did you get involved in music? Motto: I am from the south of St. Lucia, Vieux Fort St. Lucia, and Grace! Vieux Fort St. Lucia. And you down there is strictly country, also we use to listen to a lot of country and western music, a lot of creole music like the cadence and the zouk. I grew up on these three things, country and western music, zouk music, soukous from Africa, cause I grew up with my grandma and my grandad, and there was old, so what they played around the house was what I grew up on. Zouk was their favorite genre and it became my favorite genre as well because obviously you hear it so many times, and even right now you can still hear the kind of zouk in my music. The kind of zouk instruments, and patterns that are used and different stuff, but overall I didn’t have like no musical background, as in people in my family doing music. It literally just happened out of the blue, I went to New York and I started learning the program call FL Studios and Frooty Loops, where I build the beats, and then that’s how it happen; I didn’t have no sought of influence. I remember back in Vieux Fort Compre days; I use to like beat the drums, we use to have a little crew, and after school, and we use to beat the drums, and beat beats on the school desk itself, we use to play real madness in there. That’s the only thing I think that inspired me sought of becoming a musician, or play the role in me having an interest in music, is playing the drums on the school desk and that’s it. Keitje: So you said you got into production when you were in New York and stuff like that. So which artist did you work with? You started doing it with yourself or you had some people you were working with initially? Motto: So I started producing at first. I didn’t sing, I never tried to sing the first few years. When I did the beats, I just use to send it down to St. Lucian artiste. I could talk about artiste Greaves81 like Mad Ellie, Crocodile, a guy called Cokie, Freezy. That was in the young days that was to send the beats down, let the fellas do their thing. Soca Bandit actually won Piton Soca Stars back then with “Pork Sause”, which was the beat that I produced. Cokie, from La Ressource Vieux Fort, also had a big successful season back then, with a song called “Chac” that was one of the meccas where Dennery Segment actually started. Cockie was a really young boy, may be about 12. So I just started sending the beats down, didn’t focus on the business side of things, which I got burnt for at the end of the day; it was a learning experience. So the young artiste started doing it. So after a certain time I am like you know what “sucks teeth”, If I’m sending out all these beats for all these people , and you know all the songs hit in St. Lucia, like locally all the beats that I produced and did big. “Sucks teeth” I can’t even remember the name of them, like Junno Riddim “sucks teeth”, I can’t remember the name of these old rhythms. I said let me try something, and I started to sing on it, I didn’t know what I wanted to do honestly. I didn’t know if I wanted to be a soca artiste, or if I wanted to be dancehall or Reggae, so I use to try to do everything. If you go on YouTube, I have a song called Hard Life, it’s a Reggae song. I was trying to find myself, find my sound, you know. I did dancehall, I did the Soukous, I did a lot of creole songs, and I did reggae. The only thing I didn’t try was the hip-hop because I didn’t have the accent. And I just kept at it, kept at it, kept at it and I got better eventually; Bend Down My Girl Bend Down was my first break out song, which actually a number from 2014, that was when people kind of paid attention to St. Lucia and St. Lucian music, Dennery Segment music. They would say what is this song, Bend Down My Girl Bend Down the lyrics is so easy to understand, the beat is catchy And from there it just took off. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… Keitje: What is Dennery Segment and how did Dennery Segment come about? Greaves82 Motto: What is Dennery Segment and how Dennery Segment came about? Before we get to that let me explain to them how it actually dominated. Dennery Segment came from Angolan Kuduro music. The same time I started producing was the era where a lot of those African songs dominated St. Lucia, and I’m talking about African songs that we don’t even understand the lyrics, we just love the beats and we love how they singing it. So the Kuduro music, one of the biggest ones that started the vibes was “Echillee”, “sings song”, we don’t know what it was, but we liked it and it mashed up the fetes. It got so big that we wanted to start wanting to replicate these sought of beats. We started to replicate, actually we didn’t even try to replicate, and we started singing on these Angolan beats self. Over time the producers and them replicated it, they put the kind of flow to it, their kind of slang to it, their kind of creole to it. The genre started to flare, they use to call it Lucian kuduro music, and a few radio officials, media officials kind of say, why are we calling it Kuduro music? Yes it is from or influenced by kuduro music from Angola, but at this point when we started replicating it, and making it our own vibes, they saying ok we need a name for this kind of genre. Various DJ’s gave various ideas, they wanted to call it Twaca music, they wanted to call it Segment, they wanted to call it “sucks teeth”, Creole music, and there was so many names they wanted to call it. During the time they trying to get a name, trying to get a name, Dennery itself, which is a parish in St. Lucia, was dominating the place. The artiste over in Dennery was dominating the place; we talking about artiste like LT, Jahim, what’s his real name? Dub Master J and a few others in Dennery use to dominate the Dennery Segment at that point. People say well, when they go to parties and when they go to events, boy the only thing they could think about is Dennery, people would regularly tell the DJ’S play a Dennery Segment or play a Dennery song for me, and that’s how it started to come about , I’m only here for the Dennery Segment, Dennery, Dennery, Dennery. The other artiste that not from Dennery started was kind of feeling a way. Boy I not from Dennery “undiscernible”. Over Greaves83 time, human beings, humans accept change, everybody just accept it. I didn’t make no fuss about it, I’m happy that we get something that stands as our own. Back then we had soca but then it was trying to sound like everybody else. Ricky T and everybody, Yardie, Ally kyat, Crocodile, they started the kind of soca thing. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …. Keitje: A lot of people claim, that Dennery Segment is like a new or contemporary version of our traditional St. Lucian music. What would you say on that, would you say that’s definitely true? Motto: I say again probably 30% influence into the music; I say this because a lot of the instruments that we use or that I seem to use or other producers seem to use, it sounds very traditional like the. Keitje: Solo. Motto: Solo and, even right now Mighty and Subance actually keep that solo vibe going every October which is Creole day; they release actual Solo beats, which have generic congas and generic drums, with a little spice of Dennery Segment in it, as far as the drum patterns. Mighty and Subance as well, they replicate some of the melodies that our ancestors use to sing “sings melody”. Mighty and Subance is one of them that does that, I don’t do it and I leave that for them, like I say I would say a 30% influence into the new generation. Keitje: So what’s the defining beat? What makes a Dennery Segment song, a Dennery Segment song in terms of the. Motto: What makes a Dennery a Dennery? Keitje: yes. Motto: 50 50, I would say 50% your lyrical content, and 50% the beat, but I think the most important thing is the beat, because I there is generic sound that the Dennery Segment has. Greaves84 Every producer in St. Lucia has a different sought of sound that they kind of like and they go for, like me I’m more generic , I like my whistles, I like my conch shell, I like my conga drums. Ransom Records love his synths, he loves more hip-hop styles, Jamin Records a different kind of style. As I said its 50 50, that’s a very hard question to answer because there was a discussion about when a Trini artiste come on a Dennery Segment beat, is it still Dennery Segment? Or what if a Lucian artiste go on Trini beat and sing it like a Dennery Segment, is it Dennery Segment? It’s the sought of logical thing that we don’t know, but I myself say is 50 50, the most important thing is the beat, the beat, the beat, the beat that makes, because without the beat you have no song, without the beat your lyrical content cannot, I mean it can kind of be considered Dennery Segment. That’s a hard question, I don’t know. Keitje: And what’s the average tempo? I think is it usually around 130? Motto: The average tempo we started at, we pioneered the Dennery Segment was 140, 145; which was the Revolt Riddim , Bend Down My Girl Bend Down, by Jamin Records, Satish Mathurin produced that beat. A few others after that, Untitled Ridim was 140, a few rhythms that Jahim produced from Dennery was 140, and after we went up to 145. My main bpm for Team Fox is 147 , because I think it is a little bit, it caters to a lot of the Caribbean islands, it’s not too fast , it’s not too slow. If want to go fast , you push it up to 150, but I feel like Trinidad, Grenada, the smaller islands the USVI, BVI, St. Vincent, they like Power soca, but sometime they go really fast, sometime they go , so 147 is a good pace for me and now. Keitje: Is it slowing down? Motto: And Now! I was getting to that, there is a totally different genre that is coming up from the traditional Dennery Segment that we knew was very fast, very fast, we have a 110 bpm genre style coming up; which was kind of brought, I would say was influenced by Black Boy, he was the one who actually brought that “wine and go down let bumpa catch on “fire”, Greaves85 “Split In The Middle” just took it and run with it and that was 110. It kind of was an influence from Martinique raga-soca, you know that Martinique style “sings rhythm”, that kind of beat pattern, influenced our vibes for the slower one, and it was brought by Black Boy, because Black Boy would always go to Martinique , he come back and replicated them kind of style. One of my most successful rhythms which was 110, was Fuego Riddim Big Ride, which was last year, still running this year, they consider it a new song. The 110 rhythms are becoming very popular, more than the generic 140. Keitje: So which genre would you say influenced Dennery Segment the most? Some people claim it has both Zouk influence, and others say it has a bit of Dance hall. Motto: The 110bpm beats or songs, they’re more Dance hall influenced, the style that we sing, the instruments used in it, if you look at the Big Ride Riddim, Fuego Ridddim, the instrument is strictly am pianos. We never used the piano in a Dennery Segment back in the day that kind of Raga-soca Martinique style was why we started using it. G6 Productions use to use a lot pianos as his lead instrument; now if you talk about the 147 ones its more zouk, it’s more bouyon; well I’m more bouyon, and Signal Productions which did the Yellow Code Riddim that was more like signal piano and drums. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… Keitje: In one of your videos where you explain your rhythms, you explain that if you have too many chord progressions and music, does that take away from? Motto: Yes, so my Dennery Segment beats is pretty simple, pretty simple arrangements, am intro, chorus, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, chorus, song done, pretty simple. The impact that it has performance wise, if you run on the stage, you don’t want people to anticipate, back in the day it use to work, Power soca you use to have your nice little build up to your chorus, but now a days what I believe happen is that people got lazy, the new generation, our Greaves86 generation we don’t care about these things no more, we just want to catch people, come and sing your song on stage for me to see you, it has to be hitting like hard, pow pow , pow , pow pow. That’s what I think about every time I build a beat, the most important thing is the hook, the hook has to be coming after every 20 seconds or so, catch these people 20 seconds, we don’t want no build up , chord progression, chord going off, chord going back up. Back in the days that use to work because people use to love music, they use to be attached to music a little bit more, there use to be a lot of bands. It wasn’t the factor of going on your computer and play. Every generation has its different influence , now we can just go on your Abelton, go on FL Studios, go on Logic an put some drum patterns together and throw a whole lead on that and it will work. And what makes it easier is that people don’t care what the “explicit” you say in music now, they don’t care about what lyrical content, you could say “says lyrics”, so catchy lyrics, simple arrangements of beats and you have it.