Just a moment ago I mentioned the incredible line-up at the Alternative Concepts 4 concert I experienced last night, but there is one artist in particular I would like to highlight – Minmi. Not that her performance was stellar (she only had the opportunity to sing her one big song while an uncomprehending crowd stood starring), but I think the idea of Japanese Soca is somewhat awesome. Having only heard the one track I would certainly need to hear more to be completely convinced about the music, but the thought that Soca has crossed such boundaries where Japanese pop artists are dabbling with the riddims is mind boggling. Since I’ve been in town I’ve noticed the heavy rotation Minmi has been receiving on local cable stations with her video Summer Time. I can’t help but wonder what the exact lyrics are. Is it jump, wave, wine, in Japanese or is it only the music that makes Minmi sound slightly like a Soca star? The only part of the performance I understood myself was the when the artist shouted, “Put your hands in the air,” in exhausted English. Machal Montano joined the singer on stage in getting the crowd pumped while her two back-up dancers swirled umbrellas around. To get the full effect of the music you’ll want to visit YouTube to watch the video and perhaps you’ll want to include it somewhere in your iPod shuffle for travels to Tokyo or Port-of-Spain. Just a thought.