Zouk

Zouk is a musical genre and a dance company, the French departments of America (Guadeloupe and Martinique) born in the late 1970s.

It was popularized in Europe by the group Kassav with his hits “Zouk la sé sèl médikaman nou ni” and “Kole Sere” and Zouk Machine with his hit “Maldon”.

Zouk, is the child of traditional music from Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Birth of zouk.

The history of zouk group Kassav is’ that will really launch this new musical genre in the West Indies to replace gradually Kadans Jurade played by Simond, the Eaglets, Vikings, Grammacks and Experience 7 (which influenced many musicians Guadeloupe) .

It begins in 1979 when Pierre-Edouard Decimus, a musician in a group of Kadans Guadeloupe (Vikings) since the 60′s decided with Freddy Marshall, another musician from the Antilles, to renew and modernize the music had always played.

Very attached to the popular music of carnival, Decimus tried to adapt it to modern musical techniques. The two men also recruited Jacob Desvarieux, session guitarist and Georges Decimus confirmed (the brother of the first), bassist, and other musicians in cabaret. The group is formed as and when.

This first version of the group returned to the studio in November and early the following year appeared the first Kassav album, entitled Love and Ka Dance. A new genre was born: zouk. The emergence of new sounds, especially in the bass, keyboards and brass gives the music an air of modernity and especially festive, live music and a foot-tapping. Kassav ‘begins here to write the history of zouk.

Follow the group Zouk Machine that records in 1989, the phenomenal ‘Maldon’, a song which became the biggest hit of all time zouk, a tsunami tidal wave of more than one million singles sold and # 1 selling singles in France for nine weeks. Composed of Jane Fostin, Christiane Obydol and Dominique Zerubbabel, Zouk Machine hexagonal know many successes and will remain one of the references of zouk.

Zouk Love.

Zouk Love is a variant of Zouk characterized by a slower, softer and sensual. This is the love song for most pieces. The lyrics often speak of love and emotional problems.

Zouk Love to dance to two in a “Kole Sere” and lascivious. Ophelia Marie of Dominica is the precursor of Zouk Love. Patrick Saint-Eloi is the author of the first pieces of Zouk Love to hits like “Darling,” “West Indies”, “Rev. mwen year” and “Zouk”. He sang a duet with Jocelyne Béroard one of the first tube Zouk Love, “Pa bizwen paly.” Jean-Philippe Marthély is also one of the pioneers of Zouk Love with his hits “Beautiful Kreate”, “Pazapa” and “se pa Lanmou Djendjen.”

But it Jocelyne Béroard with his hit “Kole Sere” a duet with Philip Lavil (gold) which allowed the whole of France to discover the Zouk Love. The single “Kole Sere” was sold over 500,000 copies in France. Even today the Zouk Love is the variation of which the most successful West Indies.

Enjoy Zouk.