Soul Sok Séga: Séga Sounds from Mauritius 1973-1979

The international exposure of music from the Indian Ocean has, understandably, been dominated by the sounds of the huge island of Madagascar. There is, however, also a rich musical tradition on Mauritius – séga. The rhythm and dance originally developed by African slaves, it is played in its basic form on the ravanne(drum), maravanne(rhythm box) and triangle. It is a seductive Creole musical style with similarities to compas from Haiti, zouk from the Antilles, ska and calypso from Jamaica and Trinidad.

This particular compilation captures séga at a time when it was receiving popular musical influences from the West. It's a remarkably exotic mixture that flips between psychedelia, funk, soul, jazz and even Bollywood – without, mercifully, resorting to the 70s disco beat. Tracks here are by artists little known internationally and rarely heard outside of the islands. Thankfully we are all now able to enjoy this totally enchanting musical style.