Despers streams on Caziq

Desperadoes Steel Orchestra is set to take pan into the realm of online music streaming via Caziq.

This was revealed by Don Carrington, team leader of Caziq, during the launch of the steelband’s mas presentation on Friday night at its panyard, Tragarete Road, Port of Spain.

Carrington explained: “Caziq is the first streaming service dedicated to all Caribbean culture. It was born out of the desire to aggregate the immense collection of the Caribbean’s musical and cultural works and preserve it for future generations, while making it available to the world today, in a familiar and convenient format.”

He added: “The Caziq platform is the most convenient way to access all genres of Caribbean music, created for us, by us, in a world class package.”

Access is via a mobile application, now available for iPhone, with android and website access coming soon. Users will be able to enjoy free and unlimited music, with occasional ads or purchase a subscription for ad-free listening, said Carrington.

Carrington also said Caziq is the first Caribbean entity to secure a regional music streaming licence from the Association of Caribbean Copyright Societies, which represents TT (Copyright Organisation of TT is a member), Barbados, the eastern Caribbean, Jamaica and Belize.

He said: “This will create a new revenue stream for the creators of Caribbean music, as they are able to tap into a market that grew by 41 per cent, in 2017, and now accounts for 54 per cent of global music revenue. Desperadoes Steel Orchestra will be the first steelband to make the transition to having its music available on Caziq and to be featured on Caziq’s original video series, The Reel.”

He closed saying that the "sweet sound of steel will be available to Despers’ fans worldwide.”

The band then unveiled their mas presentation Drums and Colours 2019, a collaboration with Image Nation that comprises four sections.

Desperadoes has not been involved in producing mas since the 1980s.

Amanda Maria Barnett, the band’s PRO said: “The sailor mas is being produced in tribute to Desperadoes past and present, its musicians and supporters.”

The Rockets, Nines and Quads sections, she said, speaks to three of the musical instruments added to the steelband movement by Desperadoes late revered leader, Rudolph Charles.

The First Notes section, she said, represents the actual first notes in the movement that became the steelpan. “The pioneers moved from the skin and bamboo drum to those of steel. This section pays tribute to that phase of the development of the steelband,” said Barnett.

She added that the depiction of the Woman is Boss section came from Denyse Plummer’s lyrics to the Len Sharpe composition that proclaimed the re-emergence of women on the Carnival scene. The Badjohns section, said Barnett, showcases the protectors of the steelband and its people and pans, who were misunderstood, stigmatised often faced imprisonment.

Spectators were then entertained by Nailah Blackman, whose Iron Love, is the band's tune of choice for Panorama, the TT Prison Band, Despers Youth, Laventille Rhythm Section and the hosts, Desperadoes Steel Orchestra.