Anguilla Sessions

Splice Sessions is back—this time, shining the spotlight on Anguilla’s rich musical and cultural tapestry. This first pack is a holistic look at all of the genres associated with that part of the Caribbean, including Up SoCal (up-tempo soca), Groovy SoCal (downtempo soca), Afro SoCal (fused with Afrobeat’s), Reggae, and Zouk due to Anguilla’s proximity to St Maarten. Our team recorded this pack at Anguilla Music Academy (AMA) with studio owner Darius James, whose story starts with his birth in Dominica and subsequent touring of the Caribbean with multiple musical acts. AMA is a world-class recording studio and non-profit academy dedicated to educating the local Caribbean community on the techniques and philosophies of recording and producing music.Anguilla’s rich and complex history begins with indigenous Amerindian colonization in 1200 BC. An extended period of European colonial disputes between 1631 and 1825 saw the island ruled by the Dutch, Spanish, French, and English. Its connection with the African Diaspora is clear, with many slaves being brought from west and central Africa to work tobacco and sugar cane plantations. When Britain ended the slave trade in 1807, many plantation owners sold and left the island to their former captives. After a period of administrative control by nearby St. Kitts starting in 1825, the island revolted in 1967 with the aim of becoming a British overseas colony, which they are to this day. That’s why you’ll hear the sounds of Africa, Latin America, Indigenous Amerindian, and European in Anguilla’s music.