‘A Ka Titine’ has long been a staple at our Beauty & the Beat parties, a dancers’ favourite and one of those truly special records which have become part of the party’s DNA. This is gwoka from Guadeloupe, a term which not only designates an authentic music genre from the Caribbean island, but also a specific dance and more spiritually the soul and identity of a people. Lyrics often express the uniqueness of Guadeloupean culture, through the codes and metaphors of the Creole language, acting effectively as transmission of a collective history. Gwoka is made up of seven distinct rhythms, each of them used for different social occasions, from baptisms to funerals. ‘A Ka Titine’ is based on the driving toumblak rhythm, one which expresses love and happiness, and the most often heard in party situations. Gaoulé Mizik were a seminal outfit which released two cult albums in the late 80s, alternating between gwoka traditionnel and fusion experiments which they described as gwoka évolutif. ‘A Ka Titine’ is straight-up gwoka traditionnel, with legendary singer Michel Laurent at the peak of his powers. The “Titine” of the song is the name of the beach hut’s owner where Michel goes to have some fish, ends up drinking rum and playing dominoes, before almost getting killed in a brawl (!). Laurent is in raconteur mode, akin to the role of a griot in Africa, acting like a chronicler of his time and singing about everyday chores and social issues.
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