Zouk

Zouk
Stylistic origins	kadans, cadence-lypso, bèlè, biguine, gwo ka, and other Caribbean rhythms
Cultural origins	Early to Mid-1980’s, Guadeloupe & Martinique
Typical instruments	Traditional: rhythm section: bèlè, makè and boula drums, tibwa, rattle chacha;brass section, two synthesizers, guitar, bass guitar. Contemporary: Zouk-love and Zouk-R'n'b use synthesisers and drum machines especially.
Mainstream popularity	Popular in the French Caribbean and now also in South America (Brazil etc.) and Africa (Angola, Cape Verde, Réunion, Mozambique etc.)
Derivative forms	Kizomba - Cabo zouk
Subgenres
Zouk-love - Kizomba - Cabo love
Fusion genres
Zouk-lambada - Cola-zouk - Zouk R&B - kuduro - Zouk chouv
Regional scenes
French West Indies - Haiti - West Africa - France - Portugal

Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. The word Zouk means "shake..."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 mazurka, that was introduced to the French Caribbean in the 19th Century. In Africa, it is popular in franco- and lusophone countries. In Europe it is particularly popular in France, and in North America the Canadian province of Quebec.

Origins

Zouk’s origins can be traced back to the West Indies, having come out of the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the early to mid-1980’s. In Jocelyn Guilbault’s seminal book on the subject, “Zouk: World Music in the West Indies,” she states that “Zouk is the creation of black, Creole-speaking Antillean artists,” and puts forth the theory that it is the product of the struggle to form some kind of national identity among the four islands, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica and St. Lucia. All four share a similar colonial past, having been under both French and English rule at various points in their history, and are populated predominantly by blacks, who are the descendants of African slaves. The word “zouk” comes from the Creole word meaning “party,” and is such a part of everyday life that a common phrase heard on the islands is “When you hear zouk, you feel at home.”

Music authors Charles De Ledesma and Gene Scaramuzzo trace zouk's development to the Guadeloupean gwo ka and Martinican bèlè (tambour and ti bwa) folk traditions. Ethnomusicologist Jocelyn Guilbault, however, describes zouk as a synthesis of Caribbean popular styles, especially Dominica cadence-lypso, Guadeloupean biguine, and Haitian cadence. Zouk arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s, using elements of previous styles of Antillean music, as well as imported genres.

Kassav

The leading band to emerge from this period was Kassav', who came from Guadeloupe and Martinique. They gave the style a pan-Caribbean sound by taking elements from compas, reggae, and salsa music, and became one of the most famous bands of the genre in the world. Kassav' was formed in 1979 by Pierre-Edouard Décimus, a long-time professional musician who worked with Freddy Marshall. Together, the two of them decided to take carnival music and make it a more modern and polished style. Their first album, Love and Ka Dance (1980), established the sound of zouk. They continued to grow more popular, both as a group and with several members' solo careers, finally peaking in 1984 with Yélélé, which featured the international hit "Zouk-la-sé Sel Médikaman Nou Ni".

With this hit, zouk rapidly became the most widespread dance craze to hit Latin American in some time, and was wildly popular even as far afield as Europe and Asia. Zouk became known for wildly theatrical concerts featuring special effects spectacles, colorful costumes and outrageous antics.

Zouk or compas music has thrilled and inspired millions of fans from around the world. The global influence of the genre is even more remarkable considering its roots. The islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique together cover barely 1,000 square miles, and each is inhabited by just 400,000 residents. Zouk music is steeped in the complex history of the islands, one of unsurpassed beauty, colonization, political turmoil, and the abundant fusion of bits and pieces of African, European, and Caribbean cultures. Naturally, zouk itself is the product of a combination of musical influences.

Zouk influence has been felt in Brazilian lambada and other Caribbean styles like, bouyon, soca and combined rhythm, as well as African styles such as soukous, makossa, Kuduro, Semba, Coupe-Decale, mbalax, Gumbe, coladeira, and funana.

Styles

Zouk in the Caribbean (Traditional way)

Caribbean zouk is a dance performed in the Caribbean, most often in the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. It is danced basically by changing the weight from one leg to the other in the music, which many teachers of dance simply call the time. The choreography is simple and little elaborated.

The dance steps of Caribbean zouk dance style differ significantly from the Brazilian zouk-lambada dance style. In Caribbean zouk two steps are performed on the music ("1-2, 1-2, etc"), where in Brazilian zouk three steps are performed on the music ("1-3-4, 1-3-4, etc"). This changes the dynamics of the dance.

Zouk Chiré

Zouk béton or Chiré is the original and the only real zouk. Zouk is very rhythmic, in creole it qualifies this music (moving a lot). This particular rhythm are in the songs of carnaval and it is danced usually without a partner. The Zouk béton or Zouk Chiré was popularized by Kassav during the years, but it has lost ground due to the success of zouk Love, which is indistinguishable from compas. The "Zouk béton" or "Chiré" style has become a part of Kuduro - an uptempo, energetic, and danceable type of music and dance from Angola.

Zouk-love

Main article: zouk-love

Zouk-love is a special style of Zouk where the music is slower, and more dramatic. The music kizomba from Angola and Cabo-love from Cape Verde are also derivatives of zouk which sounds basically the same, although there are notable differences once you become more familiar with these genres.

Popular zouk-love artists include French West Indian artists Edith Lefel and Nichols, or like Netherlands based Suzanna Lubrano and Gil Semedo, the African artist Kaysha.

Kizomba

Main article: Kizomba

Kizomba is one of the most popular genres of dance and music created in Angola. Derived directly from Zouk, sung generally in Portuguese, it is a genre of music with a romantic flow mixed with African rhythm. The kizomba dancing style is also known to be very sensual.

Cabo Zouk

Cabo-zouk (from the islands of Cabo Verde), cola-zouk (from coladeira), and cabo-love (from zouk love are also a derivatives of zouk originating form the Cape Verde islands.

Afro-Zouk

There is also Afro-Zouk, unlike zouk-love, Afro-Zouk features elements from soukous and sometimes relies on the soukous guitar. Popular Afro-Zouk artists include artists like Monique Séka, Oliver N'Goma, Diboué Black.

Compas or zouk nouvelle génération

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 other artists have adopted the "New Generation" compas style that is more popular in France and the Caribbean. Caribbean, Cabo Verdean and African artists usually feature one another via compas songs. This style is more popular in France, and the Caribbean. Caribbean, Cape Verdean and African artists usually feature each other 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" . These songs are available through youtube.

Zouk R&B or New Generation

Today, there is an alternative of Zouk, influenced by the American R&B. It is a mixture of R&B and Zouk Love. This trend has taken birth in Paris with artists such as Slaï, Thierry Cham, Jane Fostin, Ali Angel, Medhy Custos, Nichols, Kimberlite Zouk, Warren, Marvin, Kaysha, Elizio, Teeya, Soumia, Linsha. Jean-Michel Rotin is the precursor of Zouk R&B (Zouk RNB, Zouk R'NB) or "américanisé" with the songs "Le Ou Lov", "Sof will", "Stop", "Cigaret", "Chut j'taime", "Mwen'm not", "And I love her" and "Ella". This trend seems to know the accession of the French public due to the success of Slaï, Thierry Cham, Medhy Custos, Les Déesses and Pearl Lama.

Some purists prefer the term "Compas Nouvelle Génération", which is very popular among young people of Cape Verde.

Rio-style Zouk

Main article: Zouk-Lambada

Rio-style Zouk was first developed in Rio de Janeiro. It is mainly danced in Brazil (Rio and Brasilia), Australia, The Netherlands, Spain and some other European countries. It uses a modified, slower, smoother, even more sensual version of the lambada and is typically danced on Zouk-love style music. In the Netherlands this dance style goes under the name of zouk-love.

Zouk dancing

There are multiple ways to dance to zouk music:

1. Zouk Love (Traditional way)
   1. French Caribbean way (Antilles/Haiti).
   2. French-speaking Africa way.
2. Zouk-Lambada style. A fusion of French Caribbean Zouk and Brazilian styles danced to Zouk rhythmic music.
   1. Brazilian zouk. An evolved Brazilian version of Zouk dancing utilizing French Caribbean, Portuguese Cape Verdean and other Zouk-like rhythmic music.
   2. Lambazouk or Lambada. Lambada dance style (or a variation of it) danced to Zouk music.
3. Angolan Kizomba, and Cape Verdean cola-zouk dance style. The music was developed directly from zouk.

Notable zouk artists and DJ's

• Kassav
• Zouk Machine

See also

• Music of Haiti
• Caribbean music
• Zouk (club)

External links

• Zouk at the Open Directory Project
• Page 74/Peter Manuel: Popular Musics of the Non-Western World Oxford University Press Copyright 1988.p74