Traditional music
Just like in its Guadeloupean cousin, the carnival is one of the emblems of the island. During five days of frenzy, splendid costumes, music, brass bands and drums parade in what is the biggest festival of the year. The great Vaval —a gigantic statue of several meters representing a current theme—, carried to the skies by the crowd, opens the festivities then closes them with its burial on the last day of the carnival (Ash Wednesday). In between, everyone gives free rein to their imagination and celebrates among the “vidés”, these splendid carnival processions and floats that the population ardently follows by swaying.
Another unavoidable musical tradition of Martinique: the bèlè. Combining song, music, dance and storytelling, the bèlè (or “bel air”) is organized around a singer who leads the ensemble with an imposing voice while the dancers and the tambouyé (drummer) converse. The term “bèlè” also refers to the main instrument, the bèlè drum, a conical membranophone covered with goat or sheep herd that is played by striking and rubbing hands and fingers. Although its origin is subject to debate, it is believed that this music was born during the slave period, from a transplantation of African musical traditions and European influences. To get a more precise idea, the albums of great masters of the genre such as Ti Emile or Edmond Mondésir (in the 1980s) are excellent starting points.
From the rhythmic heart of bèlè, there is also chouval bwa, the music that accompanied traditional wooden horse rides. If the genre seems a bit more marginal, it has known some real stars like Dédé Saint-Prix or Claude Germany.
And of course, it is impossible to talk about traditional music in Martinique without mentioning biguine. One of the most popular musical forms on the island, biguine, took shape at the end of the 19th century, shortly after the abolition of slavery, and was formed (also) from bèlè and European influences such as polka, then jazz in the 1970s. Originally, biguine was played by an orchestra consisting of a flute, a violin, a clarinet, a guitar, a banjo, a saxophone, a trumpet, and drums, but the formations became more fluid and variable over time. Although very protean and all-purpose, Malavoi, the iconic Martinican group, played some beautiful biguine. Eugène Delouche, a superb clarinet player from the 1930s (unfortunately forgotten), or Alexandre Stellio, a true biguine dynamiter, were two great actors of this Caribbean swing.
As far as concerts are concerned, the events organized by the Maison du bèlè in Sainte-Marie are very good opportunities to attend one, as the venue's mission is to preserve and transmit the genre. Otherwise, you can listen to good biguine on Sundays at Tante Arlette's restaurant in Grand-Rivière or at the Biguine Jazz Festival, an annual event that spreads its good programming all over the island. Otherwise, the Cultural Festival of the city of Fort-De-France, organized every year in the first weeks of July, opens an interesting window on the musical traditions of Martinique.
Popular music
The thought of “Martinican music” immediately brings zouk to mind. Inextricably linked to the French West Indies —of which it is a pillar of identity— zouk appeared in the 1980s, descending from kadans (Haitian meringue popular in the French West Indies during the 1970s) and cadence-lypso (kadans from Dominica) while inviting many local elements such as the biguine.
If the genre is more popular in Martinique, it is a Guadeloupean icon who popularized it in France and in the world: Kassav. It all began in 1979, when Pierre-Edouard Décimus, member of the flagship kadan orchestra Les Vikings de la Guadeloupe, decided with Freddy Marshall, another West Indian musician, to renew and modernize the music they had always played. Jacob Desvarieux (who died in July 2021) joined them and the group took shape. Through its first album, Love and Ka dance, this young group named Kassav gave birth to a new musical genre: zouk. With the second album, Lagué mwen, Jocelyne Beroard, a Martinique native, entered the scene. The group grows and Kassav is crowned with success all over the world: Paris, Cape Verde, New York… Under the impulse of the group, zouk is exported and quickly becomes a worldwide hit.
Since its birth, the genre has continued to evolve by incorporating new trends. At the end of the 1990s, the rhythm became simpler, and the lyrics turned mawkish with the “zouk love” wave. In the early 2000s, zouk was tinged with hip-hop and R'n'B, and artists such as Perle Lama from Martinique achieved success by singing in French (and no longer in Creole).
Although much less played today, compas (Kompa) and kadans, two distinct forms of Haitian meringue, are still popular in Martinique. The veterans of La Perfecta, active since the 1970s, are a perfect example.
The island is full of places to listen to zouk. In Fort-de-France, the Atrium, a large complex, regularly plays it. You can also hear a lot of it in the Nouvelle Savane, in the open air, around the small kiosks or on concert evenings at the Babaorum café.
Contemporary music
In love with music and in touch with what the whole of the Caribbean produces, Martinique has welcomed ragga with open arms. A purely Jamaican product, ragga (or dancehall) quickly found its mark in Martinique and many local artists have made and continue to make their mark: Kalash, who has collaborated with the rapper Booba, Matinda, the pioneer, Paille, recognizable by his straw hat, and X-MAN, once considered one of the best of his generation.
If the ragga concerts take place mostly at the Atrium, very good parties with DJs can take place in clubs like the Cosmopolite in Rivière-Salée or (more chic) the Kinky Mango in Le Lamentin. Otherwise, asking a few questions at the rasta market in Saint-Pierre will allow you to get the best tips and buy some good albums.
Dance
Another widely known and developed part of the island's culture: dance. Between zouk, bèlè, biguine, kalenda, mazurka, the possibilities of physical expression are many, and it is possible to watch some singular and typical forms. Among them, the mazouk (or Creole mazurka), a dance where the rider embraces their partner as close to the body as possible, is one of the most sensual. The ladja, on the other hand, is strikingly close to the Brazilian capoeira. This combat dance accompanied by drums and singing, also called danmyé, was banned at the time of departmentalization before being revived in the 1980s.
