The bel-air (or bèlè)
Traditionally from Martinique, but also present on Saint Martin, bel-air is an agricultural music steeped in African sounds, a legacy of the slaves of the slave trade. It's a highly codified form of music, set to the rhythm of drums (also known as bèlè), with lyrics about life as a slave, love and joy. Bèlè is also the name given to the mixed dance performed by groups or couples. Two great exponents of this traditional music are Martinican artists Eugène Mona and, above all, Edmond Mondésir.
The zouk
Zouk, the great West Indian pastime, can sometimes seem the preserve of a closed, unfamiliar world, living by unwritten rules where sticking-together is practiced by instinct, by feel. Zouk is probably the best-known export of the French from the Lesser Antilles. The word originally referred to a popular or unconventional dance space, or could derive from mazouk, the Creole mazurka. Whatever the case, it was Kassav who popularized the genre in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Success was immediate throughout the Antilles (including Saint-Martin), and the genre even served at the time - like the Creole language - as a tool for defending Antillean identity. Groups and hits rained down throughout the decade, including Zouk Machine in 1989 with Maldon, a song whose success made it an emblem of the genre. Zouk was soon followed by zouk-love, a slower, gentler and more sensual variant. Patrick Saint-Éloi was undoubtedly one of the forerunners in the French West Indies. This was followed by a decline in popularity in the 1990s, then the emergence of a new generation in the 2000s, the founders of zouk R'n'B. Zouk is increasingly influenced by American music. Today, the trend seems to oscillate between spicy zouk and electro-zouk, which shares the dance music scene with sexy Puerto Rican raggaeton.
Undeniably, a good time to hear zouk in Saint Martin is during Carnival. It's the most popular event on the French side of the island, and everyone comes out in make-up or fancy dress, singing and dancing to the rhythms of West Indian music, often played by great local bands. An unmissable event.
The kompa
While kompa is popular throughout the West Indies, on Saint-Martin it bears witness to the Haitian immigration of the 80s. Originating in Haiti in the 50s, it is a genre steeped in jazz, calypso and merengue. Listen to some of the great names of the era, such as Nemours Jean-Baptiste, the Orchestre Tropicana and the Orchestre Septentrional, and you'll be in for a real treat. From the '80s onwards, kompa kept more or less the same swaying rhythm, but became "digital", with drum machines and synthesizers replacing the traditional orchestra. It's this kind of kompa that's often heard on Saint-Martin (and everywhere else), with, of course, the contemporary version refreshed with rap, R'n'B, reggae or ragga. To get an idea of the genre, you can listen to Haitian stars like Carimi or Sweet Micky. Fun fact: the latter is so popular that he was President of Haiti between 2011 and 2016.
The steel band
Although inseparable from its island of origin, Trinidad, and its favorite genre, calypso, the steel drum is extremely popular on Saint-Martin (and throughout the Caribbean). This steel drum, with its airy, graceful sound, is the most typical percussion instrument on the islands. The steel drum is often played in orchestras - in the company of other steel drums - the famous steel band, very common on Saint-Martin, especially during carnivals in both parts of the island. Saint-Martin even has its own star band: The Gunslingers. A veritable local icon, this steel band has been performing since the 1950s, training new recruits generation after generation to keep the practice alive.
Jamaican music
Although the Jamaican community is larger on the Dutch side of the island, it remains particularly well established on Saint-Martin. The standard of living, which was once close to that of Europe, attracted many inhabitants from the surrounding islands. As a result, Jamaican music, which is world-famous, has a strong local presence. You can hear a lot of reggae, ragga and dub in the streets and on the beaches, and local bands play a lot of it. Among them, the Red Eye Crew are dancehall stars (often mixed with Trinidadian soca) throughout the Caribbean, and reggae singer Percy Rankin is undoubtedly the island's best-known artist. The latter can be seen performing regularly at the Blue Martini, a trendy bar-restaurant in Grand-Case, with a very relaxed atmosphere and a tempting program. On the Dutch side, Pineapple Pete is also a regular reggae live act.
The dance
Panamn" is the island's traditional dance, but unfortunately it's not widely known or practiced today. Otherwise, today on Saint-Martin, people dance in the same way as in the rest of the French West Indies. As far as folklore is concerned, the mazurka is still present on Saint-Martin, but only during celebrations or balls. This Martinican dance arrived from Poland at the beginning of the 20thcentury to become a Creole waltz, much more rhythmic than the original and divided into two figures: "le piqué" and "la nuit". Just as traditional, the biguine blends bèlè and polka, resulting in three styles: salon biguine, ballroom biguine and street biguine. The group Malavoi has done much to keep mazurka and biguine alive with its music. There's also the laghia, a "fight dance" performed by two men simulating hand-to-hand combat, and the calenda, a lascivious, solitary dance. Equally sensual, the zouk love "collé-serré" is the most widespread dance on the island.
