Zouk (French Antilles)
Zouk is a musical style from the French Antilles (Guadeloupe, Martinique), born in the 1970s-80s. Derived from biguine and cadence rampa, zouk is a dance music using electronic synthesizers, drum machines, and brass instruments.
The emblematic group is Kassav’, founded in 1978 by Jacques Delcosh and Pierre-Édouard Décamps, with worldwide hits like Zouk Love. Other notable artists include Guillaume Enock and the many zouk artists who popularized the style in the 1980s-90s.
Zouk spread to Senegal (zouglou), central Africa, and throughout the African diaspora.
