It’s hard to stay indifferent when listening to “Kawmélito”, a convoluted poem that serves as an introduction to this unusual album by Polobi & the Gwo-ka Masters. Weightless on psychedelic dub arrangements, this rocky voice which tells a story of old shoes in Creole is the signature ofCyclonic shelter, counter-foot of fifty minutes which gives the impression of never touching the ground. Because this UFO signed by Real World, Peter Gabriel’s valiant label, is undeniably inhabited by the gwo-ka spirit which, according to the pivotal musician Klod Kiavué, is undoubtedly “the identity, the soul, the most sincere expression of the country, especially for Guadeloupeans who have a special relationship with the Earth”. This is the case of his neighbor Moïse Polobi, a former farmer and lumberjack who today spends most of his time communing with the nature that adjoins his native Petit-Bourg. Between two drum rolls, this toumblak rhythm that he has loved and mastered for so many years, is the hoarse voice of the old that Guadeloupe hears rising from the woods. When he was twelve years old, Moïse accompanied his mother to the Friday Lewoz, these traditional events which bring together musicians, singers and dancers around the gwo-ka. He will no longer imagine his life other than punctuated by music. On his way, it is the master ka Guy Konket who will come to throw oil on this already lively spark, thus becoming a true mentor for Moïse.
Klod Kiavué, the Péyi scout
“There are hundreds of gwo-ka musicians who never record”, says Klod. The exception that proves the rule, Moïse was there in the right place at the right time, this evening in September 2020 in full confinement. “I work with 3D family and producer Valérie Malot” he continues, “She was at home during this evening that I organized, where Moïse Polobi began to sing and dance”. Impressed by these almost mystical expressions of voice and body, Valérie is already imagining unprecedented fusions. Without knowing it, Klod has just triggered a new important meeting, he who tirelessly contributes to exporting this culture internationally. Known for his projects alongside the Cuban pianist Omar Sosa or the American saxophonist David Murray, Klod allows “to expressions like that of Moses which normally stay in the country, to take other directions”. It is true that David Murray and the Gwo-ka Masters have attracted the attention of ethnologists and other American and Canadian enthusiasts, seducing an English-speaking world for whom this music was still unknown.
For Klod, releasing this type of retro-futuristic-looking album on Real World, “it’s a way to get people to discover the original form of gwo-ka, because the problem with Guadeloupean music is that there is no distribution network”. However, the tradition is not in danger. “There is gwoka everywhere, all the time”, he tells us in a reassuring tone, convinced of the eternal and unshakable nature of a genre that only asks to develop, to dialogue with modern music. On Cyclonic shelter, the original percussive form of the gwo-ka can be heard from the clouds because it is indeed the singular voice of Moses in question. It’s Liam Farrell alias Doctor L who transposes it into his pigmented dub universe of afro-funk, not stingy with echoes and delays. Former drummer of Rita Mitsouko and Wampas, ex-producer of the rap group Assassin, the Franco-Irish knows Africa well for having collaborated several times with Tony Allen. “He didn’t know the gwo-ka universe at all”, continues Klod, “He has a special reading of rhythm and has succeeded in approaching it in a totally new and different way… which Moïse validated! “.
Moses Polobi, the messenger of the forest
“I work in the forest, I cut wood, I plant yams, there are birds and animals passing by, and I sing. » On the banks of the Lézad, the river that crosses his village, Moïse pushes the song and structures his refrains on returning home. “I’m talking regarding me, I’m talking regarding my life”, continues Moïse who thus emptied his bag of cassettes to select 13 songs with the help of Klod, according to the themes and the purity of the choruses. We are therefore far from the protesting character of the gwo-ka which resounds at each popular demonstration: “gwo-ka is first and foremost the expression of the people, before being protest music”recalls Klod. “It’s a powerful weapon, but as an artist, we’re not going to spend our lives contesting! We have other things to talk regarding, and talking regarding the organization of the forest is a social proposition, especially these days. We are in a country where there are monstrous problems, we offer things with a universal vocabulary; if we work well with nature, life is much more pleasant. »
The title Cyclonic shelter is also a reminder that this nature that inspires Moses so much is so powerful and unpredictable that we are not “only one element, we are not here to order it” ! Under a candid, almost innocent air, the 69-year-old man sings of his own reality, his link with this forest which shelters him; Between an anecdote on the bicycle (“Camargo”), a pig story (“Okipayason”) and a tribute to his land (“Zion”), he does not forget his heritage, recalling here and there the post-colonial difficulties (“Ojéliya ”) and the painful past of this island rich in history (“Neg Africa”). Firmly rooted in the gwo-ka spirit, Cyclonic shelter in fact grow a new ramification, confirming the appetite of Guadeloupean music to lend itself to the game of mixing genres, without ever forgetting its identity.
The album Abri Cyclonique is available on Real World Records.
