Last time we spoke about the people behind the backbone of the party, the DJs, we island-hopped from Trinidad and Tobago, touched down in Bim (Barbados), then took a flight over to Grenada. This week we’re still on this regional journey but we’ll be visiting a different bunch of islands.  The manipulators of the waist and vibes we’re zeroing in on hail from the islands of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda.  Let’s jump right in!

 

DJ International Stephen

The “chip” down this particular music lane begins with Trinidad and Tobago’s award-winning DJ and Producer, International Stephen (Int’l Stephen).  A touring DJ for Machel Montano, the well-decorated DJ boasts awards which include the Annual Atlanta Soca DJ Rama Competition (2003 to 2006), Best DJ On The Road for Houston’s Caribfest in the years 2003, 2004, 2006 and in recent years, he’s secured the title of International DJ of The Year in 2009, 2010 and 2015. In the realm of songs, the year 2019 was huge for him. Songs he’s heavily influenced under the title of Co-Producer include Trinidad and Tobago’s 2019 Road March Famalay by Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, and Skinny Fabulous; then, in that same year, in Grenada, his Co-Produced/written song Soca Nice sung by V’ghn was the winner of their Groovy Soca. In 2021, he flexes his executively produced single Toxic Love sung by Patrice Roberts and Ricardo Drue which has amassed over 1.5 million views so far. To date, one of his biggest achievements is playing at BET’s 106 & Park as he accompanied the Viking King, Bunji Garlin, for a May 2014 show, and a year later, in 2015, Coachella saw him with Machel Montano and Major Lazer.

 

DJ Quest

Moving up the islands and settling in Antigua and Barbuda, we shine our spotlight on the multitalented DJ Quest.  2019’s Red Bull 3style Finalist, Blashford Wilkins Junior, describes himself as an entertainer, event promoter, and music producer. You often hear singers talk of their start being from the church, DJs on the other hand often say the tale of their start being from Virtual DJ. This familiar beginning is also home to DJ Quest and what started as a hobby turned into a passion which in turn has molded into a career. Years later he’s jotted down in his island’s history by making it onto Apple Music’s Top 100 charts. Apart from placing second in 2019’s competition, an accomplishment that is dear to him is opening for Koffee, Masicka, and UB40.

 

DJ Brush1 Chromatic on the mic

 Still with me? If so, to the home of Reggae and Dancehall we go, Jamaica! The DJ we’re going to be talking about is Brush1 Chromatic. From the streets of Portland he hails, Brush1 who grew up in the heart of music, has made his name as a DJ, MC, and Soca artiste.  From his step-father who owned a sound system to his brother who had co-operator access to a studio, his future involvement in music was very automatic.  Gaining first-hand exposure to sound systems being made from scratch, dubs getting done, CDs being burnt and getting to experience parties when given the opportunity to tag along, his passion for the musical artform began to bud.  Though it was his observation of the way the DJs and MCs worked the crowd that made him fall in love with entertainment as a whole. At age 11, just a teen, he entered the booth, stepped to the mic, and officially laid down his first set of bars. His choice of songs, however, are songs that are far from the “bad man” lyrics as according to him “You won’t ever hear me doing a bad man song, because Brush1 is not a bad man. Brush1 is a lover not a fighter, he loves to party, he loves to fete, he loves to laugh and dance.” The Chromatic DJ has touched many stages from Miami to Ghana including that of Popcaan’s Unruly Fest in their homeland Jamaica.

Whether they are from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, or Antigua, one thing is certain, with these featured DJs, fete must shell. They have harnessed the skill not only to make one dance but to jump, wave, and get on ‘worst’; to say it succinctly, ‘fete till you wet’. At their arsenal, is the potency of soca and dancehall to ‘mash up the place’, the drilling commands that boom from their mics encouraging patrons to go wild, and their love and understanding of Caribbean culture.

 

Hashtags #DjInternationalStephen #DjQuest #DjBrush1Chromatic #CaribbeanDj

Related Articles:

Top DJs Of The Caribbean Part 1

There’s no denying the fact that Caribbean parties are a hub for a darn good time, especially the waist rolling genre that is Soca. Friends around you, drink in your hand, you look around and see girls bubbling and guys ‘handling it’ but everything hinges on the song selections and of course the DJs.

---

Caribbean Deejays in Red Bull 3Style Competition

For the very first time, six Caribbean deejays have been selected as national finalists in the Red Bull 3Style DJ Competition. This is the largest DJ competition in the world.

 

---