Macondo Mix: ‘Bacchus Ruckus’ – Sumosui

Sumosui is a New Zealand based DJ & record collector, full time enthusiast and unofficial researcher of musical traditions from the world around.

‘Bacchus Ruckus refers to the Roman God Bacchus, more commonly known as Dionysus, the Greek God of wine, revelry and carousing. In Trinidadian terms the slang bacchanal refers to a party, originally rooted in carnival culture, and now used widely to refer to a party or party atmosphere.
Ruckus refers to loud sounds and commotion.
Hence, as this mix contains many tracks from Trinidad & Tobago, and is intended to incite a lively atmosphere of revelry, at loud volumes, I thought this name was appropriate. Let the Bacchus Ruckus begin!

The selections within reflect just a fraction of the diverse and almost endless music coming out of the fertile soils of Caribbean, and also from the Caribbean disapora in other parts of the world during the 70s & 80s.

While neighbouring USA and further afield the UK, France & Europe were blowing up with the sounds of Funk, Soul, Disco & Boogie, the bands and producers of the Caribbean were exposed to the new and exciting sounds that were causing such a stir on the dance floors of nightclubs the world around.

Proximity to the USA also meant easier access to the new wave of synthesisers, drum machines and other electronic instruments as well as more advanced studio equipment and recording techniques. This enabled these new evolutions in style and technology to be assimilated by the musical denizens of the Caribbean Islands and countries on the Caribbean coast. Thus new hybrid sounds were created, that fused the existing local musical traditions such as Calypso, Soca, Spouge, Reggae & Zouk with the modern sounds of the Western Disco.

Artists such as Shadow & Merchant in Trinidad & Tobago – widely loved and celebrated by the populace and commonly known for their mighty position as reigning Carnival Calypso Kings – turned their hands to the new modern sound, and emerged with a contemporary fusion of the best elements from both worlds. Sadly for them not everyone was as forward thinking as themselves, and some of these efforts met with minimal financial success until lauded by a new breed of tropical music afficionados across the waters, many years later.

Similarly, in Jamaica, kingpin Reggae producers such as Derrick Harriot, Dennis Brown & Ernest Ranglin were attempting their own manipulations of the contemporary sound styles, resulting in fresh & dynamic expositions of the elements within. This collection of music is intended as a celebration of good music, and an archive of a terrific creative period in time & space.’

Serve hot, with a cold Rum.

With love, Sumosui