Biography
The partnership Chouk Bwa & the Ångströmers joins Haitian roots ensemble Chouk Bwa, directed by vocalist and composer Jean Claude "Sambaton" Dorvil, with the operators of Belgian experimental imprint Ångström Records. Their first album-length statement came with 2020's Vodou Alé, a hypnotic and fervent collection built on interlocking drum patterns and sacred singing, shaded by understated dub treatments and forceful electronic bass lines. Following a period of renewed rehearsals and European live appearances, the collective issued its sophomore album Somanti in 2023.
Chouk Bwa, whose name translates as "root" in Haitian Creole, specializes in mizik rasin, or roots music, drawing percussive rhythms and dance directly from traditional voodoo ceremonies together with call-and-response vocals. The group's work aims to restore and elevate spirits, honor the Haitian people's emancipation from colonial domination, and counter prevailing misconceptions surrounding voodoo and Haitian culture. Previously operating as Chouk Bwa Libète, the ensemble originated in Gonaïves, Haiti, near 2012 and delivered its debut recording, Se Nou Ki La!, via Buda Musique in 2015. Extensive touring across Europe and North America followed, leading in 2016 to an encounter with Frédéric Alstadt and Nicolas Esterle (aka Ripit) of Brussels-based experimental label Ångström Records and the Ångström Mastering studio. Their inaugural joint performance occurred at Café Central in Brussels, where the Belgian pair integrated modular synthesizers and electronic treatments into Chouk Bwa's vigorous percussion and singing. The track "Electric Mambo," captured during that event, appeared as a single, and the musicians sustained their collaborative performances and recordings. The album Vodou Alé, captured chiefly in Brussels except for one earlier track laid down in Port-au-Prince, reached the public through Swiss label Bongo Joe in 2020.
Once post-COVID travel restrictions eased, the musicians reconvened in 2022 for more than two dozen European concerts. They also put out a pair of EPs titled Ayiti Kongo Dub #1 and #2. A studio documentation of their live repertoire was subsequently released as the second full-length album, Somanti, in 2023.
Chouk Bwa, whose name translates as "root" in Haitian Creole, specializes in mizik rasin, or roots music, drawing percussive rhythms and dance directly from traditional voodoo ceremonies together with call-and-response vocals. The group's work aims to restore and elevate spirits, honor the Haitian people's emancipation from colonial domination, and counter prevailing misconceptions surrounding voodoo and Haitian culture. Previously operating as Chouk Bwa Libète, the ensemble originated in Gonaïves, Haiti, near 2012 and delivered its debut recording, Se Nou Ki La!, via Buda Musique in 2015. Extensive touring across Europe and North America followed, leading in 2016 to an encounter with Frédéric Alstadt and Nicolas Esterle (aka Ripit) of Brussels-based experimental label Ångström Records and the Ångström Mastering studio. Their inaugural joint performance occurred at Café Central in Brussels, where the Belgian pair integrated modular synthesizers and electronic treatments into Chouk Bwa's vigorous percussion and singing. The track "Electric Mambo," captured during that event, appeared as a single, and the musicians sustained their collaborative performances and recordings. The album Vodou Alé, captured chiefly in Brussels except for one earlier track laid down in Port-au-Prince, reached the public through Swiss label Bongo Joe in 2020.
Once post-COVID travel restrictions eased, the musicians reconvened in 2022 for more than two dozen European concerts. They also put out a pair of EPs titled Ayiti Kongo Dub #1 and #2. A studio documentation of their live repertoire was subsequently released as the second full-length album, Somanti, in 2023.
Albums
Singles
Live
