Words by Rishi Bonneville

For a century, German brands have been known for their steely precision, quality and expense. Vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche, for example, can be found in every corner of the globe, flossed by the successful and idolized by the striving. Iconic artists like Kraftwerk have found success internationally by translating these archetypally German traits into musical form. But after the re-unification of East and West in the mid-90s, German youth began rethinking this technocratic image. In the midst of it all, an unexpected new counterculture bubbled up in Deustchland: reggae. The Cologne-based Mighty Pow Pow productions, vocalist Gentleman, and the clash sound Sentinel from Stuttgart (the 2005 World Clash winners) are amongst those who built a creative and respected scene even without the colonial migration that drives London and Parisian nightlife. Until recently, however, other Caribbean music styles–soca, calypso, zouk–were off the radar.  With hard work and vibes to spare, two young men from Berlin have begun to change all that.  LARGE UP recently sat down with the Berlin-based duo Soca Twins to talk about history, the 2006 World Cup, and how they party.