Music - The Rough Guide to Belize - page 253

Honduran Aurelio Martínez ( Garifuna Soul ), demonstrating soulful vocals over a rich
blend of Latin, punta and parranda rhythms, and another by The Garifuna Women's
Project , featuring wonderful soulful voices from coastal villages in Belize, Guatemala
and Honduras. Another record to look for is Various Artists PARRANDA: Africa in
Central America - three generations of Garifuna incorporating drumming, American
blues, Cuban son and West African guitar.
Additionally, several young Garifuna stars from Dangriga have emerged to take the
nation by storm, combining fast infectious punta with reggae dancehall and soca in
highly energized performances. This is punta rock for the young generation, relying
largely on sound systems , often at the expense of live musicians. Popular punta rock
artists include Lova Boy and Super (or Supa) G , who can both be found performing
regularly. Showing an awareness of the wider market potential in Guatemala and
Mexico, Super G now also sings in Spanish and includes cumbia numbers on his
albums - a Latin style highly popular amongst young mestizos. You can tune in to
Super G tunes on W myspace.com/supagmartinez. Increasingly often these punta rock
stars make the trip across the borders to rapturous audiences in Chetumal and Flores,
demonstrating the position of Belize both as a major regional music producer and as a
bridge between Caribbean and Latin America.
Perhaps the best times to hear and see the full panoply of Belizean musical culture are
the various national events that regularly punctuate the social calendar (see p.31)