Trafassi is a

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

se-

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

band. Their music is a mixture of

Caribbean music genres The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America to the west, an ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and own material. In the Netherlands they scored hits like ''Wasmasjien'', ''Lollypop'' and ''Punani''.

History

Trafassi (

Sranan Tongo Sranan Tongo (Sranantongo, "Surinamese tongue", Sranan, Surinamese Creole) is an English-based creole language from Suriname, in South America, where it is the first or second language for 519,600 Surinamese people (approximately 80% of the popu ...

for "a different way") was founded in 1981 by former members of The Happy Boys, the former backing-band of Lieve Hugo. The band started out as a

kaseko Kaseko is a musical genre from Suriname. It is a fusion of numerous popular and folk styles derived from Africa, Europe and the Americas. The genre is rhythmically complex, with percussion instruments including skratji (a very large bass drum) ...

-formation, but gradually developed into an all-around band with songs in

and English. They made cover versions of the soul ballad ''The Train'' by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

and '' Je t'aime... moi non plus'', with the latter having equally suggestive lyrics under the title ''Me Jam''.Muziekencyclopedie
Trafassi
/ref> In 1985, the band scored a hit with ''Wasmasjien'', reaching number ten in the

Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...

. This song was extensively promoted and received an unofficial music video by a Walt Disney cartoon-show. The song is based on the in 1982

Papiamento Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; ) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao ( ABC Islands). The language, spelled in Aruba and in Bonaire and ...

song "Wasmashin", written and composed by Macario 'Makai' Prudencia from Curaçao, in the by him developed music style "Salsa Antiano". The singles that followed were rejected by the record company because they did not sound like ''Wasmasjien''. In the late 1990s, lead singer and percussionist Edgar Burgos and the other Trafassi members parted ways. Burgos founded a "new" Trafassi, with which he still performs.

Discography

;Albums *''Asema'' (1984) *''Wasmasjien'' (1985) *''Volume 6'' (1986) *''Bacchanal Lady'' (1989) *''Punani / Banana Light'' (1991) *''PumPum Sexy Body'' (1992) *''Funchi (Poppy Houdt Van Lolly)'' (1996)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1981 Dutch musical groups Surinamese musical groups Dutch-language musical groups