Les Titres Essentiels Antilles

Review

A perfect introduction to every facet of zouk.
Zouk is the modern pop music of the French Antilles, a mongrel Creole mix of Haitian compas, European dance music from the 1920s and more indigenous sounds. Although it’s faded from global dancefloor popularity, it remains a dominant force at home, with Kassav’ as its leading exponents. They’re all over this disc, including their roaring biggest hit, “Zouk-la-se Sel Medikaman Nou Ni.” It’s not just the band, but members who carved solo careers, like the smooth-voiced Patrick Saint-Eloi, Jean-Phillipe Marthely and Jocelyne Beroard, the anointed Queen of Zouk. All together they run the gamut, from hardcore dancefloor pulse to the neo R&B of “An Plas’ay.” Add to that lineup Zouk Machine, Edith Lefel and the zouk-love of Tanya Saint Val and you have a veritable who’s who of the style. It’s a perfect introduction to all the facets of zouk, often powered by native gwo ka drummers, who bring a rooted feel to the funkiest of cuts.