Zouk

For other uses, see Zouk (disambiguation).

Zouk
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsEarly 1980s, French Antilles (esp. Guadeloupe and Martinique)
Typical instruments
Derivative formsZouk-love, Kizomba
Regional scenes

Zouk is a musical movement and dance pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm, and a loud horn section.[1] Musicians from Martinique and Guadeloupe eventually added MIDI instrumentation to their compas style, which developed into a genre called zouk-love.[2][3] Zouk-love is effectively the French Lesser Antilles' compas,[4] and it gradually became indistinguishable from compas.[4]

  1. ^ Torres, George (2013). Encyclopedia of Latin American Popular Music. ABC-CLIO. p. 453. ISBN 978-0-313-08794-3.
  2. ^ Occo, Jean-Claude (2019). The Codification of Zouk. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 10. ISBN 978-2-9567965-2-7.
  3. ^ Ellingham, Mark (1999). The Rough Guide to World Music. Rough Guides. p. 299. ISBN 978-1-85828-636-5.
  4. ^ a b Popular Musics of the Non Western World. Peter Manuel, New York Oxford University Press, 1988, p74