Zélé le Bombardier is a young artist who became famous in in the capital of Cameroon in the years 1995-96, when the pedale danse of Bikutsi music was en vogue. Zélé has since then grown to one of the best bikutsi singers, with his recognisable voice, and surrounded by gifted musicians such as Roger Mvondo on solo guitar, Obalbass and Kempess on rhythm guitar, and Atebass and Sossu on bass.
Bikutsi music stems from the forest region in Central Cameroon, and is extremely rhythmic and far less melodic. Modern bikutsi is played with solo guitar, rhythm guitar and bass, where the guitars are so characteristically imitating the balafon, which gives bikutsi its "rootsy" feel.
Bikutsi has been made famous by Les Têtes Brûlées in the 1980s, and Zélé's style is in fact very close to that of Les Têtes Brûlées.
The rhythm is hot, and the dancing is as well: at first hearing, bikutsi music sounds unusual, but as soon as you see people dancing you'll know what it's about!
Bikutsi is a musical genre from Cameroon. It developed from the traditional styles of the Beti, or Ewondo, people, who live around the city of Yaoundé. It was popular in the middle of the 20th century in West Africa. It is primarily dance music.The word 'bikutsi' literally means 'beat the earth' or 'let's beat the earth' (bi- indicates a plural, kut means 'to beat' and -si means 'earth'.) The name indicates a dance that is accompanied by stomping the feet on the ground.Bikutsi is characterized by an intense 6/8 rhythm, though it is occasionally 9/8 and its tempo is usually quarternote.[2] it is played at all sorts of Beti gatherings, including parties, funerals and weddings.
Beti gatherings fall into two major categories:
Ekang phase: the time when imaginary, mythological and spiritual issues are discussed
Bikutsi phase: when real-life issues are discussed
A double sided harp with calabash amplification called the mvet is used during these ceremonies, by Beti storytellers, who are viewed as using the mvet as an instrument of God to educate the people. The Ekang phase is intensely musical, and usually lasts all night. There are poetic recitations accompanied by clapping and dancing, with interludes for improvised and sometimes obscene performances on the balafon (a type of xylophone). These interludes signal the shift to the bikutsi phase, which is much less strictly structured than Ekang. During bikutsi, women dance and sing along with the balafon, and lyrics focus on relationships, sexuality and the lives of famous people. These female choruses are an integral part of bikutsi, and their intense dancing and screams are characteristic of the genre. Traditional bikutsi was often ironic in its content, as many modern bikutsi songs still are. In its modern form, bikutsi is very popular, and rivals makossa as the country's most renowned style.
African Music | Cameroon | Bikutsi | World Music | Musique Camerounaise |
Musique Africaine | African Guitar Music
zelelebombardier #bikutsi #cameroonmusic #cameroon #90smusic
#bikutsimusic
28 авг 2024
