Ringbang

Ringbang is a Caribbean fusion of music genres propounded by Eddy Grant in 1994.[1]

In an interview circa 2000, Grant defined ringbang like this:

Ringbang is the thing that makes the soul quiet. That in a musical concept is rhythm. A child is given ringbang when a mother rocks it in her arms. Ringbang allowed the slaves to communicate. Ringbang is a bridge that allows us to stop being insular; it is a concept predicated on our being able to communicate with one another.[1]

In applying ringbang to music, Grant attempted to define a meta-style to encompass all Caribbean rhythms; it was to be a musical lingua franca. He wished this multicultural style to place no restrictions on instrumentation, and he said that he wanted no single country or culture to lay claim to it.[2] Among ringbang's stylistic influences are calypso, reggae, soca, tuk, and zouk.

Grant says that the word "ringbang" comes from vocalists scat singing "Ringa-ringa-ringbang!". He chose the word one day in 1993, while standing in recording engineer Frank Agarrat's backyard in Trinidad.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Rollins, Scott. "Eddy Grant Talks About Ringbang". zeeburgnieuws.nl. Archived from the original on 11 August 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  2. ^ Grant, Eddy. "Welcome to ringbang!". Ringbang. Ice Records. Retrieved 23 April 2012.