Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2017 | Page 444

Celebrating 20 years

3canal

Celebrating 20 years

RAPSO WARRIORS , ON A MISSION .

3canal began life in 1994 , as a performing and visual arts collaborative , consisting of Wendell Manwarren , Roger Roberts and Steve Ouditt ; rooted in the tradition of Jouvay , the ritual spiritual pre-dawn opening of the Carnival .

Three years later at the invitation of Jean Michel Gibert of Rituals records , who was a regular player of Jouvay with us in those early days , 3canal evolved into a recording act consisting of Wendell Manwarren , Roger Roberts , Stanton Kewley and John Isaacs and we became practitioners of the Rapso art form since 1997 .
RAPSO is described as “ the power of the word in the rhythm of the word ”, by Brother Resistance of the Network Rapso Rhythm Band . The main proponents of the art form in the eighties and nineties and it ’ s creation is credited to Lancelot ‘ Kebu ' Layne who released the first Rapso recording entitled “ Blow Way ” a decade earlier in the heady Black Power days of 1970 .
We consider Rapso to be more of a philosophy than a style or a sound and we describe ourselves as Rapso Warriors on a Mission … In perpetuation of the oral tradition , the evolution of the Griot or Storyteller all the way from Africa , seekers of knowledge of self and bringers of the love , the truth and the light for the edification of the children and the healing of the nation . All in all we consider ourselves to be privileged and humble makers of music and messengers of the word in the rhythm .
The name 3CANAL has always been a source of intrigue to many , especially in our first three years of existence as recording artists , for it would always raise the question , why are there four of you if you are called 3CANAL ? In many ways it worked to our advantage as it gave us what most new acts covet , that is , instant name recognition and a constant talking point . The name was bestowed on us from the very beginning by founder member Steve Ouditt , who wanted something that sounded , contemporary yet familiar , edgy and slightly dangerous .
Having emerged out of the proverbial blue in the Carnival of 1997 with our debut release Blue , wherein we prophetically called on “ 10,000 Blue Devils to paint the town Blue and Turn the whole World Upside-down ”, little did we know that we would be turning our own world literally upside down , as the overwhelming response to the song and the video and Jouvay band of the same year was sufficient to set us
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