Simply Zouk

The four-CD Simply Zouk, compiled by veteran DJ John Armstrong, charts the development of the French Antillean genre from its contemporary origins in Caribbean island styles such as Dominican cadence and Haitian compas into Congolese soukous and then into the electro zouk, which gamely rivalled salsa and soca. The roots-music-heavy first CD is a true delight, with Armstrong rescuing from obscurity beauties like Max Cilla's ‘La Danse des Bambons’ and Malavoi's ‘La Filo’. The second CD explores a fascinating phase when the more streamlined zouk beat was emerging in the 80s from the island styles. Languidly intricate tapestries such as Les Vikings’ ‘Contestation’ and Tabou Combo's ‘Tu as Volé’ reflect the densely creative mergers abounding in the period.

We’re in full stride by the third CD, with a back-to-back selection of high-octane rocking classics. While the rock-solid bass thumps through on Zouk All Stars’ ‘Isido’, with a full panoply of big-name vocalists propelling on the chant vocal, there's a more lyrical, slower and beguiling zouk love mood underpinning Gwedi's ‘Koulot’ and John-Luc Alger's ‘Tan Pou Kon Pran’. The golden hits eventually end with Jocelyn Berouard's ‘Siwo’, a massive, vocal-driven crossover which rocked Parisian dance floors for many years.

Following this sweaty bliss, the final CD comes as a bit of an anti-climax, reflecting the fact that zouk currently has lost some of its musical specificity. An exceptional memoir of one of the late 20th century's finest and most effective funky, sexy, world pop genres.