Music of Guadeloupe
Encyclopedia
The music of Guadeloupe encompasses a large popular music industry, which gained in international renown after the success of zouk
music in the later 20th century. Zouk's popularity was particularly intense in France, where the genre became an important symbol of identity for Guadeloupe and Martinique . Zouk's origins are in the folk music of Guadeloupe and Martinique, especially Guadeloupan gwo ka
and Martinican biguine
, chouval bwa
, and the pan-Caribbean calypso
tradition.
Carnival
is a very important festival in Guadeloupe and Martinique. Music plays a vital role, with Guadeloupean gwo ka ensembles, zouk
music and guadeloupean big bands marching across the island, and travelling and performing music known as biguine vidé (or just videé) in a manner akin to Brazilian samba school
s. Carnival in both islands declined following World War II
, bouncing back with new band formats and new traditions only in the 1980s. Both islands feature participatory, call-and-response style songs during their Carnival celebrations.
rhythm, combining other carnival elements. It is participatory music, with the bandleader singing a verse and the audience responding. It allows one to grab an improvised percussion instrument and join in. Traditionally, Carnival includes dances of African origin, including laghia, haut-taille, grage, calinda and bel-air. Traditional instruments include the chacha, maké, boula
, ti bwa, tanbou chan and tanbou bas drums. Aside from the biguine vidé bands, Vaval includes song and costume contests, masquerading
and zouk
parties.
from Guadeloupe
. There are seven basic rhythms in gwo ka, and multiple variations on each. Different sizes of drums establish the foundation and its flourishes, with the largest, the boula, playing the central rhythm and the smaller, markeur (or maké) drums embellishes upon it and interplays with the dancers, audience or singer. Gwo ka singing is usually guttural, nasal and rough, though it can also be bright and smooth, and is accompanied by uplifting and complex harmonies and melodies.
Rural Guadeloupans still use gwo ka drums in communal experiences called lewoz
es; this is the most traditional manifestation of gwo ka in modern Guadeloupe. Gwo ka is also played at Carnival and other celebrations. A modernized and popularized form of gwo ka is well-known on the islands; it is known as gwo ka moderne.
remains easily the most famous performers from the island, while the Guadeloupan Carnival band Akiyo has become the only group in that style to record commercially.
an immigrants to Guadeloupe
and Martinique brought with them the kadans
, a sophisticated form of music that quickly swept the island and helped unite all the former French colonies of the Caribbean by combining their cultural influences. These Haitians drew upon previous success from mini-jazz
artists like Les Gentlemen, Les Leopards, and Les Vikings de Guadeloupe.
After its introduction, some Dominican
musicians combined it with calypso
, creating a style known as cadence (or cadence-lypso
). Gordon Henderson
's Exile One
innovated this style by combining the French Antillean kadans (cadence) and calypso
of the English-speaking Caribbean, as well as turned the mini-jazz combos into guitar-dominated big bands, paving the way for the success of groups like Experience 7
, among others. Drawing on these influences, the supergroup Kassav'
invented zouk
and popularized it with hit songs like "Zouk-La-Se Sel Medikaman Nou Ni". Kassav' formed from Paris in 1978. Kassav' soon added elements of rock
and other influences and became some of the biggest stars in the Caribbean, France and elsewhere.
based in Guadeloupe
in the early 1970s. Cadence-lypso is a fusion of Dominican and Caribbean/Latin rhythms and has totally revolutionized the music scenc in its genre, and it has now become the main dance Music of Dominica, Guadeloupe
and other French creole
Caribbean islands.
Cadence-lypso is the precursor for zouk
and soca
music.
The most influential band in the development of cadence-lypso was Exile One
(based on the island of Guadeloupe) in 1973 that combined Cadence rampa
and Calypso
.
It was developed in the 1970s by groups from Dominica, and was the first style of Dominican music to find international acclaim. Experience 7
was a famous band from Guadeloupe, whose styles include cadence music.
, and the cadence-lypso
of Dominica
, as popularized by Grammacks
and Exile One
. Elements of gwo ka
, tambour, ti bwa and biguine vidé are prominent in zouk. Though there are many diverse styles of zouk, some commonalities exist. The French Creole
tongue of Martinique and Guadeloupe is an important element, and are a distinctive part of the music. Generally, zouk is based around star singers, with little attention given to instrumentalists, and is based almost entirely around studio recordings.
The band Kassav' remain the best known zouk group. Kassav' drew in influences from balakadri
and bal granmoun dances, biguine
's and mazurka
's, along with more contemporary Caribbean influences like compas, reggae
and salsa
music. Zouk live shows soon began to draw on American and European rock
and heavy metal traditions, and the genre spread across the world, primarily in developing countries.
Zouk has diversified into multiple subgenres. These include zouk-love
, pop ballads by artists like Edith Lefel
and Gilles Floro
, Zouk-R&B, and ragga-zouk bands like Lord Kossity
who fused the genre with other influences.
drums and chime
s to electric bass guitar
. At root, however, these styles all use the same fundamental seven rhythms as folk gwo ka. Zouk legends Kassav' played an important role in the modernization of gwo ka, giving urban credibility to a style that was seen as backward and unsophisticated; they initially played in a gro ka format, using songs from the gwo ka Carnival tradition of mas a St. Jean and even placing an homage to traditionalist drumming legend Velo on their earlier albums.
Gwo ka moderne artists include Pakala Percussion, Van Lévé and Poukoutan'n, alongside more pop-influenced musicians like Marcel Magnat and Ti Celeste, while Gerard Hubert and others have fused gwo ka with zouk. The most famous modern gwo ka performer, however, is William Flessel, whose Message Ka in 1994 became an international hit.
In 1987, Exile One recorded a Chanté mas and lapo kabwit song entitled l'hivenage, commonly referred to as tchwe yo, the French Antilleans called that beat Jump up music because of the carnival flavor. This jump up beat was later modified to become bouyon or modern soca music. (As printed on Exile One's album "creole attitude").
In Guadeloupe andMartinique, "Jump up" refers generally to bouyon music.
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
music in the later 20th century. Zouk's popularity was particularly intense in France, where the genre became an important symbol of identity for Guadeloupe and Martinique . Zouk's origins are in the folk music of Guadeloupe and Martinique, especially Guadeloupan gwo ka
Gwo ka
Gwo ka is both a family of hand drums and the music created with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music. There are seven rhythms in gwo ka, which are embellished by the drummers...
and Martinican biguine
Biguine
Biguine is a style of music that originated in Guadeloupe and Martinique in the 19th century.-History:Two main types of French antillean biguine can be identified based on the instrumentation in contemporary musical practice, which is call the drum biguine and the orchestrated biguine . Each of...
, chouval bwa
Chouval bwa
Chouval bwa is a Martinican traditional music.-Origins:Belair or bèlè drumming is at the rhythmic heart of chouval bwa, the traditional roots music of Martinique; the belair itself is a huge tambour drum that players ride as though it were a horse....
, and the pan-Caribbean calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
tradition.
Folk music
Caribbean Carnival
Caribbean Carnival is the term used for a number of events that take place in many of the Caribbean islands annually.The Caribbean's Carnivals all have several common themes all originating from Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, based on folklore, culture, religion,and tradition, not on amusement...
is a very important festival in Guadeloupe and Martinique. Music plays a vital role, with Guadeloupean gwo ka ensembles, zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
music and guadeloupean big bands marching across the island, and travelling and performing music known as biguine vidé (or just videé) in a manner akin to Brazilian samba school
Samba school
A samba school is a club or dancing school. They practice and often perform in huge square-compounds devoted to practicing and exhibiting samba, an African-Brazilian dance. The schools are traditionally associated with a particular neighborhood, often shanty towns...
s. Carnival in both islands declined following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, bouncing back with new band formats and new traditions only in the 1980s. Both islands feature participatory, call-and-response style songs during their Carnival celebrations.
Biguine vidé
Biguine vidé is an up tempo version of the biguineBiguine
Biguine is a style of music that originated in Guadeloupe and Martinique in the 19th century.-History:Two main types of French antillean biguine can be identified based on the instrumentation in contemporary musical practice, which is call the drum biguine and the orchestrated biguine . Each of...
rhythm, combining other carnival elements. It is participatory music, with the bandleader singing a verse and the audience responding. It allows one to grab an improvised percussion instrument and join in. Traditionally, Carnival includes dances of African origin, including laghia, haut-taille, grage, calinda and bel-air. Traditional instruments include the chacha, maké, boula
Boula (music)
The word boula can refer to at least four different drums played in the Caribbean music area.The Guadeloupan boula is a hand drum, similar to the tambou bèlè, and is used in gwo ka and special occasions likes wakes, wrestling matches and Carnival celebrations...
, ti bwa, tanbou chan and tanbou bas drums. Aside from the biguine vidé bands, Vaval includes song and costume contests, masquerading
Masquerade ball
A masquerade ball is an event which the participants attend in costume wearing a mask. - History :...
and zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
parties.
Gwo ka
Gwo ka is a family of hand drums used to create a form of folk musicFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
from Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
. There are seven basic rhythms in gwo ka, and multiple variations on each. Different sizes of drums establish the foundation and its flourishes, with the largest, the boula, playing the central rhythm and the smaller, markeur (or maké) drums embellishes upon it and interplays with the dancers, audience or singer. Gwo ka singing is usually guttural, nasal and rough, though it can also be bright and smooth, and is accompanied by uplifting and complex harmonies and melodies.
Rural Guadeloupans still use gwo ka drums in communal experiences called lewoz
Lewoz
Lewoz are the traditional rural musical performances in Martinique and Guadeloupe, as opposed to the modernized gwo ka moderne....
es; this is the most traditional manifestation of gwo ka in modern Guadeloupe. Gwo ka is also played at Carnival and other celebrations. A modernized and popularized form of gwo ka is well-known on the islands; it is known as gwo ka moderne.
Popular music
Though Guadeloupe and Martinique are most frequently known only for the internationally renowned zouk style, the islands have also produced popular musicians in various updated styles of traditional biguine, chouval bwa and gwo ka. The world-famous zouk band Kassav'Kassav'
Kassav' is a Francophone zouk band formed in Paris in 1979. The core members of the band are Jocelyne Béroard, Jacob Desvarieux, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur and Georges Décimus...
remains easily the most famous performers from the island, while the Guadeloupan Carnival band Akiyo has become the only group in that style to record commercially.
Kadans
In the 1970s, a wave of HaitiHaiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an immigrants to Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
and Martinique brought with them the kadans
Cadence rampa
Cadence rampa is a variety of music from the Caribbean country of Haïti. Cadence rampa is originally a modern Haitian Méringue popularized by the talented sax player Webert Sicot in the early 60s...
, a sophisticated form of music that quickly swept the island and helped unite all the former French colonies of the Caribbean by combining their cultural influences. These Haitians drew upon previous success from mini-jazz
Mini-jazz
Mini-jazz is a type of jazz music characterized by swing dancing and jazzy melodies with influences from rock music.-History:...
artists like Les Gentlemen, Les Leopards, and Les Vikings de Guadeloupe.
After its introduction, some Dominican
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
musicians combined it with calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
, creating a style known as cadence (or cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso, popularized as simply Cadence is a cultural music of Dominica based in Guadeloupe in the early 1970s. Cadence-lypso is a fusion of Dominican and Caribbean/Latin rhythms and has totally revolutionized the music scence in its genre, and it has now become the main dance Music of...
). Gordon Henderson
Gordon Henderson
Gordon F. Henderson, CC, QC was a Canadian intellectual property lawyer who joined the law firm Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP in 1937, and later became its chairman....
's Exile One
Exile One
Exile One is a legendary musical group of the 1970s from Dominica based in Guadeloupe. Gordon Henderson is the leader and founder of the famous musical group "Exile One" and the one who coined the name "Cadence-lypso" for a genre of music that revolutionized modern creole music worldwide....
innovated this style by combining the French Antillean kadans (cadence) and calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
of the English-speaking Caribbean, as well as turned the mini-jazz combos into guitar-dominated big bands, paving the way for the success of groups like Experience 7
Experience 7
Experience 7 was a Guadeloupean cadence band formed in the mid 1970s, led by Guy Houllier and Yves Honore. It was also one of the very first band to emphasized future Zouk pioneer band such as Kassav'...
, among others. Drawing on these influences, the supergroup Kassav'
Kassav'
Kassav' is a Francophone zouk band formed in Paris in 1979. The core members of the band are Jocelyne Béroard, Jacob Desvarieux, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur and Georges Décimus...
invented zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
and popularized it with hit songs like "Zouk-La-Se Sel Medikaman Nou Ni". Kassav' formed from Paris in 1978. Kassav' soon added elements of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and other influences and became some of the biggest stars in the Caribbean, France and elsewhere.
Cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso, popularized as simply cadence is a cultural music of DominicaDominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
based in Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
in the early 1970s. Cadence-lypso is a fusion of Dominican and Caribbean/Latin rhythms and has totally revolutionized the music scenc in its genre, and it has now become the main dance Music of Dominica, Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
and other French creole
French-based creole languages
A French Creole, or French-based Creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century koiné French extant in Paris, the French Atlantic harbors, and the nascent French colonies...
Caribbean islands.
Cadence-lypso is the precursor for zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
and soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
music.
The most influential band in the development of cadence-lypso was Exile One
Exile One
Exile One is a legendary musical group of the 1970s from Dominica based in Guadeloupe. Gordon Henderson is the leader and founder of the famous musical group "Exile One" and the one who coined the name "Cadence-lypso" for a genre of music that revolutionized modern creole music worldwide....
(based on the island of Guadeloupe) in 1973 that combined Cadence rampa
Cadence rampa
Cadence rampa is a variety of music from the Caribbean country of Haïti. Cadence rampa is originally a modern Haitian Méringue popularized by the talented sax player Webert Sicot in the early 60s...
and Calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
.
It was developed in the 1970s by groups from Dominica, and was the first style of Dominican music to find international acclaim. Experience 7
Experience 7
Experience 7 was a Guadeloupean cadence band formed in the mid 1970s, led by Guy Houllier and Yves Honore. It was also one of the very first band to emphasized future Zouk pioneer band such as Kassav'...
was a famous band from Guadeloupe, whose styles include cadence music.
Zouk
Zouk arose in the early to mid-1980s from kadansKadans
Kadans is a French Creole music genre, which started off in Haïti, and made popular in Dominica and the French Antilles of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Kadans is the French creole term for cadence.-History:...
, and the cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso, popularized as simply Cadence is a cultural music of Dominica based in Guadeloupe in the early 1970s. Cadence-lypso is a fusion of Dominican and Caribbean/Latin rhythms and has totally revolutionized the music scence in its genre, and it has now become the main dance Music of...
of Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
, as popularized by Grammacks
Grammacks
Grammacks was a 1970s musical group from Dominica.-Biography:The band was started in a village on the west coast called St. Joseph. The band was formed by Anthony "Curvin" Serrant, guitar Anthony "Tepam" George, bass Elon "Bollo" Rodniy drums and keyboard player McDonald "Mckie" Prosper. Jeff...
and Exile One
Exile One
Exile One is a legendary musical group of the 1970s from Dominica based in Guadeloupe. Gordon Henderson is the leader and founder of the famous musical group "Exile One" and the one who coined the name "Cadence-lypso" for a genre of music that revolutionized modern creole music worldwide....
. Elements of gwo ka
Gwo ka
Gwo ka is both a family of hand drums and the music created with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music. There are seven rhythms in gwo ka, which are embellished by the drummers...
, tambour, ti bwa and biguine vidé are prominent in zouk. Though there are many diverse styles of zouk, some commonalities exist. The French Creole
French-based creole languages
A French Creole, or French-based Creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century koiné French extant in Paris, the French Atlantic harbors, and the nascent French colonies...
tongue of Martinique and Guadeloupe is an important element, and are a distinctive part of the music. Generally, zouk is based around star singers, with little attention given to instrumentalists, and is based almost entirely around studio recordings.
The band Kassav' remain the best known zouk group. Kassav' drew in influences from balakadri
Balakadri
Balakadri is a traditional quadrille music that was performed for balls on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.-History:...
and bal granmoun dances, biguine
Biguine
Biguine is a style of music that originated in Guadeloupe and Martinique in the 19th century.-History:Two main types of French antillean biguine can be identified based on the instrumentation in contemporary musical practice, which is call the drum biguine and the orchestrated biguine . Each of...
's and mazurka
Mazurka
The mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
's, along with more contemporary Caribbean influences like compas, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
music. Zouk live shows soon began to draw on American and European rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and heavy metal traditions, and the genre spread across the world, primarily in developing countries.
Zouk has diversified into multiple subgenres. These include zouk-love
Zouk-love
Zouk-love is a genre of popular French West Indian music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish...
, pop ballads by artists like Edith Lefel
Edith Lefel
Edith Lefel . Edith Lefel was born in Guyana and grew up in Martinique; she has become a popular zouk-love singer. Her career began to take off in 1984, when she worked with Jean-Michel Cabrimol's group Maffia. In 1987, Lefel began working with the well-established Martinican band Malavoi...
and Gilles Floro
Gilles Floro
Gilles Floro , was a popular French Antillean zouk love singer.- External links :*...
, Zouk-R&B, and ragga-zouk bands like Lord Kossity
Lord Kossity
Lord Kossity is a hip hop mogul and rapper from Martinique, French Antilles, in the West Indies. His family is originally from Martinique but he was born in the suburbs of Paris, France and moved back to the French Antilles with his family when he was 11 years old.He began his career in the 1990s...
who fused the genre with other influences.
Gwo ka moderne
A more modernized version of gwo ka is gwo ka moderne, which adds new instruments ranging from conga or djembeDjembe
A djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
drums and chime
Tubular bell
Tubular bells are musical instruments in the percussion family. Each bell is a metal tube, 30–38 mm in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Its standard range is from C4-F5, though many professional instruments reach G5 . Tubular bells are often replaced by studio chimes, which are a smaller...
s to electric bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. At root, however, these styles all use the same fundamental seven rhythms as folk gwo ka. Zouk legends Kassav' played an important role in the modernization of gwo ka, giving urban credibility to a style that was seen as backward and unsophisticated; they initially played in a gro ka format, using songs from the gwo ka Carnival tradition of mas a St. Jean and even placing an homage to traditionalist drumming legend Velo on their earlier albums.
Gwo ka moderne artists include Pakala Percussion, Van Lévé and Poukoutan'n, alongside more pop-influenced musicians like Marcel Magnat and Ti Celeste, while Gerard Hubert and others have fused gwo ka with zouk. The most famous modern gwo ka performer, however, is William Flessel, whose Message Ka in 1994 became an international hit.
Bouyon
Bouyon (Boo-Yon) is a form of popular music of Dominica, also known as jump up music in Guadeloupe and Martinique.In 1987, Exile One recorded a Chanté mas and lapo kabwit song entitled l'hivenage, commonly referred to as tchwe yo, the French Antilleans called that beat Jump up music because of the carnival flavor. This jump up beat was later modified to become bouyon or modern soca music. (As printed on Exile One's album "creole attitude").
In Guadeloupe andMartinique, "Jump up" refers generally to bouyon music.