soca
/ˈsəʊkə/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsəʊkə/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsō-kə -kä/ (ame, mw)
soca — noun
1. a popular style of dance music from the Caribbean, created in the 1970s by blend
a popular style of dance music from the Caribbean, created in the 1970s by blending the strong vocals of soul music with the rhythm of calypso
The band played soca all night, and the crowd danced until sunrise.
common collocation: play soca
Festival goers in Tobago filled the streets with the sound of soca music.
The dance teacher taught the class how to move to fast soca beats.
Several Caribbean radio stations play soca during the carnival season.
The DJ mixed soca with reggae and dancehall for the summer festival.
- calypso
the older, more traditional Trinidadian music that soca grew out of; soca has a faster beat and stronger soul-music influence
- zouk
a French Caribbean dance music style with similar energy but a different rhythmic foundation and French creole lyrics
- dancehall
a Jamaican genre that shares soca's party atmosphere but uses a different beat pattern and is rooted in reggae rather than calypso