Sunrise Soca on the Water: Freeze International’s Awake Boat Ride Through the Julianspromos Lens, 2013–2014
While much of New York’s Caribbean nightlife was built around late-night fetes, Freeze International’s Awake Boat Ride flipped the schedule, bringing Soca lovers onto the water early on a summer Sunday morning.
Julianspromos documented two consecutive editions of the event: Awake 2.0 in 2013 and Awake 3.0 in 2014. By 2014, Awake had developed into Freeze International’s annual morning boat ride, combining breakfast, Soca, live rhythm and a large cast of New York Caribbean DJs and sounds.
The two years also capture the growth of Julianspromos’ media coverage. Awake 2.0 was covered by Julian C. Hackett in 2013. For Awake 3.0, Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs joined as host while Julian C. Hackett shot and edited the footage.
Awake 2.0: Julianspromos Comes Aboard in 2013
The surviving Julianspromos Awake archive begins with Awake 2.0 in 2013.
Julian C. Hackett handled the Julianspromos coverage, capturing the second numbered edition during a period when Julianspromos was increasingly documenting New York’s Caribbean event scene through original video.
The 2.0 title establishes an important part of the event’s history: Awake had already existed before the 2013 Julianspromos coverage.
Although the complete 2013 flyer and music lineup have not yet been recovered, the surviving footage preserves an early chapter of what would become a recurring Freeze International morning event.
Watch Awake 2.0 – 2013
Julianspromos coverage: Julian C. Hackett
Shot and edited by: Julian C. Hackett
A Morning Fete With Its Own Identity
The name Awake fit the concept perfectly.
Instead of finishing a party when the sun came up, patrons were starting their day with one.
The concept turned an early Sunday morning into a Caribbean boat fete, giving Awake an identity that separated it from New York’s crowded schedule of nighttime Soca parties and late-night cruises.
The morning itself became part of the experience: wake up early, head to the pier, board the boat and start feting while much of New York was still easing into Sunday.
Awake 3.0 Aboard the Nautical Empress
One year later, Freeze International returned with Awake 3.0.
On Sunday, July 13, 2014, patrons boarded the Nautical Empress at the Brooklyn Army Terminal for another early-morning Soca experience.
The schedule was:
Boarding: 8 AM
Sailing: 9 AM
Return: 12 PM
Breakfast formed part of the morning experience before the music took over.
The Nautical Empress provided multiple levels for the party, with indoor and outdoor spaces allowing patrons to move throughout the vessel as the morning developed.
By the third edition, Awake had established a recognizable formula built around an early Sunday start, breakfast, a large Soca lineup and several hours of feting on the water.
Watch Awake 3.0 – 2014
Promoter: Freeze International
Host: Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs
Shot and edited by: Julian C. Hackett
Date: July 13, 2014
Vessel: Nautical Empress
Departure: Brooklyn Army Terminal
A Deep New York Soca Lineup
Awake 3.0 brought together a substantial cast of New York Caribbean DJs and sounds.
The advertised music lineup included:
Pantrin Vybz
Young Maddy
Elegance Sounds
Natural Freaks
Conquest Sounds
Freeze International
Press Play Boyz
Jason Benn & Musical Mix
Additional music during the event included X-Factor, while Dem Boyz provided live rhythm.
The music moved between contemporary 2014 Soca, older favorites and Dancehall, giving Awake the feel of a full Caribbean fete rather than simply a morning cruise.
With so many DJs and sounds involved, the music itself became one of the defining features of Awake 3.0.
Freeze International and New York Soca
Freeze International was already an established presence within New York’s Caribbean entertainment scene.
His work extended beyond DJ appearances into creating events designed specifically around Soca audiences.
Awake became one of those recognizable concepts.
Rather than simply attaching a name to another boat ride, the recurring Awake branding created an event with its own identity: an early-morning Sunday cruise, breakfast and a deep lineup of Caribbean DJs and sounds.
The numbered editions also gave the series a sense of progression, moving from Awake 2.0 in 2013 to Awake 3.0 the following summer.
Chandy Joins the Julianspromos Coverage in 2014
The two years also document a change in the Julianspromos coverage itself.
For Awake 2.0 in 2013, Julian C. Hackett handled the coverage alone.
For Awake 3.0 in 2014, Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs served as host, adding an on-camera media presence while Julian concentrated on documenting the event.
The 2014 footage was shot and edited by Julian C. Hackett.
That combination gave the second year of Julianspromos coverage a broader media format and preserved another part of Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs’ on-camera history with the platform.
Two Years of Awake Through the Julianspromos Lens
Viewed together, Awake 2.0 and Awake 3.0 tell a stronger story than either video does alone.
The 2013 footage captures Julianspromos joining Awake during its second numbered edition.
The 2014 footage shows the event returning with a clearly defined morning format, the Nautical Empress as its setting, breakfast, a large music lineup and Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs joining the Julianspromos coverage.
The two videos also document the event progressing from 2.0 to 3.0, giving the archive a rare opportunity to show the development of the same Caribbean event across consecutive years.
Looking Back
More than a decade later, Awake 2.0 and Awake 3.0 preserve a distinctive slice of New York Soca culture.
The formula was simple but memorable: wake up early, head to the pier, get aboard and start feting while much of the city was still easing into Sunday.
By 2014, Awake had developed into an annual Freeze International event featuring breakfast, live rhythm, multiple DJs and sounds, and several hours of Soca aboard the Nautical Empress.
For Julianspromos, the two videos also preserve another stage in the development of its Caribbean event coverage.
Julian C. Hackett documented Awake 2.0 in 2013. In 2014, Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs joined as host for Awake 3.0 while Julian shot and edited the footage.
Together, the two videos preserve a New York Soca event built around one very different idea:
8 AM was not too early to fete.
