Calypso rhythms can be traced back
to the arrival of the first African slaves to Antigua in the seventeenth
century. A common explanation of its origins is that it began as a way
for slaves, who were forbidden to speak in the fields, to communicate
with each other. Calypso it combines the skills of story-telling, usually
with a humorous dig at local social and political events. There is an
imaginative use of creative instrumentation, resulting in it's unique
sound and flavour. This music has been influenced by European, North American
and other Caribbean cultures.
Soca is a musical form that grafts the slower beat of American soul music
to the upbeat tempos of calypso. Soca began in the 1970s, and by the middle
of the 1980s it had become an integral feature of Carnival.
Another musical form popular in Antigua is reggae. Although it originated
in Jamaica, reggae has been incorporated into the Antiguan music scene
for years. Jamaican reggae and Trinidadian soca are also very popular
in antigua, a fusion of these two types of music was always likely. This
fusion came in the form of ragga-socca a rhythm that is faster
than reggae but slower than up-tempo soca. Ringbang is a union of all
the varied types of Caribbean music, a focus is on the rhythm rather than
the melody. Since it's creation in 1994, ringbang has grown in popularity
throughout the Caribbean.
Steel drum music was created when the bamboo percussion instruments traditionally
used to back up calypso were replaced by hammered steel pans cut from
oil drums. Steel pan was developed in Trinidad, the indigenous development
of the steel band in Antigua and Barbuda was an outgrowth of the iron
bands which were prominent at Christmas time.
