Zouk: Difference between revisions

Zouk
Zouk
Stylistic origins	Kadans or compas, cadence-lypso, bélé, biguine, gwo ka, and other Caribbean/African rhythms.
Cultural origins	Early 1980s, French Antilles (Guadeloupe & Martinique)
Typical instruments	Traditional: rhythm section: bélé, makè and boula drums, tibwa, chacha, brass section, two synthesizers, guitar, bass guitar. ; Contemporary: zouk-love use synthesizers and drum machines especially.
Fusion genres
	Bouyon - Groovy soca - Gumbe - Kuduro
Regional scenes
	French West Indies - Dominica - Haiti - West Africa - Brazil - France

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Revision as of 19:18, 29 September 2015

Zouk is a fast jump up carnival beat style originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, popularized by the French Antilles Kassav' in the 1980s. Its originator French Antilles Kassav' is the only band that includes it in its repertoire to a lesser extent. Too fast, the style lost ground in the 80's due to the strong presence of kadans or compas, the main music of the French Antilles. Today, zouk is the French Antilles compas^[1], also called zouk-love.

Etymology

Actually the Creole word zouke, sekwe, zouke, etc. from the French verb "secouer" meaning "shake intensely and repeatedly" was used by Haitian artists who toured the French Antilles during the late 1970s and 1980s.^[2]

The word zouk has over time, come to mean "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French.

History

Zouk was a brief experiment; an attempt to develop a proper local music that would lessen or even eradicate the meringue-kadans or compas influence from the French islands. When the MIDI technology came out, Kassav used it fully creating new sound in both their fast zouk beton and compas. The proud antilleans were all over with zouk But as other bands from the Caribbean and Africa added the MIDI technology to their music people get use to it. Because it was a jump up beat the fast zouk beton faded away In the same 80s and Antilleans would continue to play and dance meringue-cadence or konpa. After all French Antilleans and Dominicans are important players of the style. However, the problem is the fact that musicians from Martinique and Guadeloupe have calculatedly labeled compas as zouk or zouk love in order to remain on the map; creating a big confusion in Africa, Cabo Verde, Angola, Bresil, Portugal and other places. French Antilles kasav, the originator of the zouk beton is a superb compas music band that has taken konpa to many places.

References

^ Peter Manuel, Musics of the Non-Western World, Chicago press University 1988p74
^ Skah Sha and Magnum band were among the first Haitian music groups to use the word souke/zouke in the French Antilles. Magnum band, which toured the Caribbean countless times has once spent two years in Martinique and Guadeloupe. The band leader, superb guitar player Dadou Pasket popularized the word zouke in many live tunes; especially in the album "La seule difference, Ibo Records, 1981, in the song "pike devan" meaning full speed ahead. During the same year "Les Skah sha #1 that frequently toured the French Antilles featured a nice LP album called "This is it" Produced by Mini Records, July 1981. Zouke is the second tune's title

[1] Peter Manuel, Musics of the Non-Western World, Chicago press University 1988p74

[2] Skah Sha and Magnum band were among the first Haitian music groups to use the word souke/zouke in the French Antilles. Magnum band, which toured the Caribbean countless times has once spent two years in Martinique and Guadeloupe. The band leader, superb guitar player Dadou Pasket popularized the word zouke in many live tunes; especially in the album "La seule difference, Ibo Records, 1981, in the song "pike devan" meaning full speed ahead. During the same year "Les Skah sha #1 that frequently toured the French Antilles featured a nice LP album called "This is it" Produced by Mini Records, July 1981. Zouke is the second tune's title

[1]

[2]

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 {{Music of Dominica}}
-'''Zouk''' is a genre of dance music originating from the Caribbean islands of [[Guadeloupe]] and [[Martinique]] in the [[French Antilles]]. It emerged in the 1980s, when it was played by bands such as the Guadeloupian [[Kassav']]. Its popularity spread to [[Haiti]].<ref name=Manuel-1988>{{cite book| last=Manuel| first=Peter | title=Popular Musics of the Non-Western World: An Introductory Survey| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Ou7UQpV1KtwC&pg=PA74| year=1988| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-506334-9| page=74}}</ref>
+'''Zouk''' is a fast jump up carnival beat style originating from the Caribbean islands of [[Guadeloupe]] and [[Martinique]], popularized by the French Antilles Kassav' in the 1980s. Its originator French Antilles Kassav' is the only band that includes it in its repertoire to a lesser extent. Too fast, the style lost ground in the 80's due to the strong presence of kadans or compas, the main music of the French Antilles. Today, zouk is the French Antilles [[compas]]<ref>Peter Manuel, Musics of the Non-Western World, Chicago press University 1988p74</ref>, also called zouk-love.
-Zouk-béton ("hard" zouk) is an individual jump-up dance, which takes its rhythmic basis from biguine vidé – the fast, carnival-associated version of [[biguine]].<ref name=Cyrille-2007>{{cite book| last=Cyrille| first=Dominique| coauthors=(with Kuss, Malena; Gerstin, Julian)| editor=Kuss, Malena (ed)| title=Music in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Encyclopedic History. Volume 2: Performing the Caribbean Experience| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=uspTNzJ_NoYC&pg=PA305| year=2007| publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-78498-7| page=305| chapter=Martinique}}</ref> Zouk-love is a slower style, danced by couples in close embrace, which is influenced by Haitian [[compas]], as well as by [[cadence-lypso]] (via [[Dominica]] and [[Saint Lucia]]).<ref name=Cyrille-2007/>
-Zouk is closer than compas to [[disco music]].<ref name=Manuel-1988/> Elements of [[gwo ka]], tambour [[Bèlè (dance)|bélé]], and ti bwa, including the full use of the [[MIDI]] synthesizer and sampling technology, are prominent in zouk.
 ==Etymology==
 {{Cleanup|section|date=September 2015|reason=apparent contradictions need clarification}}
-The word ''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 [[mazurka]] (mazouk), that was introduced to the [[French Caribbean]] in the 19th century.
 Actually the Creole word zouke, sekwe, zouke, etc. from the French verb "secouer" meaning "shake intensely and repeatedly" was used by Haitian artists who toured the French Antilles during the late 1970s and 1980s.<ref>Skah Sha and Magnum band were among the first Haitian music groups to use the word souke/zouke in the French Antilles. Magnum band, which toured the Caribbean countless times has once spent two years in Martinique and Guadeloupe. The band leader, superb guitar player Dadou Pasket popularized the word zouke in many live tunes; especially in the album "La seule difference, Ibo Records, 1981, in the song "pike devan" meaning full speed ahead. During the same year "Les Skah sha #1 that frequently toured the French Antilles featured a nice LP album called "This is it" Produced by Mini Records, July 1981. Zouke is the second tune's title</ref>
+The word ''zouk'' has over time, come to mean "party" or "festival" in the local [[Antillean Creole]] of French.
 ==History==
-{{Expand section|date=September 2015}}
+Zouk was a brief experiment; an attempt to develop a proper local music that would lessen or even eradicate the meringue-kadans or compas influence from the French islands. When the MIDI technology came out, Kassav used it fully creating new sound in both their fast zouk beton and compas. The proud antilleans were all over with zouk But as other bands from the Caribbean and Africa added the MIDI technology to their music people get use to it. Because it was a jump up beat the fast zouk beton faded away In the same 80s and Antilleans would continue to play and dance meringue-cadence or konpa. After all French Antilleans and Dominicans are important players of the style. However, the problem is the fact that musicians from Martinique and Guadeloupe have calculatedly labeled compas as zouk or zouk love in order to remain on the map; creating a big confusion in Africa, Cabo Verde, Angola, Bresil, Portugal and other places. French Antilles kasav, the originator of the zouk beton is a superb compas music band that has taken konpa to many places.
-The dictionary ''Le Petit Robert'' gives the following definition of ''zouk'': "Very rhythmic music and dance originating in the [[Lesser Antilles]] ([[Guadeloupe]] and [[Martinique]]) in 1980". Music authors [[Charles De Ledesma]] and [[Gene Scaramuzzo]] trace zouk's development to the Guadeloupean [[gwo ka]] and Martinican [[bèlè (dance)|bèlè]] (''tambour'' and ''ti bwa'') traditions.<ref>{{Cite web
-|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrKoZ1qsQq8&feature=relmfu|title=Martinican bèlè |publisher=YouTube |accessdate=September 10, 2005
-}}</ref>
 ==See also==