Hard Fete producer recalls journey to creation of a soca hit

WHAT if you were told the beat of Ian "Bunji Garlin" Alvarez's song Hard Fete was originally a riddim with several soca artistes? What if you were told he was not even one of those select artistes, originally?

One can always plan, but some things are just meant to be. Eventually, that riddim found its way to Bunji who did what he does best – he transformed it into a lyrically-brilliant, monster hit that is mashing up fetes across Trinidad and Tobago.

Written by Bunji, the track was produced by Gregory "DJ Avalanche" Hodge of St Thomas, US Virgin Islands – a producer, DJ and artiste.

Speaking with Newsday, Hodge said he's no stranger to Carnival culture and is a product of just that.

He has performed in major cities like Paris, Miami, Las Vegas and New York City in the US, among other places.

He was also featured at DJ Private Ryan's Soca Brainwash in New York and at UberSoca cruise – the largest soca festival at sea.

It was actually at UberSoca that he connected with Bunji.

Hodge, a hard feter himself, surfed the crowd at the cruise in 2019. In fact, he embodies one of Bunji's lines in Hard Fete: "All I know is pace."

In an Instagram post, he joked: "How many DJs can say they took a cruise on a cruise? Words can’t even explain how epic this was. You just had to be there!"

"I was doing all these things and rocking the boat with a lot of high energy because in the small islands where I'm at, that's how we party.

"Bunji commended me when he saw what I did on the ship."

Hodge said he and Bunji were "on the same wavelength" of trying to restore balance to the popularity of power soca.

"We had that common mindset...

"I love groovy, I produce groovy as well...but we feel like just how people love power just as people (should) love groovy."

When he created the beat for what is now Hard Fete, it was sent to his fellow countryman, soca artiste Pumpa. He also sent it to TT soca artiste Problem Child. It was then called the Mad Opera Riddim.

"Problem Child loved the riddim and he was like, 'Let's make a various artistes thing out of it.'"

Some of the other artistes who recorded songs on the riddim were Shal Marshall, Sekon Sta, Mr Killa, Lavaman and Terra d Governor.

But Pumpa wanted to remix his song and expressed this interest to Hodge. Bunji would be the artiste selected to contribute to this remix.

"When Bunji hear the riddim, he was like this, 'Gosh, boy, this riddim powerful.'

"We decided to conference (call) – me, Pumpa and Bunji."

Bunji then said he was interested in doing something original on the riddim. And with Hodge and Pumpa agreeing they don't want the riddim to end up having too many artistes, they told Bunji: "Go ahead. Do your thing."

"So Bunji goes, he records it, he asked for more riddims...so I'm thinking he decided, 'That riddim have too much power already, let me sing on another riddim.' Then a few weeks passed, Bunji say, "Bredda, I have something here.'"

Hodge thought Bunji was referring to another riddim, not knowing a masterpiece was created on the Mad Opera Riddim.

"He said everybody's attention is going to shift into the Carnival. I said, 'Ok, Bunji, let's go. You know better than I do, you live in TT."

When Hodge listened to that "something" Bunji sent, he said, "Very little tweaking was needed, you know, because I listen that song like I was a patron in a fete and I jump up in my studio like I partying...That don't normally happen to me because I producing the song, I know what to expect already, but...

"I jump up, I play the song back about 15 times, I was waving my hand and sweating.

"I message him and say: "Bunji, Bunji, I don't think you know what you just do."

He said Bunji captured how soca and Carnival lovers felt being able to fete again after mass lockdowns owing to the covid19 pandemic.

"The song gave me such a nostalgic feeling."

He said it reminded him of Bunji's days as soca's Fireman.

"That's the energy I got."

Dubbing it the "best late entry of the century," some of Bunji's lyrics on the track include:

I not going no small fete,

let me extend my apologies

Only big fete with big flag going overhead like canopy

It speaks about iconic, older fetes like WASA Fete, Flour Mills Fete, Fire Fete, Licensing Fete, Customs Fete and Brass Festival, which had "a power pill."

While many artistes moved on to mainly groovy soca, the viking said if it were up to him, he'd live with power soca on a hill.

He makes it clear:

"I ain't come for no stand up,

I come to party with meh hand up,

so all soca people put yuh two hand in the air"

Hodge told Newsday, "I was like, 'You have to paint that picture back in people's head for those who are new to Carnival, new to soca...give a visual to understand the significance of the words that you're saying.’"

They then began compiling video footage from major fetes "back in the days...

"So people could connect the dots and understand the message."

The song has been well received at parties for the 2023 Carnival season.

Bunji recently announced the song will officially be entered into the 2023 Road March race. But he was, admittedly, sceptical.

Mid-performance at CIC's Fete with the Saints on January 28, he said he was not going to register the song for the competition because people were saying it did not speak about crossing the stage or playing mas on the road.

In typical Bunji Garlin fashion, he freestyled and changed around the lyrics to please those complainers.

"I not crossing no weak stage, let me explain my analogy: Any stage that I am crossing must be tough like the economy," he sang.

The hook became: "Stage eh make for no stand up, stage make to cross with yuh two hand up, all masqueraders put yuh two hand in the air."

The crowd went wild and so too did social media when videos of the performance were posted online.

Recently, the viking and his wife, fellow soca star Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez posted a video to their social media platforms, in which he was being trained by her on creating the perfect song to win the Road March.

Fay Ann joked, "You have one Road March (title) with three people (on the track). I have three Road March with one person."

She won the competition in 2003, 2008 and 2009.

Bunji won his first and only title in 2019 with Machel Montano and Skinny Fabulous with Famalay.

Hodge said the love for the track has been overwhelming and that he is "extremely humbled and grateful.

"Thank you to all the soca lovers and people in TT who are embracing the song, loving the song and making it their special song for Carnival."

He's also excited it is now in the Road March race, saying the video of Bunji announcing it gave him goosebumps.

"If the people love it and it's what the people want, I support his decision 100 per cent."