Stating that his musical journey has been one in every of “pure love and perseverance on this unpredictable world of leisure,” veteran Trinidadian calypsonian Keet Styla, previously generally known as Designer, says his dream of successful a GRAMMY Award for calypso and soca music has not dissipated.
“It’s been one in every of my objectives ever since I grew to become a recording artiste a few years in the past,” Styla, a Jamaica, Queens resident, whose actual identify is Keith Prescott, informed Caribbean Life completely. “Though soca continues to be not thought-about mainstream music, there’s a giant underground following that retains rising every day.
“Once I performed golf equipment in NYC (New York Metropolis), again within the 80’s, individuals would ask what was the music referred to as, whereas dancing to it wholeheartedly,” Styla added. “We’ve got come a good distance since these days.
“Social media has helped tremendously,” he continued. “The music has charted sparsely in Britain (Arrow’s ‘Scorching, Scorching, Scorching’; Explainer’s ‘Lorraine’; and, right here within the US on billboard, Kevin Lyttle’s ‘Flip Me On’), however we have now not been capable of preserve sustainability nor the respect or help of the main labels.
“We simply must proceed investing in our enterprise, elevating the extent of our productions musically and visually, and maintain lobbying to get a class added to the (GRAMMY) awards for calypso/soca music,” he stated. “Our Jamaican brothers and sisters have accomplished it, and so can we.”
Styla, who has been residing within the US for over three many years, stated he has seen how numerous audiences have responded favorably to soca music, regardless of lack of mainstream recognition, even with reside reveals together with his band, Therapi.
“That retains my ardour burning vibrant,” he stated. “I’ve put within the work and made the sacrifices; so, I really feel the very best is but to come back on this chapter of my life.
“Because the refrain of my 2020 launch sings, ‘Ah Need Extra! Ah Need Extra! Ah Need Extra!,’” he added.
Styla stated his musical journey “all started again in Success Village, Laventille, on the north western a part of the island, Trinidad.
“The eldest of three youngsters, born to David and Grace Prescott, I keep in mind at 5 years previous, singing concord, with my mother at dwelling, to standard songs we’d hear on the radio,” he stated. “As I grew older, I’d sing at music festivals in school, expertise reveals locally and on the then standard youngsters radio present referred to as ‘Auntie Kay’, the place I positioned third in a calypso competitors, after I was 8 years previous.”
Shortly afterwards, Styla stated his household moved to the jap a part of the island, to Tunapuna, the place he continued rising musically, studying to accompany himself on the guitar, took piano classes, joined the varsity combo band, and performed at graduations and different occasions.
Styla stated his father, an educator by career, who had a quick stint as a calypsonian, had stopped singing, as a result of he thought he was a greater author.
“So, he composed calypsos for me to carry out at varied competitions and occasions,” he stated.
Observing his progress all through the years, Styla stated his father launched him to the “Calypso Tents,” the place veteran calypso stars and icons – such because the Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener, Mighty Chalkdust, Black Stalin, Mighty Shadow and Calypso Rose – would carry out nightly in the course of the carnival season all through twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Styla stated his entry into the “Calypso Tent” world in 1978 was “not all encouraging at first”, as a result of he was not an official member of the forged of the “Calypso Theatre.”
“So, appearances there was restricted, though I received ‘Auntie Kay’s’ calypso competitors two years in a row – ’77 and ’78 – and one other calypso competitors in Arima that 12 months,” he stated. “They stated I needed to pay my dues. So, my dad took me to ‘The Kingdom Of The Wizards’, which was managed by William Monroe, with Shadow headlining the forged of that present.”
Styla stated there’s the place he bought his break, singing each evening on this system for 2 weeks till the carnival was over.
He stated he was a 14-year-old scholar of 5 Rivers Junior Secondary College within the day and calypsonian at evening.
Fashion stated his mother was not snug with it at first however shortly “warmed up.”
He stated he was additionally performing underneath the sobriquet “Designer”, a reputation his father gave him.
The next 12 months, Styla stated Shadow fashioned his personal tent, managed by him and Earl Patterson, referred to as the “Masters Den.” Years later, Styla stated Ellis Chow Lin On joined the administration crew.
He stated he signed his first contract with “Masters Den”; made his first recording, “Disco Child”, written and produced by Shadow; made his first of seven semifinal appearances all through the years for the Nationwide Calypso Monarchy; and got here second within the Nationwide Junior Calypso Monarch closing, whereas nonetheless attending highschool at Hillview School.
Styla stated “a bit controversy ensued” when officers claimed that he shouldn’t be competing with the juniors, as a result of he was “already incomes cash as knowledgeable.”
“So, I consider, thereafter, they modified the rule to such,” he stated.
Styla stated he spent 5 years as a member of the forged of the “Masters Den”, throughout which he graduated from highschool; made two Nationwide Calypso Monarch finals appearances in 1982 and 1983; and made his first hit document, “Feeling Good”, written by him and Superblue, with music organized by Ed Watson on Charlie’s Data, primarily based in Brooklyn.
“The track was standard with soca lovers all through the world,” stated Styla, stating that he was booked to carry out at reveals in Toronto, Canada; Brooklyn; and Los Angeles, CA.
Years later, he stated a model of the track was featured within the American film “Intercourse Monster”.
Styla stated he launched his first album, “My Burning Want”, in 1984, with he and his father writing the entire songs (“we grew to become songwriting companions”), with music organized by Vincentian-born, pre-eminent Caribbean musical arranger Dr. Frankie McIntosh on the Charlie’s Report Label.
By 1985, Styla stated he spent extra time in the USA; trying to increase his profession within the leisure trade; taking personal vocal and sight singing courses; and “enjoying golf equipment” within the metropolis, reminiscent of at Irving Plaza, SOB’s and Dancerteria.
Styla additionally stated he “performed festivals” in Jamaica and Colombia, studying extra in regards to the music enterprise; doing numerous demos for document firms; turning into a session musician; singing background vocals on many impartial recordings for soca/calypso and reggae artists; and doing jingles for radio within the company market.
Throughout this time, Styla stated he took a hiatus, for 3 years, from Trinidad and Tobago carnival however made information with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Ralph McDonald, creating some fusion calypso music on his document label, “Rosebud Data.”
Styla stated the EP was titled “Soar With Me”, with three songs written by him and his father, with music organized by Charles Dougherty, Joe Brown and him. The title observe was written by Michael Boothman and William Salter, and produced by McDonald.
After working with producers Boothman and Keith Diamond, of Caribbean Queen fame, Styla stated the collaboration produced the dance observe, “Can’t Cease Dancing.”
He stated he additionally carried out some reveals in Trinidad and Tobago, New York and France with Boothman’s Kysofusion.
“The ‘Diamond Challenge’, as I name it, by no means absolutely bought off the bottom,” he stated. “I used to be going to be a part of a bunch. I used to be very excited, and the music sounded nice. However contract negotiations stalled and, earlier than it may resume, Keith handed away immediately.”
Styla stated he additionally “bought concerned” with one other mission, “Calypso for Africa,” “donating” his “time and vocals to the track, ‘Now Is The Time,’” which featured about 75 calypso artistes from the Caribbean, “which was our ‘We’re the World’”.
Within the 90s, Styla stated he was “again within the thick of issues with Trinidad carnival,” recording “Pan By Storm”, with Ken “Professor” Philmore, written by Philmore and Andrea Phillips, which was the “tune of alternative” for Vat 19 Fonclaire Metal Orchestra within the 1990 Nationwide Panorama Competitors.
Styla stated the track has turn out to be an ode to the steel-drum motion the world over.
He stated he adopted up “Pan By Storm” a 12 months later with “Pan Ecstasy”, one other Philmore/Phillips composition, and “Calypso”, a observe penned by Philmore and Styla.
Styla stated he received “Finest Male Vocalist” on the “Sunshine Awards” in 1991.
“1992 was even higher,” he stated, recording “Rati-Ray”, penned by Dennis “Service provider” Williams-Franklyn on the JW Report Label, primarily based in Brooklyn.
After recording “Rati-Ray,” Styla stated he was booked within the Caribbean, Canada, US and England.
“Wherever Soca music was being performed, ‘Rati-Ray’ was on the playlist,” he stated, disclosing that he received the award for “Hit of the 12 months” by the Brooklyn-based All people’s journal, and that Guyanese-born Eddie Grant, of Electrical Avenue fame, “coated the track.”
On turning into a US resident, Styla stated he labored with the legendary producer/arranger Leston Paul of JW Data, recording three albums: “All The Method Up”, “Going De Distance” and “Designer.”
As well as, Styla stated he recorded a number of singles, reminiscent of “I Love Christmas,” a preferred observe in the course of the Christmas holidays in Trinidad and Tobago; and acquired his second Sunshine Award in 1996 for “Finest Male Vocalist.”
He stated he “performed” the Montreal Jazz Competition, and “performed some school dates” on the north-east coast of the US with Jamaican artistes Girl Noticed, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer.
After getting a suggestion to affix one other band/mission with a pop-rock-reggae-hip-hop taste, primarily based on Lengthy Island, referred to as “N.E. Color,” Styla stated they did some showcases, few reveals and many demos, whereas he sang lead and background vocals on all of the songs.
However, throughout his time with “N.E. Color”, Styla stated he began interested by altering his stage identify, got here up with a number of concepts, bought options, however he “wasn’t prepared.”
Within the interim, he stated he continued on his musical journey, with some recordings with the Brooklyn-based Straker Data, however they had been principally Christmas music.
He stated he wrote and sang two songs, “Uncle Perez” and “My Buddy,” on a kind of vacation recordings, and in addition did cowl variations of “Hark The Herald Angel Sing” and “On a regular basis Would Be Like A Vacation” on two different compilations, produced/organized by Philip Nichols.
Throughout this time, Styla stated he additionally labored with Godfrey “Cherry” Ince, the bassist for the St. Vincent and the Grenadines-rooted, Brooklyn-based band, Rebels.
Styla stated he was featured on two albums with Rebels: The track, “Soca Prepare”, was on the primary album, “East Meets West,” in 1997, which was highly regarded at Vincy Mas that 12 months.
