Sounds of Reggae Music
I have been listening to a lot of Bob Marley songs lately and I sometimes catch myself humming a chorus or singing some of his brilliant lyrics. When you are surrounded by tropical trees, a baby blue sky and brightly coloured flowers there are few other means to complement the atmosphere. The visual perception I get from such surroundings is like music to my ears.
It is no wonder that reggae music stems from the tropics with its easy-going melodies and tropical vibes. It so precisely expresses what the artist is feeling as they create the sounds and arrangements and this gives the listener a burst of liveliness intermixed with cool sounds. As the listener is stimulated by this music it sets their body into a groovy motion.
The great thing about living in the Caribbean is the special feeling you get when you listen to reggae music as opposed to listening to it somewhere in the northern hemisphere, for example. Rather than imagining being in some warm place surrounded by nothing but the sea, in Curacao there is no need to imagine. And when the music plays it heightens your sense of this reality to a place that is far from what you could ever imagine. It reinforces your appreciation for the environment in which you live and really does make you feel that ‘everything is going to be alright’.
The other day I happened to catch a reggae band playing a tribute to Bob Marley on the beach. I recalled many songs that I had listened to numerous times over and immersed myself into the calm and relaxing environment around me. From the looks of it I could tell that everyone around me was also feeling the chillness of the musical vibes transmitting through the warm Curacao breeze. It’s a feeling that comes easy when you are living in the Caribbean and when there are sounds of reggae in the air the combination of warmth and music is priceless.
Some of the tunes from that evening are still playing over in my head while I’m sitting on my balcony enjoying the view. As I sit here I can’t help but ponder about those times in the past when I heard someone humming a similar tune on the street or playing it in their car. And then for a moment I realize what got me into this habit in the first place. Just living on a tropical island and feeling the positive mood around me evokes memories of listening to reggae tunes on a cool summer day in the far north wishing I was some place warm and sunny to accompany the music. And now, for me, it is the music that accompanies the environment— just the way it should be.
This article was published in the Bermuda Magazine June 2010 edition. More info on BermudaCuracao.com
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The strangest part for me is, is that I expected more music ‘on the street’ while driving around the island. I rarely hear anything except for when a shop has a sale and puts a DJ outside of their store firing up all the dogs in the neighborhood. Luckily I live near Brakkeput Mei Mei so nearly every tuesday and whenever there’s a party we go to bed with live Caribbean tunes in the background. Very nice
I know what you mean. I would expect to hear more chill tunes playing around town but it is somewhat overpowered by Latin music I feel. I too live very near brakkeput mei mei and can hear the live music that plays certain nights. It’s a very sweet feeling. We probably live very close to each other.