| |
click on
image
for larger picture
|
Not
the usual Runnins fare – Kassav’ are the originators
and prime movers (either collectively or via the member’s
various solo projects) of the Zouk music of the French Caribbean.
This set is one of four CD reissues of their material from the
eighties; it dates from 1984 and is important as it is a defining
moment on the evolution of the genre, and a significant factor
in establishing an African consciousness for the likes of Martiniquans
and Guadaloupeans, but perhaps mainly for the more reggae oriented
reader, because it contains the monster hit ‘Zouk-La Se
Sel Medikamen Nou Ni’. This went way beyond the confines
of Francophones – I recall many of the pirate reggae radio
stations in eighties London giving it masses of airplay, and
Greensleeves, one of Britain’s leading reggae distributors,
picked up on it, though it certainly bears little resemblance
to the reggae of the time. Like many of the other tracks on this
CD, it contains echoes of modern African music, heavy percussion
recalling the ageless sound of the motherland, traces of funk,
and certainly a bunch of ingredients from across the Caribbean – all
wrapped up in a high-tech gloss (one could almost say the latest
Paris fashions) and irresistibly danceable.
If you have enjoyed the likes of Putamayo’s ‘Music Of
The French Caribbean’, then this certainly bears out investigation.
If you need just one Zouk CD, then this is it! -
Norman Darwen
|