Kaiso Power: Sound Revolution in Trinidad is an absolute joy. It’s a compilation that has just dropped on the Soundway label. It came via the always excellent Late Junction, as most things do these days.
The title may suggest something revolutionary involving Trinidadian music. That’s not far off the mark but it’s also so much more.
At the heart of this is the rhythm and the dance. Revolutions are always the better if they involve some dancing.
There’s so many styles on offer here, all colliding and building up a sense of change, movement and just having a bloody good time whilst you’re at it.
There’s ska, some afro beat and even some Latin rhythms thrown in. It’s the perfect antidote that I should turn to after being served up some dull rock shite as part of the daily album routine.
The closing track, More Weight by Abdul Malik de Coteau, is a bit of a variation from the rest of album. It’s also the standout track.
The story follows that More Weight is a game that the young Abdul played back in Trinidad, involving his school friends having basically a pile on to add more weight.
He then moved to Brixton and the More Weight now becomes a metaphor for the pressures growing up around him.
It’s a thoughtful way to close an album that tries to raise awareness but often takes you down a different path with your dancing shoes.
My kind of music.