Ebuzz News
Vale Vibe Cooler Fete Scores With Sold Out Crowd in Santa Cruz.
Organizers of Vale Vibe Cooler Fete made a pretty good decision in moving the fete from its former, Maracas Bay location, and instead opting for Drew Manor in Santa Cruz. On Tuesday, from 4pm, fete lovers were entering the venue, ready to party with good friends and once again, create memories that would take them through another year.
There’s something about a cooler fete that intensifies the revelry in the carnival atmosphere. It’s something you’ll hardly ever experience in an all-inclusive setting. The Vale Vibe cooler team has continuously prepped their followers for the jammin,’ and annually, the event engages fans of soca music and the carnival vibe from all over the world. This year was no different. Billed to perform were Iwer George, Viking Ding Dong and the dynamic duo of Fay Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin.
THE BOSS IN ACTION
Iwer mounted the stage first and as usual, his set gave those who’d come out to fete, just what they needed to get the adrenaline going. He explained that the organizers had asked him to do a bit of a retro set to balance the event’s entertainment to which he obliged. There was some grumbling about the feeling that Iwer’s set has never quite changed over the years however, despite that observation by some, many danced and followed instructions given by the boss. When he exited the stage after his performance time was up, the crowd called for him to return, and like clockwork, George brought his bottle of water, throwing it out into the crowd, with that well known blessing.
Viking Ding Dong was next. He too, brought good energy to the fete. His growing catalogue of impressive soca tunes proved enough to get the crowd singing along and dancing. The young entertainer and DJ is enjoying a successful Carnival 2023 season, doing it all the while with a big smile plastered across his face.
THE REVELRY INTENSIFIES
Vale Vibe Cooler fete revelers came out in their numbers on Tuesday. The event was sold out, according to reports and as Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons made their way to the stage, a capacity-filled Drew Manor seemed to have become even more saturated. Nobody seemed to mind though and so, with that, the Vikings added even more pressure.
Fay Ann, dressed simply in a pair of cut out jeans and t-shirt, which bore the word, Power, supported her husband as he made his way to the stage to kick things off with his Road March contender, ‘Hard Fete.’ The crowd immediately flew into a frenzy. Bunji’s strong, masculine presence dominated as he worked the stage and proved that he is a man of the ground. Fay would present next and together, the pair brought even more life to the event.
The fete lovers would be impressed with current and older hits from both artistes and the continuous exchange between the crowd and their soca superstars, proved satisfying for both. The venue’s layout offered an elevated view toward the back, allowing some who may have found it difficult to see the stage, to maybe find a space up top. From start to finish, Vale Vibe Cooler was in essence, a real vibe. There’s no question that many will be back next year for the energy of true Carnival enjoyment!
Ebuzz News
Producer, Stephon Gabriel Follows Passion, Delivers ‘Soft Touch.’
The cheat code to succeeding at everything you touch as a creative, is passion – pure, lingering passion. That’s one Trinbagonian creative’s final analysis of the inroads he’s personally made over the years. Now, jumping from behind the engineering of sounds we know and love from Soca artistes across the length and breadth of the region, to expressing his very own internal truths, Stephon Gabriel is once again following passion.
Gabriel Creative Studios in Couva, is the playground created by this sound engineer. He left his position at Microsoft years ago, to follow his passion, he says, this after returning to T&T, having studied music at USC. “I’ve been in the music industry for over 15 years. From the age of 14, I knew music lived in me. I was the guy at school everyone would come to, to record love songs for their girlfriends,” he recalled with a chuckle. He says those formative years influenced what he would later become. “I got a guitar for my 14th birthday and it was set from there. Since that time, I’ve been heavily involved in both music and film. I’ve worked on a few featured films, including work done as part of the crew on ‘Home and Again’ here in Trinidad,” he said, adding that on the music side of things, he’s worked in some capacity with most of the big names in Soca.
Jumping head-first now into territory he has strongly assisted with, but has never been in the spotlight for, Gabriel releases a new single called, ‘Soft Touch.’ “This song came about because I wanted to express myself. It started with one of my producers I work with – Jumaane, who sent me a couple tracks and I put aside a particular one and then on one random night I listened to it and got to writing. That was three months ago,” he recalled. Now, the track finally completed, after great collaboration with like-minded musicians, Gabriel says he’s eager for the world to hear it.
A mixture of exploration and passion, Gabriel’s latest creative effort adds to his ongoing dedication to effectively positioning Caribbean artistes for international opportunities. “I have a publishing arm of my company called ‘Just In Time Music,’ which aims to bridge the gap between Caribbean creatives and Hollywood and the world,” Gabriel explained, adding, “I have agents out there who work with me to get our music placed into movies and television shows.”
The music producer said he began creating independent songs strictly for film and because it was so well received, he was able to secure several deals, in a relatively short space of time. “I went on to extend the service to creatives here in Trinidad and Tobago but part of the challenge has been educating others on publishing and other aspects of that side of the business,” he admitted.
Optimistic and dedicated, Stephon Gabriel has proceeded to do what he can, to teach others about the ins and outs of the global music industry. He set up a TikTok account, educating fellow Caribbean creatives with tips and other valuable information pertinent to royalties, masters, publishing and the like. “StephanGabrial868 is the channel and as I continue with that effort, I’ll say one of my goals is to one day be able to go to my distributor and choose “Soca” as the genre for the music I deliver,” he said.
Armed with his skills as a music and film professional, Stephon Gabriel’s pushing every envelope – passionately following his heart even into artistry, understanding that anything is possible in today’s world. “I’ve worked on hundreds, maybe thousands of songs for people. My voice is in a lot of songs as well. As a creative you love to do what you love and there are limitations on what you can do on someone else’s song,” he said, noting that doing this new single of his own, offered him the opportunity to do it his way.
“Earlier this year I did what I call a re-imagine of Kees’ ‘Cocoa Tea’ and I went left with it, changing the instruments and posting it online in January. It was surprising to see that it was so well received; I got a lot of engagement online,” he recalled.
Passionate and ready for whatever may come, Stephon has gone all out on the release of ‘Soft Touch.’ “It’s being released with a video and I just want to say the song isn’t a release for ‘carnival’ per say. It’s a song for global appreciation. It’s a groove that can be enjoyed all year long.”
‘Soft Touch’ was written by Gabriel with production collaboratively done by Jumaane, Jaydot, Amiel Duncan and Gabriel himself. The song was mastered by Andre Stewart.
Ebuzz News
Major Lazor Hosts ‘GYALGEBRA’ Block Party to Help Jamaica, this Thursday and They’re Heading Back to Coachella in 2026.
Multi-platinum music icons and dancehall ambassadors, MAJOR LAZER are celebrating the release of their new GYALGEBRA mixtape with a Miami Art Week block party benefiting Hurricane Melissa relief efforts in Jamaica on Thursday, Dec. 4
The GYALGEBRA release party happens from 6pm to 2am in the parking lot at Coyo Taco, 2320 NW 2nd Avenue in Wynwood, with all proceeds from ticket and merch sales going towards the American Friends of Jamaica and global crisis response organization CORE’s Hurricane Melissa relief efforts in Jamaica.
The evening will feature live sets from Major Lazer Soundsystem along with special guests and friends of Major Lazer, including a rare appearance from Miami legend DJ Chipman (w ho features on GYALGEBRA standout “Jump & Twist”).
GYALGEBRA, Major Lazer’s first self-contained music project in five years and its first release with new, UK-based vocalist America Foster, was released Friday, Nov. 21 via Mad Decent/BECAUSE. The project’s nine tracks were recorded between Jamaica, where Diplo and co-founder Switch originally formed Major Lazer in 2008, and Miami, homebase of Major Lazer’s Walshy Fire and Ape Drums.
While plans had been in place for months to celebrate the release of GYALGEBRA with a Miami Art Week block party, Hurricane Melissa and its devastating impact on Jamaica inspired the group to take action. Diplo visited Treasure Beach in the hard-hit western parish of St Elizabeth in November with volunteers from CORE and the St Elizabeth-based BREDS Foundation, delivering food and water to families affected by the storm, and witnessing the devastation first-hand.
“Jamaica has been at the heart of everything for me,” Diplo said. “It’s shaped who I am and how I see the world. Even now, after so much loss, that same energy still shines. Seeing the destruction from Hurricane Melissa has been horrible. Entire communities are rebuilding from nothing, and they need our help.”
RETURN TO COACHELLA AFTER 10 YEARS
Fans can expect to see more Major Lazer soon as the group embarks on tour dates in the new year including a return to Coachella — ten years after the group’s last appearance in the desert — on April 12 and 19, 2026. The group also returns to Miami for a headlining set at Ultra Music Festival in March.
GYALGEBRA kicks off Major Lazer’s highly-anticipated new chapter with the official debut of Major Lazer “First Lady” America Foster featuring on five tracks including lead single “BRUK DOWN” (alongside Parris Goebel and SadBoi) and the ‘90s dancehall-inspired solo showcase “Peppa Pot.”
Recorded largely in Jamaica at Diplo’s new studio sanctuary, Pompey, GYALGEBRA is a return to the outsider dancehall energy and unpredictable genre mash-ups of the group’s upstart early days, when anthems like “Pon De Floor” and “Watch Out For This (Bumaye)” literally ran the world. Across its nine tracks, GYALGEBRA lays the blueprint for a new era of Major Lazer — one in which the group centers America Foster’s considerable vocal talents, while remaining as collaborative, musically unpredictable, and stylistically ravenous as ever.
Guest features on GYALGEBRA include Dominican iconoclast, Tokischa, elusive Miami icon, DJ Chipman, Toronto it-girl, SadBoi, New Zealand-born choreographer-turned-artist, Parris Goebel, Jamaican dancehall stalwart Busy Signal, Trinidad & Tobago soca legend Bunji Garlin, zess queen Lady Lava and Amsterdam-based DJ/producer Kybba. Dancehall, drill, shatta, zess, dembow, soca, bouyon, Miami jook and Funk carioca are a few of the genres and inspirations covered on the project.
