Gaoule Mizik & Michel Laurent

‘A Ka Titine’ has long been a staple at Beauty & the Beat parties, a dancers’ favourite and one of those truly special records which have become part of the party’s DNA. This is gwoka from Guadeloupe, a term which not only designates an authentic music genre from the Caribbean island, but also a specific dance and more spiritually the soul and identity of a people. Lyrics often express the uniqueness of Guadeloupean culture, through the codes and metaphors of the Creole language, acting effectively as transmission of a collective history.

Gwoka is made up of seven distinct rhythms, each of them used for different social occasions, from baptisms to funerals. ‘A Ka Titine’ is based on the driving toumblak rhythm, one which expresses love and happiness, and the most often heard in party situations.

• 1 A Ka Titine
• 2 Kan Size Sonne (CW Edit)
• 3 A Ka Titine (Kay Suzuki Gwoka Dub)