Chouk Bwa, meaning ‘Root’ in Haitian Creole display the deep African heritage of Haiti, torn from Africa and secretly re-planted in a new land. The band members speak for Haiti, a nation that has seen the hardest of times and maintains a relentless spirit and strength through its culture.
Three percussionists and two dancers are led by composer Jean Claude ‘Sambaton’ Dorvil on vocals and the fer, an iron bar/bell that announces different rhythms employed to call up the spirits, assisted by Gomez ‘Djopipi’ Henris.
In September 2016 Haitian vodou band Chouk Bwa (WOMEX 2015) meet the Brussels based duo The Ångströmers. This new project combines a new dub sensitivity and Haitian rhythm science and spirituality.
Modular synths and other vintage electronic instruments bring another dimension to Chouk Bwa’s music, although obviously it is always the band’s groove and fluent tempo that leads the energy of the ensemble: no laptops, no drum machines. There are certain freedoms that cannot be coerced. Even more, the electronic instruments are wired directly to the drums that feed them with impacts and caresses. All the Vodou families are there with their many rhythms and songs. Radical Vodou roots for urban audiences.
This new ensemble has performed at Siestes Electroniques (Toulouse, FR), Eastern Daze (Gent, BE), Explore the North (Leeuwarden, NL) in 2018 and at Trans Musicales de Rennes in 2019, among other gigs. They released their first album ‘Vodou Alé’ via Bongo Joe in May 2020.
