Abri Cyclonique - Polobi & the Gwo Ka Masters (2023)

Ideated from: catch up and revisit–stuff I either completely missed or am only getting back to from the best-of-2023 lists I’ve seen

Gwo Ka is a product of the creolization of the islands of Guadeloupe. It’s built around drumming, and specifically 7 specific rhythms that are each designed to accompany different parts of life (fighting, love, fertility, farming, cane cutting, celebration, and one that’s intended “to charm and mimic the whites”)

This is a kind of revivalist take on the music, I gather, with lots of non-drum instrumentation and modern production techniques. It’s a fun trip through a music I didn’t know about until I found this.