Chutney (music)
Chutney is a popular style of music in the Caribbean , especially in Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname , which takes up elements from calypso , soca and traditional Indian music . Often the term only refers to the subgenre of Chutney Socas .
Typical musical components of the modern chutney are a fast, driving tempo and a melody clearly influenced by Indian music .
The songs often consist of traditional Indian songs or Bollywood music, which are overlaid with a fast soca or calypso beat. The performers sing in Hindi or English . After the music had developed in the Indian diaspora in the Caribbean, it is now one of the most popular styles in the region.
English-language compositions have therefore increasingly appeared since the late 1980s, just as the basic structure of the pieces shifted away from traditional Indian music and towards a more western understanding of music. Many pieces are now produced directly for parties and especially the Caribbean carnival, so they also have to meet their requirements.
In contrast to most other popular music on the Caribbean island, acoustic instruments can still be heard in chutney compositions. Originally the instruments consisted mainly of dholak and dhantal as rhythm instruments and a harmonium for the melody. With the popularization and integration into the Caribbean music scene, the Tassa or drum computers , which are programmed like them, have also been added.