Compas music

Compas (Kompa)
Cultural origins	Haitian Meringue
Typical instruments	Drum, conga, cowbell, Guitars, Keyboards, Horn section, modern Synthesizer
Mainstream popularity	Made popular by groups from Haiti, Dominica, the French Antilles (Guadeloupe & Martinique) and Cabo verde. (considerable popularity in the rest of the Caribbean, Africa, France, South america as well as several major U.S cities), enjoyed highest popularity during the '60s, '70s, 80s and '90s
Derivative forms	Kadans, Cadence-lypso, Zouk, Cabo Verde Compas, Soca
Fusion genres
Reggaeton
Regional scenes
Haiti , French West Indies , Canada, France, Africa, Panama, Cape Verde, South America, North America
Other topics
Music of Haiti - Nemours Jean Baptiste - Weber Sicot - Haiti

Music of Haiti
General topics
Related articles
Genres
Cadence rampa Kompa Kadans Méringue Mizik rasin Rara
Media and performance
Music festivals	Carnival
National anthem	La Dessalinienne
Regional music
Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Bermuda Bonaire Cayman Islands Cuba Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Guadeloupe Jamaica Louisiana Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico St Kitts and Nevis St Lucia St Vincent and Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Virgin Islands

Compas music (written as Compas Direct in French, and Kompa or konpa in Haitian creole) is a musical genre derived from Méringue, the national music of Haiti that people have been dancing and singing since the 1800s. Worldwide, several festivals annually feature Compas music. Compas is the basic music of many countries in the Caribbean such as the French Antilles of Martinique & Guadeloupe; most of the Lesser Antilles like Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, La Reunion, etc. known in French Guyana and many African Countries, compas is also the basic music of Cabo Verde. Whether it is known strangely as zouk where French Antilles artists have taken it or compas in places where Haitian artists have toured, the truth is that this light meringue is very influential in the Caribbean, Africa, Cape verde, France, Canada and America.

Zouk and compas is different. Like dembow and reggaeton, zouk uses a compas influenced beat, but the instrumentation is different and more sophisticated. This sophistication has inspired Haitian compas band to modernize compas by imitating zouk styles. Horns, synthesizers, and lately styles like rnb and hiphop music. Actually, compas started to become popular in the 2000's under the influence of the new generation, who combined styles such as zouk.

I, for a short time, let the paragraph above unedited so readers could see its lack of consistency. 1)zouk and compas are different: This is funny; compas has been around since the 50s while French Antilleans were playing marzuka and biguine. Haitian musicians initiated them to the compas music and dance. COMPAS IN THE 1950'S SOUND NOTHING LIKE TODAY COMPAS, WHICH IS A CADENCE AND ZOUK INFLUENCED STYLE. (HERE AGAIN YOU SHOW YOUR IGNORANCE IN THE MATTER. HOW COULD COMPAS BE A CADENCE AND ZOUK INFLUENCE WHEN HAITIAN WEBERT SICOT WHO POPULARIZED THIS LIGHT MERINGUE, INTRODUCED IT TO THE FRENCH ANTILLES IN THE 50S. WHY DON'T YOU ASK MANNO FROM RADIO CARAIBES? HE IS AN HONEST PERSON NOT A FANATIC. ALSO THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CADENCE LYPSO, BUT ONLY ONE CADENCE, THE CADENCE RAMPART. OK BUDDY. ZOUK BETON IS EVERYTHING YOU WANT BUT THE SO-CALLED ZOUK-LOVE IS COMPAS AND YOU KNOW IT.) DID THE ENGLISH MEN SAID THEY CREATE ANOTHER ROCK STYLE? DID THE PUERTO RICANS SAY IT. WHY YOU CANNOT ACCEPT THE FACT WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? THERE IS NO PROPAGANDA IN MUSIC. Now after legitimately attempted to create a style that did not work, they are talking about influence. 2) The compas influenced beat is the team up of conga, cowbell and drum that contitutes the basic of the compas style. So if the zouk uses this beat it is obvious that it is a compas. Same if you use the rock, reggae or salsa influence beat you are playing rock, reggae or salsa. As it is said the zouk is the French Antille compas, not a style. (That is clear here). R$B, SOUL, ROCK AND HIP HOP USES THE BEAT BUT THEY ARE ALL DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC. COMPAS IS LIKE A NEW BEAT USED FOR PLAYING DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC. U COULD PLAY R$B, SOUL, ROCK AND HIP HOP ON A COMPAS BEAT, DOESEN'T MAKE IT ALL COMPAS. ZOUK IN PARTICULAR HAS ITS OwN UNIQUE SOUND. U COULD PLAY ZOUK SOUNDS ON A R&B OR REGGAETON BEAT. (BUDDY THERE IS NO SUCH THING, LEARN MUSIC) 3)The French Antilles kassav was the first in the Caribbean to use the MIDI technology already in use in rock bands. So because compas introduced the MIDI to get the same sound they play zouk. Sound is not style. (learn the business) 4) There is one zouk: the zouk beton, a fast mix of African, gwo ka, compas and calypso that did not last long due to the force of compas deeply rooted in the French Antilles of Martinique & Guadeloupe. After their attempt to create the zouk beton the Antilleans have gone back to compas as usual. there is no excuse. 5) The so-called zouk-love is compas. stop this narcissism. ZOUK LOVE IS A SLOWER VERSION OF THE ZOUK BETON, WHICH ALREADY MIXES SOME COMPAS, AND WITH THE CADENCE INFLUENCE FROM DOMINICA IT RESEMBLE COMPAS. HOWEVER, ZOUK LOVE IS NOT JUST COMPAS. (THERE IS NO CADENCE-LYPSO BUT CADANCE WHICH = COMPAS. BOTH ARE MODERN MERINGUE. THERE ARE DIFFERENT ONLY BY NAME. ZOUK-LOVE OR COMPAS HAS NOTING TO DO WITH THE FAST ZOUK BETON, THE ONLY ZOUK. IN FACT WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IT?) 6) The English musicians have adopted the rock, Puerto Rico the salsa....Since the 50s Haitian compas bands have toured the French Islands and the whole Caribbean to initiate them to the style. it is obvious that after more than 50s of playing a style you have absorbed it. No zouk-love... In fact the term zouke was popularized by Haitian compas bands touring these Islands. 7) Stop being a free rider on compas. The truth is a music style cannot stand on propaganda but on proper technics (stop using the compas guitar scratch and interlocking pattern, stop using the drum, cowbell and conga beat, do something different. You are playing compas everywhere and out of respect you are calling it zouk. What did kassav ever said the band was playing compas? In Africa, Cabo verde, Portugal... all of you are doing the same thing: playing compas and calling it zouk. Cabo Verdeans have been playing compas since the 70s with Tito Paris and others now because you went there you want them to play zouk while you are playing compas. REGGAE USES AN R$B BEAT TO PLAY MENTO AND CALYPSO RHYTHMS. CADENCE-LYPSO USES COMPAS TO PLAY CALYPSO RHYTHMS-CADENCE-LYPSO. COMPAS IS JUST A BEAT USED TO PLAY DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC. IT NOT ALL ABOUT COMPAS COMPAS.

Haitians alike French Antilleans have made great contributions to improve the compas style over the years. So instead of working together you have been acting as if you had created a style while all you do is playing compas. Now no more break we are here to tell the truth.

OK, ZOUK IS COMPAS. COMPAS IS ZOUK. STOP REMINDING US. HOLA CHICO: LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR FOR YOU. MUSIC IS SERIOUS BUSINESS. EITHER YOU CAN CREATE A STYLE OR YOU PLAY AN EXISTING STYLE WITH ALL DUE RESPECT. THERE IS NO GOING AROUND. COMPAS AS A MODERN MERINGUE HAS BEEN AROUND WAY BEFORE THE 50S. IT CANNOT BE DUPLICATED. YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE TO CREATE YOUR MUSIC, THE ZOUK BETON, SO IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR MUSIC IMPROVE IT, MAKE IT DANCEABLE AND I WILL BE THE FIRST ONE TO SUPPORT YOU. BUT DON'T COME WITH ATTITUDE TELLING THAT YOU HAVE CREATED A STYLE WHILE ALL YOU DO IS PLAY COMPAS. STOP THIS NARCISSISM. THERE A LOT OF INTELLIGENT PEOPLE WHO ARE READING YOUR EXAGERATIONS. YOU DON'T HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO ERASE HISTORY. STOP BEING INGRATE SAID EVERYWHERE THAT YOU ARE PLAYING COMPAS. THE ZOUK-LOVE EXIST ONLY ON YOUR MINDS. YOU CREATED NOTHING BUT YOU HAVE HELPED IMPROVED THE COMPAS BECAUSE YOU HAVE GOOD MUSICIENS SUCH AS PATRICK ST. ELOIS AND OTHERS. ANOTHER THING, SORRY COMPAS CANNOT BE A RAW MATERIAL TO HELP YOU GET A FREE RIDE, IT IS A REAL STYLE PLAYED BY MANY ARTISTS IN THE WORLD SUCH AS CARLOS SANTANA, BONNY CEPEDA, LUIS GERRAS, DADY YANKEE....ETC.

FINALLY THIS PAGE IS GOING BACK TO NORMAL TOMORROW. MY ADVISE IS FOR YOU TO LEARN ABOUT MUSIC. IT IS NOT ABOUT EMOTION AND NARCISSISM. THE FACT IS TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO CREATE. SO GO AHEAD AND CREATE SOMETHING NEW, WITHOUT ANY CONNECTION WITH COMPAS. WHEN YOU ARE SO SENSITIVE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SHOW CREATIVITY. UNTIL YOU CAN DO SO. SHOW RESPECT FOR THE COMPAS, THE MUSIC THAT MAKES YOU LOOK GOOD WHERE EVER YOU GO. AND CALL IT COMPAS. DON'T DO AS YOU DID IN AFRICA, PORTUGAL... SHOW CREATIVITY.

PEACE AND LOVE

History

Compas direct is a modern meringue popularized in 1955 by the sax and guitar player Nemours Jean Baptiste. Nemours Jean-Baptiste presented his orchestra “Ensemble Aux Calebasses” in 1955 (named after the club “Aux Calebasses” located at Carrefour - a western neighborhood of Port au Prince, Haiti's capital - where the band used to perform on weekends). Compas' popularity took off likely due to the genre's ability to improvise and hold the rhythm section steady. Jean-Baptiste incorporated a lot of brass and easily recognized rhythms. Compás music is sung in Haitian Creole, Spanish, French, English and Portugues.

Webert Sicot left Nemours Jean Baptiste Compas band to form a music called cadence rampa.

For the past years the congas and the gong patterns still remain the same...it is different for the drums since in the early days of Konpa the cymbals didn't have the same patterns as they do today. Even in the mini-jazz era, many drummers used to play the drums their own magic ways.... If you listen to Les Shleu Shleu/Difficiles/Fantaisistes/Ambassadeurs... you will notice that the drummers/bands had their own respective beat and format. However the template that most drummers are using today is the one left by Smith Jean Baptiste of Les Shleu Shleu.........which is the BOLO BOLO...the tiap ti tiap ti tiap tiap ti tiap ti tiap....a style that was later improved and made popular by his successor Yves Arserne Appolon in both Shleu Shleu and Shah Shah in the early 70's. Smith Jean-Baptiste (Smitty) “kale senbal” style (hitting the crash cymbal in a hot cadence) was an addition to Konpa rhythm.

Mini jazz

The Mini jazz movement started in the mid-1960s, small bands called mini-djaz (which grew out of Haiti’s light rock and roll yeye bands of the early 1960s) played kompa featuring paired electric guitars, electric bass, drumset and other percussion, often with a saxophone. This trend, launched by Shleu Shleu after 1965, came to include a number of groups from Port-au-Prince neighbourhoods, especially the suburb of Pétion-Ville. Tabou Combo, Les Difficiles, Les Loups Noirs, Frères DéJean, Les Fantaisistes de Carrefour, Bossa Combo and Les Ambassadeurs (among others) formed the core of this middle-class popular music movement. As usual, music bands from the Caribbean particularly the French Antilles of Martinique and Guadeloupe, Dominica, etc. emulated this compas style.

Eventhough heavy bands and other mini-jazz of the country had always used a full horn section, however, in the mid-1970s, when the sounds of the antillean compas bands such as les Aiglons, Grammacks, Exile One started hitting the airwaves, those of the mini-jazz bands that have relied on the guitars, added a horn section. Some of them also adapted to the full synthesizers. To mark this change the two competing mini-jazz changed their names for example: Les Difficiles de petioville became D.p express, Les gypsies de petionville became Scorpio Universel etc.

New generation and digital era

Most of the young compas bands that used the Musical Instrument Digital Interface MIDI were called Compas nouvelle génération. In the mid-80s French Antilles Kassav, which music repertoire is 90% compas was the first in the Caribbean to use the MIDI technology already in use in Rock and Pop bands. In the late 80s, young Haitian compas band members applied this technology that in addition to reduce the band's size offers a variety of new sounds. Top Vice came with its digital konpa and young compas groups such as Zin, Lakol among others used the MIDI tech. However, most of them later, along with many other musicians in the world, went back to a full band with live instruments. Today this new generation notion is remembered as a moment of experiment with the MIDI.

In the early 2000, several Haitian compas bands such as Carimi, T-vice, Top vice and Konpa Kreol toured the French Antilles as usual with success. The singer Vro with Softcore and many others Antillean artists have adopted this light compas style, which is more popular in France and the Caribbean. Cabo Verdean, Caribbean and African artists usually feature one another via compas songs. Popular artists includes artists like Jacky Rapon in song like "Mi Amor" , Ludo in song like "Weekend", Jackito in song like "Je l'aime a mourir" and Priscillia in song like "Dis le moi", Ali Angel in song like "Zouk Bordel 2003", and Iron in song like "Mr DJ" . This light compas style is often called zouk love in the French Antilles.

Etymology and characteristics

The word “Compás” in Spanish means “beat” or “rhythm,” and one of the most distinctive characteristics of Compas music is the consistent pulsating beat (Tambora (drum)), a trait common to many styles of Caribbean music. Compas music is easy and fun to dance to, incorporating musical traditions like Méringue, which propel dancers around the floor with lively, active beats (though Compas has a slower beat and dance than Merengue). You may hear the notes of Compas music in a community of Haitian immigrants anywhere in the world, and where there is Compas, dancers are usually not far behind. Compas / Kompa is a genre of music that is emulated throughout the Caribbean and parts of Africa. In North America, compas festivals take place frequently in Montreal, New York, Miami, Boston and Orlando.

Notable artists

• Tabou Combo
• DP Express
• Shleu Shleu
• L'Orchestre Tropicana d'Haiti
• L'Orchestre septentrional d'haiti
• Magnum Band
• System Band
• Les Frères Dejean
• Volo Volo
• Gemini all Stars
• Skah shah
• Exile One
• Sweet Micky
• Kassav
• Tito Paris
• La Perfecta
• Grammacks
• Patrick St. Eloi
• Jocelyne Beroard
• Eric Virgal
• Experience 7
• Disip
• Djakout Mizik
• Les Gentlemen
• Les Leopards
• Les Vikings de Guadeloupe
• Malavoi
• Les Aiglons

New generation

• CaRiMi (Carlo Vieux, Richard Cavé, and Mickael Guirand)
• T-Vice
• Alan Cavé
• Harmmonik
• Toxic
• Kreyol La
• Relaks
• Krezi Mizik
• Zin
• Karizma
• T-Micky

See also

• Cadence rampa
• Cadence-lypso
• Méringue
• Merengue
• Zouk
• Zouk-love
• Music of Haïti
• Caribbean music

References

• Manuel, Peter (2006). Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae (2nd edition). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-463-7. 
• Experience Haitian music on Mizikpam Internet Radio Accessed May 18th, 2010
• Gage Averill (1997). Caribbean Current: A day for the hunter. A day for the prey.. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press. heritagekonpa.com

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