Erphaan Alves 'locks on' to soca year round

While soca music has earned an impressive following internationally, there is a greater desire to see it assume greater priority from promoters locally.

At the helm of this push is artiste Erphaan Alves, whose 'No Season' project has already gained some traction.

Speaking at the premiere of the music video for his latest single "Lock On" at the Vas Lounge on Rust Street, Woodbrook, on Tuesday, Erphaan said while he was satisfied with the work of his peers, he wanted to see soca music assume the same focus as dancehall, reggae and other popular musical genres.

He lamented while soca has taken off abroad, it receives relatively little airplay locally and challenged artistes to write and record soca tracks on a more frequent basis to help develop the artform outside of the Carnival season.

"There is no season for reggae, or dancehall, or rap music. Once we can get out of what I call the 'Carnival box,' I believe we will begin to see a greater development of the artform," Alves said as he addressed fans and supporters at the lounge.

"Rather than playing the same soca tunes year round, we should see new soca singles dropping every month, that is why I chose the theme of 'No Season' to describe the event. No other genre has any season and neither should soca music."

Erphaan says he remains relatively busy outside of the Carnival season, writing and recording singles like "Compromise" and "Morning Come," to maintain a more regular presence and also to explore more relatable themes of relationships and good times.

The video, which features Erphaan in the role of a crooked police officer, also showcases an all star cast, including Blaxx, Jason Williams, Nalini Telemaque and Daniel Loveless.

Directed and produced by Trinidadian-born director Steven Taylor and his wife Rheeme Taylor, the video received an overwhelming positive response from the media personalities, promoters and fans who gathered at the lounge.