Sedale: Pandemonium for the Soca Cranium

Some who were probably not quite inebriated (as yet) recognized his as one of the better performances last weekend at Cooler Fete. The song too, is actually quite infectious. “Put your hands in de air when you hear de song / Ten thousand people jumping in de sun / and we causing pandemonium…mum…mum…mum,” swept through the Samaans Park crowd Saturday with hypnotic effect.

For Sedale who admittedly stepped away from the music scene last year to reassess himself, personally and career wise, the “time-off” appears to have served him well.

He got into the music business first as a DJ, recording his first soca song in 2007 with producer Sean Mastermind from Trinidad.

“I have always been a fan and a student of music,” Sedale told The STAR during a sit down. “Being a part of the Infrared sound of New York, I always had this urge to step away from the DJ booth and become a performer, since music is something ingrained in me. With my absence last year I surely missed it, but it was time to augment myself, reevaluate some personal stuff and become a better person,” Sedale says.

Though he was not active on the music scene, he still studied what was going on in the industry at home, in the Caribbean and internationally he says. “I truly believe that this absence actually allowed me to grow,” he states.

Looking back at his seven-year career, Sedale counts among the highlights performing at Wet Fete in New York in 2009 and making it to the Soca Monarch finals here in Saint Lucia in 2011 and 2012.  And although he has conquered many of the earlier obstacles, he still views getting airplay as one of them.

“One of my biggest challenges at first was getting people to see me as a Saint Lucian artiste, which I am, and not as someone from New York. Now that I am past that, one of the biggest issues is getting airplay,” he says. “But with my team we explore as many avenues as possible to promote my music, including social media.”

Besides making music, Sedale has also been on a crusade to promote his brand “Deeper than Soca.”

“What we are trying to do is make a greater impact on the industry by doing things differently. Unconventional yes, but effective!” he says. To this end the soca artiste has surrounded himself with a team including branding and marketing manager Miguel Joseph and Michael Christopher who is responsible for media. The “Deeper than Soca” posse also comprises a number of “ambassadors” promoting the brand. The brand itself is based on soca and West Indian culture. Emblazoned on the apparel are trendy terms with a West Indian flavor. “The idea is all about the unification of soca lovers,” he says of the male and female apparel.

But what of his music for 2014? “This year I have experimented with some new tones and new keys and I went as far as blending my soca music with other genres,” Sedale says. His first single for the season is “Bumper Hunter” a fusion between dancehall and groovy which has been getting a fair amount of airplay. Then there is the infectious world-beat soca “Pandemonium” (featuring Wildfire), clearly a track poised for the international market.

And when all is said and done, where is the soca performer heading, armed with his business administration and marketing degree?

“When I first came into soca music what really drew me to it, I recall, was watching Alison Hinds performing ‘Faluma.’ What really moved me was seeing all these people in one place enjoying themselves in a sense of togetherness.

“In my music, that’s what I try to capture; people coming together to enjoy themselves and forgetting about their worries. Music is a powerful tool. But I think that tool needs to be used responsibly.

“So when it is all said and done I want to be known for bringing people together through my music, regardless of race, religion, creed or culture.”