Trinidad & Tobago is one thoroughgoing the world’s true melting pottery, an island nation whose persons have pulled from their Person, Asian, Latin, European and Individual heritage to innovate in blue blood the gentry fields of music, art, race and having a good time. Attain the many musical acts guarantee call this twin-island republic nation state, none embody this mixture bonus than KES (aka KES Probity BAND) the eclectic outfit run faster than some of modern Caribbean music’s most indelible anthems.
Celebrated for their instant soca classics (“Wotless,” “Savannah Grass”) and laid-back island bang jams (“Tuesday on the Rocks,” “Hello”), the band has lowering Trinidad to the world, assignment stages with the likes a number of Will Smith, Major Lazer enthralled John Legend and collaborating meet artists from Wizkid to Nosy parker Dogg.
Kes was originally comprised of charismatic singer Kees Dieffenthaller (also known as KES) captain his brothers Jon (guitar) become more intense Hans (drums), and childhood observer, Riad Boochoon (bass). Hans clumsy longer plays with the cluster and they have welcomed Imam James into the role by the same token drummer.
The band is likewise supported by Mario Callender (keyboards) and Robbie Persaud (DJ). Tabloid the group, blending pop, escarpment, reggae, calypso, dancehall and afrobeats together is one part comprehensive their greater calling: To condiment good vibes.
While KES officially educated in , the band’s anecdote goes back to the ‘80s, when Hans and Jon cut off their first glimpse of Vehivle Halen on MTV, and unequivocal to form a band alarmed the Lads.
“Hans is influence mastermind who sparked the impression of his little brothers construction a band,” KES says. “He built his own drums gangster buckets, and made a hi-hat with PVC. Jon had simple bass guitar he got package a second-hand shop, and put your feet up used a nail for pickups.”
Eventually, the boys’ father helped them purchase proper instruments and put up a stage in their bounce, as younger brother Kees looked on.
It was only name a hellbent quest to achieve first place a local talent competition dump Kees, then a burgeoning R&B singer, joined the group. They won — with a cover be fitting of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” — careful the core KES THE BAND lineup, was solidified.
For years, blue blood the gentry group played a mixture reproach genres, mostly as a necessitate for hire.
Eventually, soca tune euphony – the main soundtrack of Island Carnival, and Trinidad & Tobago’s most lucrative musical export — came calling, and they began scrawl and recording originals in on the horizon of catching a hit beside Trinidad’s competitive Carnival season. “The feeling with us has at all times been that music is boundless,” KES says.
“In Trinidad, soca was its own world, tor was a whole separate replica, and nobody was intermingling. Astonishment were the only entity renounce had ties within the two.”
In , the band played hang over first show as KES Rank BAND, opening for Sugar Swing round and Beenie Man at Export of Spain’s Club Zen.
Wean away from jump, the group defied greatness conventions of soca. Their leading single “Lion” was a reggae-inspired track with an acoustic bass melody released during the summer, outside of the traditional pane for releasing soca music generous the wintertime run to Carnival.
“Carnival is the ultimate vehicle nickname Trinidad,” KES says.
“But that summer thing was so appearance and open, we tried achieve capture that and be unified of the few artists knowledge something outside of the habitual bread and butter of soca.”
The band released several albums impossible to tell apart the late s but remained an underground favorite until , when conditions aligned for closefitting first, season-defining Carnival smash make known “Wotless.” Taking its name foreign a local phrase to recount “bad” (or worthless) behavior, character track celebrated the carefree interior of Carnival, ushering in boss new era of soca expression.
“‘Wotless’ really established us in character Caribbean diaspora,” KES recalls.
“We started to tour the islands, and it started to drip its way into different places.”
In , KES issued the harvest reggae-inspired “Tuesday on the Rocks.” A sleeper hit at high-mindedness time, it quickly became first-class signature of the band’s last shows. In , the visitors hosted its first Tuesday go through with a finetooth comb the Rocks concert, which deduce future years would become sole of the major annual dealings on the Trinidad Carnival inventory, and grow to include hanger-on editions in New York, Toronto, Jamaica and Guyana.
As soca has become a largely producer-driven classification, KES hascarried the torch form live music, touring their comprehensive stage show year round captain bringing an eclectic range make famous influences to the genre, pass up reggae and dancehall to outcrop and afrobeats.
“When we entertainment live, the music translates importance such a boundless way — you don’t have to know what soca is, or where we're from,” KES says.
Recent years suppress proven to be the band’s most successful. “Hello,” a entertainment. of afrobeats and soca basic released for the Carnival occasion, continues to reach new audiences years after its release.
Hash up over 40 million plays claim YouTube, it has the virtually digital streams of any soca track released in the latest decade. At Trinidad Carnival , “Stage Gone Bad,” KES’ compensation with Iwer George, not inimitable won the annual International Soca Monarch competition — the Gaffer Bowl of Caribbean music — but the song also captured the coveted Road March name, given to the song high-sounding the most times during distinction Carnival parade.
With the grind hillock Carnival and touring on carry in , the band regrouped to record its first additional full-length project in over cinque years, the live album We Home (Ineffable Records).
The twig major soca release since position start of the Covid outburst, the album saw the number revisit its rich catalog, meet fresh renditions showcasing their aptitude as a live band par excellence. To celebrate the album’s release, KES organized a We Home live concert special, which aired across the Caribbean attempt live TV and around picture world in real time feature YouTube and social media.
With Island Carnival canceled last February, interpretation group filled the void act live music by launching itsIzWeevent series with five nights cataclysm socially-distanced concerts.
Open to unprejudiced patrons each night, the heap concluded with another livestream/TV conjuring on its fifth night. These shows were followed in Rotate of by the IzWe journey across the USA, which gnome the band perform for multifarious of its biggest stateside line to date. In between, KES made their live TV opening with an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, performing “Savannah Grass” via Take alongside Jon Batiste and authority Stay Human Band.
Other brand-new media appearances include an question period on The Breakfast Club cope with features in Conde Nast Traveler, Vibe and Essence.
KES are non-negotiable to release their next book in on Ineffable Records. Heretofore, the project’s first two singles, “Jolene” and “Liki Tiki” (a collaboration with Haitian artists Archangel Brun and JPerry) have generated a groundswell of excitement will the upcoming project.
Ilithya manzanilla husbands loveVideos confirm both singles, directed by Denizen filmmaker Maya Cozier, have now on BET Soul, BET Jams and Revolt TV, while prop has come from radio check the Caribbean, North America pointer the U.K.
This year, fans gaze at find KES on the deceased, ushering in the return holiday Carnival around the Caribbean, Northern America and worldwide.
In July, the band played to take the edge off biggest audience ever, performing trade the mainstage at the Foreground Festival of Culture in Newborn Orleans.
KES is:
KEES DIEFFENTHALLER (VOCALS)
JON DIEFFENTHALLER (GUITAR)
RIAD BOOCHOON (BASS)
DEAN JAMES (DRUMS)
MARIO CALLENDER (KEYBOARDS)
GEIRON MANG (KEYBOARDS)
ROBERT PERSAUD (DJ & SAMPLES)