VODOU ALE (2020)

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“(...) Vodou Alé is a joyous blend of ancient and contemporary sounds, an example of the innovation that can happen when artists build bridges across different musical eras and genres.” Bandcamp, album of the day

 

" (...) this collaborative union proves just how intoxicating and electrifying the voodoo spell can be. Given a sympathetic undercurrent and resonance of atmospheric electronica, the ritual sound and outpour of Haiti is reframed, guided into the 21st century. Not so much a novel direction as a subtle electronic music boost to tradition." Monolith Cocktail

 

“So well do they complement each other that, after a few listens, it becomes hard to imagine either existing without the counterpart.” ★★★★ MOJO, World Album of the Month 

 

“ The typical pattern for this kind of production is that the African, Asian or Caribbean half of the team arrives with a serie of time-honoured, complex and culturally rich rhythms, which their European teammates proceed to earnestly augment with the galumphing douf-douf-douf of clubland. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, sometimes it does: the best such pairings are those which properly respect the elders, and the match up between Haitian vodou ceremonial drum experts Chouk Bwa and Belgian techno  dubbers The Ångströmers takes care to do just that, mostly because the latter don’t make too much of a nuisance of themselves. This also makes it fairly austere: drums and chants alone, in the main, boosted by digital wanga and a pinch of dub powder.” The Wire

 

“(...) Although impactful, the production work leaves ample space for the Haitians to breathe without threatening to submerge their sound completely.(...)” *** Songlines 

 

“(...) an astonishingly power sound that reaches right into the gut, but also lifts free of physical boundaries.(...)” Dusted Magazine

 

“(...) Vodou Alé pays homage to the often-misrepresented practice of Haitian Vodou and the traditional ceremonial music that accompanies it. Chouk Bwa’s collaboration with The Ångströmers elevates this music with a more contemporary, electronically-driven production that still manages to retain the essence of Haiti’s rich cultural traditions.” Black Grooves

 

"Chouk Bwa is in charge, and the Ångströmers follow in their wake, building in echoes that mimic the energy of a live performance for a carefully finished studio recording. For mizik rasin ensembles like Chouk Bwa, this is arguably ideal; the culturally sacrosanct drums remain necessarily central, while the communal energy of the ensemble shines. Vodou Alé is less an attempt at hybridization than a contemporary approach to vibrant, longstanding musical traditions, unique, entrancing, and glorious." Pop Matters

 

“(...) Be willing to be surprised.” 8/10 Rhythm Passport

 

“(...) unlike lots of north/south, roots/electronics collaborations, this one rocks uncompromisingly.” Aquarium Drunkard

 

“ (...) une création puissante, douce, lancinante, et diablement efficace qui sublime les mondes vaudou, et confère une dimension universelle à la transe des tambours haïtiens.” RFI Musique

 

"(...) Etirées sur les machines, nappées de réverbes et de saturations, les invocations roots et militantes de ce Vodou Alé transpirent la rage des anciens esclaves et le blues infini d'un peuple victime des séismes et de la corruption." Telerama

 

“ (...) Les deux Européens soulignent la force des percussions, la fougue du chant, sans jamais tirer la couverture à eux. Car c’est bien la tradition haïtienne qui est au coeur du disque, que chacun des deux groupes modernise à sa façon. Un vrai travail d’équipe.” Libération

 

“Oubliez les zombies et les poupées percées: le vaudou a bien plus à offrir. En l’occurrence, une musique de transe éblouissante. Le groupe Chouk Bwa, sextet haïtien de chant et percussion, mené par le chanteur Jean Claude “Sambaton” Dorvil, s’est formé en 2012. Après un premier album en 2015, il rencontre le duo électronique bruxellois The Ångströmers, formé par le producteur noise Nicolas Esterle et l’ingé-son Frédéric Alstadt. Le courant passe, suite à des improvisations collectives, menant à un premier EP en 2019, Electric Mambo, et un passage aux Trans Musicales. Le groupe métissé s’apprête maintenant à sortir son premier album, Vodou Alé, chez les Suisses de Bongo Joe. Les chants de Sambaton et des choristes se répondent, dans la tradition de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, les percussions apportent l’énergie et les touches synthétiques dressent un pont vers les Caraïbes. Les Ångströmers ont l’intelligence de ne jamais prendre le pas sur la musique haïtienne, tout en soulignant chacun de ses effets pour renforcer son impact. Chaque voix et chaque coup deviennent des  hybrides entre acoustique et électrique, qui atteignent le cerveau pour le faire plonger dans un nouveau type de transe, ni vaudou ni électronique. Plus encore: le groupe sait varier sa formule sans trop se répéter. Le meilleur des deux mondes.” Tsugi

 

“(...) Entre passé et présent, les technologies se synchronisent aux rythmes de cette transe primitive, ancrée au coeur des cérémonies d’un peuple et des rites du vaudou. C’est beau, puissant, terriblement envoûtant.” Larsen

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SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL (2017)

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« (…) I and my fellow drummers in the audience were excited to see a vast array of handcrafted Afro-Caribbean percussion set up onstage awaiting Chouk Bwa Libete's extended set. We weren't disappointed. The show was, simply stated, every drummer's paradise; any of us could have died during the show and considered it a fitting end to a life well lived! (…) » Connect Savannah

 

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« (…) Probably standing at the forefront of this week’s highlights was the double bill of Haitian roots group Chouk Bwa Libete and Leyla McCalla featuring Dom Flemons.

(…) Chouk Bwa Libete made their U.S. debut to a sold-out, enthusiastic crowd at the Charles H. Morris Center — a fitting venue for pretty much everything that’s been put in there thus far. 

Chouk Bwa Libete was an almost spiritual experience. From the first conch horn declaration and drum beat onward, the night was riveting. The Haitian roots group put on an extended set with costume changes, crowd interactions and rousing numbers.  (…) » Do Savannah 

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« (…) At the end of the official performance, the ecstatic response from the audience ensured an encore. From the side of the stage and with the manager of Chouk Bwa directing the entourage, McCalla and Flemons brought their cello and bones out into the seating area. The members of Chouk Bwa Libète gathered round and McCalla began strumming a beautiful melodic groove. The Haitians began to sing and the audience was transported into the realm of the voodoo spirits. » Georgia Music 

 

SE NOU KI LA! (2015)

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« The word hardcore is often applied to denote a style that contains a strong message. Se nou ki la! is perhaps the first international release of hardcore Haitian roots music, an intense, hypnotic mixture of drums and call-and-response vocals, recorded in the remote Petite Rivière Bayonnais, a village where the soul of voodoo holds tight. » Charles de Ledesma, Songlines Magazine ****

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« From the countryside of the New World's first free black republic, stripped-down Haitian roots music from the community of Petite Rivière Bayonnais, enthralling percussion, dance, call-and- response singing, work songs, Vodou preformances, and Holy Week rara music, beautifully recorded and packaged. Sublime. »  fRoots 

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« (…) Proche de la transe, la rythmique de Chouk Bwa Libète a embarqué le public dans la danse, du Rocksilde Festival au Danemark aux scènes parisiennes. Car en live la théâtralité de leurs chants et de leur jeu musical incarne les titres avec éloquence. (…) » Marianne 

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« (…) Ici, il n’est question que d’élévation et de libération, que de vodou bénéfique porté par des dieux, des divinités, des esprits bienveillants appelés lwas, véritables messagers entre le créateur et les hommes. (…) » Squaaly, RFI Musique

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« Au nord-ouest d’Haïti, dans le village de Petite Rivière Bayonnais, le groupe Chouk Bwa Libète s’est réuni pour jeter au vent, sept jours durant, ses rythmes et chants pétris de culture vodou. Enregistré dans une ajoupa (abri de feuillage) Se nou ki la ! recueille ainsi, par bribes, la mémoire de l’oppression tenace, des chaînes brisées, des courses éperdues dans la nuit et plus loin encore, des transes d’Afrique, que les tambours et les danses, toujours, savent convoquer. Exceptionnel à plus d’un titre, ce disque enveloppé de magie en délivre une part en offrande à chacune de ses écoutes.» Les Inrocks

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WOMEX (2015)

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« I can't remember seeing any artist from Haiti before at Womex. They're a brightly-coloured and decorated acoustic 6. The music sounds happily traditional and is based on call-and-response choral vocals (in creole I think) and percussion. They also shimmy. And they shift gears going from warm to hot with ease. It's 2 days past my bedtime and they're last on tonight but I stay. They're very nice, would be wonderful for any festival - and not just world music (whatever that is). I remember that I'm also a voodoo child and close my eyes, let my body move, and am in that place where time rolls away before the magic of trance. Very lovely. » fRoots

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« Chouk Bwa Libète was a wonderful example of the pure, unbridled joy of Haitian roots music — Mizik Rasin— and its Vodou-based rural songs and dances. More than a crafted art form, the music of Chouk Bwa Libète arose in waves of percussion, vocals and movement that seemed authentically inspired right in the moment and communicated nothing but the sheer joy of sharing exactly that particular, unique musical moment. » Wall Street International

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« Haitian roots band Chouk Bwa Libète had a similar if more hyped, azonto-less effect on the crowd. When they hopped off the stage and into the melee, I saw a couple of hippies nearly keel over from… joy? Thirst? Authenticity overload? We may never know. » Spin.com 

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