The innovative, radical soul of Guadeloupe explored across thirty years of contemporary gwoka music.

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As Guadeloupean vocalist and composer Marie-Line Dahomay writes in her liner notes to the compilation, gwoka is more than a style of music, it is “a way of living and thinking.”

Rooted in the social, musical and ritual practices of enslaved African people and their descendants on Guadeloupe, gwoka has always sought to express the spirit of independence and resistance authentic to the island.

Building on its traditional call-and-response form and the ideas of pivotal figures like Gérard Lockel and Christian Laviso, modern gwoka evolved throughout the second half of the twentieth century to include funk, jazz and electronic influences.

Defined by its propensity for innovation and experimentation, this compilation charts the most radical changes to modern gwoka, capturing a sensory riot of traditional répertoires, rhythms and makè techniques fused with a rich seam of genre-defying experimentation.

Whether heard in the deeply cosmic, spiritual music of Dao, Freydy Doressamy and Gaoulé Mizik, or the jazz funk inflections of Gui Konket and Horizon, the music here is united by the feeling of santiman ka, crucial not only to gwoka music but the identity of Guadeloupe at large.

As co-curator Cédric Lassonde writes: “What unifies these selections is the depth of the compositions, the experimentation around the santiman ka, and the spirit of resistance and liberation against slavery, be it modern or ancestral. With a thirst for innovation typical of the island’s creole culture, the ka spirit is deeply rooted in collective history and in a quest for identity.”

Co-curator Brandon Hocura continues: “The creative energy of these musicians is powerful and demonstrates a universal pursuit of resistance, freedom and identity. Their voices are distinct, but the chorus rises high and carries their message far across the sea.”

Released on double LP, L’Esprit Ka: New Directions in Gwoka Music from Guadeloupe 1981-2010 is the first compilation of its kind to bring the sound of modern gwoka to a wider audience, with many of the musicians features still active today.

Presented with typical attention to detail, the release features a specially commissioned essay by Guadeloupean musician Marie-Line Dahomey, and extensive liner notes from Cédric Lassonde and Séance Centre’s Brandon Hocura. 

True to the hybrid nature of the music, the compilation seeks not to provide a definitive sound, but express the variety of contemporary forms gwoka has grown to take. Just as Guadeloupean trailblazers Kassav fused gwoka with funk and cadence to create zouk, so did the musicians on this collection push gwoka in new directions rarely heard beyond its shores.

In the words of Gérard Lockel, “gwoka is the soul of Guadeloupe”.

Lèspri Ka : New Directions in Gwo Ka Music from Guadeloupe 1981-201

Horizon - Ti Malo

The @time-capsule_space mastermind and genius producer @kaysuzuki offers a fresh take on this classic from the gwoka 𝘳𝘦́𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘪𝘳𝘦 with a deep dubwise re-rub, sound-system style.

Gaoulé Mizik - A Ka Titine (Kay Suzuki Gwoka Dub)

This week we welcome Cedric Lassonde aka Cedric Woo, a DJ, digger, label owner and party host. Born in France but now residing in London.

A lover of all things cosmic, deep, organic & tropical, Cedric is well known & respected for his deep selections of world music as well as throwing some of the best grassroots resident parties in London. He is also closely affiliated to the likes of Brilliant Corners & Giant Steps and will be playing Houghton Festival this weekend!

Alongside Belle Bete and Jeremy Gilbert, Ced is founder and musical host at Beauty & the Beat a party which has been running since 2005. The party has an open minded approach to musical styles and is known for its excellent analogue sound system- in fact it’s the UK’s longest running monthly "audiophile" party and holds David Mancuso and his Loft party as key inspirations. 

Since 2018 Ced has also been running a sister party known as All Our Friends alongside Belle Bete and author, Tim Lawrence who is also behind the Lucky Cloud Soundsystem party! Their next party is 10th September - check their site out for details.

When not spinning records, Ced co runs the Beauty & the Beat label and has also released some of his own edits on there. He curates records for labels such as Kay Suziki’s superb Time Capsule label with his latest output being the Lèspri Ka compilation which is a beautiful collection of  Gwo Ka music from Guadeloupe, check it out via their bandcamp if you haven’t already.

For this mix Ced has recorded a 2 hour excursion into the world of pan-African, Caribbean & Afro-cosmic world music, recorded at his home listening lounge using 2x 1210s and a E&S DJR 400 mixer.

Full tracklist can be found below:

Vangelis - Good to see you
Caraïbe Jazz Ensemble - Matin Bleu
Sélène Saint-Aimé - Indigo Bay
Enco Ti Tac - Yo Te Di Moin
Julie Mourillon - Too Long
Jo Tongo - Sa Discossa
Moïse Doumbé – Sonel 
Kossas - Take Your Way
Osei Banahene - Gye Nyame
A.B. Crentsil's Ahenfo Band - Sika Be Ba
Pierre Mathas - Nzolo-Badila
Lucky Zebila - Zebila Danse
Cida Desvarieux - Stigmates
Gwakasonné - Tambou
Luc Hubert Séjor - Kamaloko
Ryota OPP - Midnight Theater
Topium ft. Djenmbi & Klod Kiavué - Bo bay lanmen
Franck Valmont Et Syncro Rhytmic Eclectic Language - Moin C'est La Biguine
Josy Mass - Paula
Joby Bernabé - Kitan
Carlinhos Cardozo - Salve O Morro Dub
Nuwaupu - Higher State Of Consciousness (The Holy Tablet Dub)
Prince Douglas - Sunshine Dub
Votu - Arrow
Fredi Alberti - Seine Trance 
Md. After Hussain & PAQ - Kar Bashore Roilo Bondhu

The Guest Mix 027: Cedric Woo

First three hours of a mighty B2B following Electric Jalaba's gig on New Year's Day '23

B2B between Belle Bete, Cedric Woo, Donna Leake and Kay Suzuki (NYD '23)

EPISODE 10: Vinyl Delivery Service with Kay Suzuki on dublab.de

Time Capsule reissue label owner, long time friend and great source of inspiration Kay Suzuki has blessed us with a catchy mix of mystic forest sounds reflected by a disco ball --- press play

suoni n.3 _ Kay Suzuki

We are delighted to have the superbly talented Kay Suzuki join us for the 27th mix in our Transmissions From Space series. He has blown us away on countless occasions and countless dancefloors over the years, from one of the best sets we've been lucky enough to host at our own party in Sheffield, to packed festival stages at the likes of We Out Here, and special selections at London's audiophile spots Brilliant Corners and the superb hi-fi party Beauty & the Beat.

Kay's ability to traverse musical boundaries within the context of a dancefloor is very special indeed. There's an underlying influence of jazz & funk that's ever present through his meandering sets, but the scope of his collection and tastes belies those expectations, and absolutely destroys any dancefloor.

This set's an exploration in to the heavier and dancier side of his tastes, but has the same raw eclecticism that makes him such a wonderful selector.

Enjoy, and pop any I.D requests in the comments! x 

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Kay Suzuki is a London-based / Japanese-born producer/DJ who runs reissue focused record label Time Capsule, which he started in 2018. He's one of the founding members of East London’s audiophile restaurant Brilliant Corners and played a major role in establishing the venue’s character & sound. Kay also got involved setting up and running the record shop Vinyl Delivery Service (London) on Columbia Road in East London in 2021.

His productions have acquired critical acclaim and support from some of the most respected DJs and taste makers including David Mancuso, Gilles Peterson, DJ Harvey, Francois Kevorkian, Theo Parrish, Laurent Garnier, Hunee and Bradley Zero to name a few.
 
As a DJ, Kay has been invited to numerous cities in Europe and Asia for the past decade as well as hosting and guesting on radio stations such as NTS, Worldwide FM, J-WAVE and many more. His sets carry the impression of an atomic collision of funk/jazz-infused energy with an electronic severity that you just can’t quite locate – a combination that has repeatedly proven irresistible on the dancefloor.

Transmissions From Space No.27 | Kay Suzuki

A live recording from 2st day of rural2023 at midnight by Vladimir Ivkovic.
His set was  epic and beautiful psychedelic journey, from hypnotic,dark world to sentimental and moving moments.

Vladimir Ivkovic at rural2023

Strictly Nippon dubwise sounds in a two hour special with Anu and special guest Kay Suzuki of Time Capsule, the label behind upcoming Japanese reggae compilation "Tokyo Riddim 1976​-​1985". 
https://www.nts.live/shows/soup-to-nuts-anu/episodes/soup-to-nuts-anu-17th-october-2023

Soup To Nuts w/ Anu - Japanese Reggae Special 171023

Remix and additional production by @kaysuzuki
Mixing by Prince Fatty
Mastering by Metropolis


Available here: https://beautyandthebeat1.bandcamp.com/track/topium-ft-djenmbi-klod-kiavu-bo-bay-lanmen-kay-suzuki-remix

Topium ft. Djenmbi & Klod Kiavué - Bo Bay Lanmen (Kay Suzuki remix)

This mixtape was inspired by the compilation album 'Tokyo Riddim 1976​-​1985', where my journey into Japanese Reggae began. Something to enjoy with a cold beer and to soak in some loving, positive energy 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/heatwave/episodes/heatwave-tokyo-riddim-selected-works-w-bonnie-1st-september-2024

Tokyo Riddim: selected works w/ bonnie 010924

The space between the beats defines our time