Traditional music and dance
If you're looking for Suriname's two most emblematic currents, you're bound to come across kawina and kaseko, two currents born of the country's terrible colonial and slave-owning history. The former has African origins (it is associated with Winti spirituality) but only really became codified at the end of the 19th century, after the abolition of slavery. Dense in percussion - such as the skratji, zigzag or shaker and the kwa-kwa bangi - it is characterized by its call-and-response chant. During the 20th century, the genre began to be championed by stars such as Big Jones, the pioneer of recorded kawina, and Johan Zebeda, seen as the purist of the discipline.
The other great traditional Surinamese aesthetic is kaseko. Emerging in the 1940s with the increasingly common use of large brass bands, it is a mutation of kawina, first integrating jazz and calypso, then over time reggae and zouk. A new genre, with its own codes and opening its doors to new "Western" instruments such as trumpet, saxophone, keyboard and electric guitar and bass. All this, without ever straying from the core of the kawina, such as the use of call and response chants.
The result is feverishly danceable and, related to this, terribly popular. For while the kawina is the traditional music of Suriname, it is the kaseko that captures all hearts. Even if the latter is descended from the former. The Orchestra Washboard, the leading ensemble of the 1960s, and especially its singer Lieve Hugo, are considered the pioneers of the genre. The latter is even nicknamed the " King of Kasèko " (after one of his albums). Two other key figures in kaseko are Ewald Krolis and Rudy Tangali, musicians who invited many new aesthetics into the genre. More recently, we should also mention the group Aptijt, who play kabula, a blend of kaseko and street music.
Constantly evolving, the island's aesthetics have blended with jazz (and more precisely, the complex harmonies of bebop) to create a new genre: paramaribop. The genre's iconic group is called 4Sure - featuring the great bassist Pablo Nahar, a name well known to jazz fans.
The country's largest community, the Javanese have imported cultural expressions that have become important over time, such as Baithak Gana. Originally a theatrical accompaniment, it blends Bhojpuri folk songs with Caribbean influences. In some ways, Baithak Gana is similar to the Chutney music of Trinidad and Tobago. It is played on the harmonium (a wind keyboard), the dholak (a North Indian percussion instrument) and the dhantal, a percussion instrument with a long steel rod. Ramdew Chaitoe and Dropati are Baithak Gana's two leading musicians.
Where can you hear this traditional music? Firstly, during the Fête de la Musique in Paramaribo, an opportunity to discover local creations. Then there are celebrations such as Avond Vier Daagse, a four-day march where numerous brass bands parade through the streets of the capital, and Keti Koti, commemorating the abolition of slavery.
Popular music
The late 1970s and 1980s saw the emergence of a vibrant funk, soul and disco scene. It's a little-known fact that some excellent music was produced here during this period. Led by Sumy, the prince of local funk, Erwin Bouterse, who mixed funk, soul and kaseko, and Max Nijman, a soul singer in Sranan, this scene was so inventive that a fine compilation was recently dedicated to it. Called Surinam Funk Force (released by Rush Hour in 2016), this anthology of disco and electro-funk rarities, always drenched in kaseko, aptly recounts the fever of Surinamese nights at the time. In 2012, the same label also released Surinam! Boogie & Disco Funk From The Surinamese Dance Floors '76-'83, another anthology of Surinamese music.
Contemporary music
Like many other countries in the world, Suriname is crossed by all the latest musical trends - hip-hop, electronic and pop - but always with a little local flavor.
The country's most popular artist today is undoubtedly King Koyeba. Born Lowinzo Misiedjan, this dancehall singer writes in Aukan and Sranan Tongo. Inspired by Jamaican Capleton, he offers his own laid-back version of dancehall, singing about love, money and personal experiences with a penchant for wordplay. A little in the same universe, Damaru is a rapper who grew up admiring Tupac Shakur and is now trying to pay tribute to him through his music and lyrics. He has scored several hits in Suriname, and has recently been trying to break into the Dutch market. More recently, the rapper Kiev (born Lloyd Welkens) has been making a name for himself on the local hip-hop scene, with hits such as Tjin Torie and Seryusu .
Elsewhere, Chuckie is a house DJ who has collaborated with David Guetta, Tranga Rugie is a recent Afro-pop success, Sabrina Starke is a soul-jazz singer who won a gold disc with her debut album Yellow Brick Road released on the prestigious Blue Note label, Kenny B is a reggae singer with a small following in the Netherlands, as is Miriam Simone, who is beginning to establish herself on the European reggae scene.
Paramaribo's nightlife is perfectly vibrant and there's no shortage of places to catch up with the young local scene. There's often good live music at Parbo's classic 'T Vat, as well as at Bar Zuid, Dream Café and Fat's, and good DJs are a regular feature at Club Touché.
