Various . Lèspri Ka : New Directions in Gwoka Music from Guadeloupe 1981​-​2010.

The innovative, radical soul of Guadeloupe explored across thirty years of contemporary gwoka music, released by Time Capsule and Séance Centre.

As Guadeloupean vocalist and composer Marie-Line Dahomay writes in her liner notes to the compilation, gwoka is more than a style of music, it is “a way of living and thinking.”

Rooted in the social, musical and ritual practices of enslaved African people and their descendants on Guadeloupe, gwoka has always sought to express the spirit of independence and resistance authentic to the island.

Building on its traditional call-and-response form and the ideas of pivotal figures like Gérard Lockel and Christian Laviso, modern gwoka evolved throughout the second half of the twentieth century to include funk, jazz and electronic influences.

Defined by its propensity for innovation and experimentation, this compilation charts the most radical changes to modern gwoka, capturing a sensory riot of traditional répertoires, rhythms and makè techniques fused with a rich seam of genre-defying experimentation.

Whether heard in the deeply cosmic, spiritual music of Dao, Freydy Doressamy and Gaoulé Mizik, or the jazz funk inflections of Gui Konket and Horizon, the music here is united by the feeling of santiman ka, crucial not only to gwoka music but the identity of Guadeloupe at large.

As co-curator Cédric Lassonde writes: “What unifies these selections is the depth of the compositions, the experimentation around the santiman ka, and the spirit of resistance and liberation against slavery, be it modern or ancestral. With a thirst for innovation typical of the island’s creole culture, the ka spirit is deeply rooted in collective history and in a quest for identity.”

Co-curator Brandon Hocura continues: “The creative energy of these musicians is powerful and demonstrates a universal pursuit of resistance, freedom and identity. Their voices are distinct, but the chorus rises high and carries their message far across the sea.”

Released on double LP, Lèsprit Ka: New Directions in Gwoka Music from Guadeloupe 1981-2010 is the first compilation of its kind to bring the sound of modern gwoka to a wider audience, with many of the musicians features still active today.

Presented with typical attention to detail, the release features a specially commissioned essay by Guadeloupean musician Marie-Line Dahomey, and extensive liner notes from the curators.

True to the hybrid nature of the music, the compilation seeks not to provide a definitive sound, but express the variety of contemporary forms gwoka has grown to take. Just as Guadeloupean trailblazers Kassav fused gwoka with funk and cadence to create zouk, so did the musicians on this collection push gwoka in new directions rarely heard beyond its shores.

In the words of Gérard Lockel, “gwoka is the soul of Guadeloupe".


Feedback:


"This is really good. In-depth gwoka caribbean vibrations - warmth on the dancefloor!" - Gilles Peterson

"Amazing compilation. Always impressed about the passion and love you guys put behind each and every release" - Oliver Glage (Sonar Kollektiv)

"I always find it exciting to know and deepen new musical genres of which I do not know the history. Time Capsule in each of its releases gives me something extraordinary, and in this new release there is no denying it. Now I am aware of what the Gwo ka is, its history and its importance and beauty in this beautiful compilation the protagonists are the most important and innovative Creole musicians of Guadeloupe, so much quality and tradition that is still current and modern. Thanks T. C." - Leo Mas

“There’s a theme running through Time Capsule’s recent releases. Something more than simply spotlighting superb sounds that might have been forgotten, or missed. There's a cultural commentary going on here that catalogues something extremely prescient. Perhaps that wasn’t the label's original intention, but in the wake of prevailing tensions, it definitely seems to have panned out that way. Previous collections from Serginho Merti, Gratien Midonet, and Mario Rui Silva – representing Brazil, Martinique, Angola, respectively – are now joined by this celebration of the music of Guadeloupe. All catalogue and document the tradition and song of countries that suffered for centuries under colonial rule, and bore the brunt of its accompanying slavery. All contain art that aims to provide support in the face of adversity, and preserve racial identity, roots. Meaning that this isn’t just groovy gear to dance to, it's of huge historical importance” - Ban Ban Ton Ton

"Rooted in the drumming and dancing traditions practiced clandestinely prior to the island's emancipation, traditional gwoka call-and-response began appearing on vinyl in the early 1960's, and guitarist Gérard Lockel later tried to modernise the form through modal and atonal melodies, until a new vanguard finally incorporated broader jazz elements in the early '80s, attracting the interest of Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders and Randy Weston. Most of the music featured on this 2-LP set is little known outside the French Carribbean and the deep dive yields plenty of shimmering discoveries: Dao's Chen'n La and Gaoulé Mizik's Sonné Lékla Sonné recall Count Ossie's Tales of Mozambique, Michel Laurent's Matla La Mouyé and Selekta Ka's Nou Woukou Mansé A Zero have shades of zouk, while Thibault "Freydy" Doressamy's O Fon A Ké An Nou is a psychedelic entreaty to God" - Mojo magazine (David Katz)

Remastered by Stuart hawkes, Metropolis, London UK
Artwork by Alan Briand
Curated by Cédric Lassonde & Brandon Hocura (Séance Centre)
reissue production Kay Suzuki & Naomi Okabe (Séance Centre)