Zouk Machine is an all-female

zouk Zouk is a musical movement and dance pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm, and a loud horn section. Musicians from Mart ...

group from

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

which had several hits, particularly in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, such as the summer number-one single on French SNEP Singles Chart "

Maldòn "Maldòn" is a 1989 song recorded by the Guadeloupean band Zouk Machine. Written and produced by Guy Houllier and Yves Honoré, the song is the first single from the album of the same name, and was released in May 1990. In France, it achieved a h ...

(la musique dans la peau)", in 1990 that sold over 1 million copies well more than any other Antillean band, even

Kassav Kassav', also alternatively spelled Kassav, is a French Caribbean band that originated from Guadeloupe in 1979. The band's musical style is rooted in the Guadeloupean gwoka rhythm, as well as the Martinican tibwa and Mendé rhythms. Regarded ...

."Maldon" on French Singles Charts + Zouk Machine discograph
Lescharts.com
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History

Founded in 1986 by the members of

Experience 7 Experience 7 was a Guadeloupean Cadence rampa, kadans band formed in the mid-1970s, led by Guy Houllier and Yves Honore. However, unlike Kassav' or Malavoi, the small band produced most of its songs with Henry Debs in Guadeloupe. Biography Car ...

, Guy Houllier and Yves Honore, and composed by three Guadeloupians (Joëlle Ursull, Christiane Obydol, Dominique Zorobabel), the group became successful with their first album ''Sové Lanmou'' (composed by Guy Houllier and Yves Honoré, who are respectively Christiane Obydol's brother and brother-in-law).

Joëlle Ursull Joëlle Ursull (born 9 November 1960) is a French singer. She performed " White and Black Blues", composed by Georges Augier de Moussac with lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg, in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 of 5 May 1990. She scored 132 points a ...

left the group and embarked on a solo career, taking second place in the 1990

Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster submits an origina ...

with ''" White and Black Blues"'', composed by

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

and Sylvain Augier. In the early 1990s, Jane Fostin (from a large musical family in

) was recruited to continue ahead. Therefore, the success of the group overstepped the Caribbean community and the song " Maldon' (la musique dans la peau)" remained number 1 in the Top 50 for nine weeks in 1990. The group carried out some tours around the world, then recording albums ''Sa ké cho'' and ''Clin d'œil''. Various members also participated in

Maxime Le Forestier Maxime Le Forestier (; born 10 February 1949 as Bruno Le Forestier) is a French singer-songwriter. Life and career Bruno Le Forestier was born on 10 February 1949 in Paris to Robert Le Forestier and Genevieve (''née'' Lili 1917–2010), who had ...

's album, ''Passer ma route'', along with Julien Clerc and "Utile", plus the soundtrack of

Asterix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a Franco-Belgian comics, French comic album book series, series about a Gaulish village which, thanks ...

''On vit ensemble'' et ''Au Revoir''. In 1995, the group had a crisis situation, and BMG released a first

best of A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

. Jane Fostin finally left the group to launch into a solo career. Her first solo single "La Taille de ton amour", cover of Deborah Cox's "Who do you love" was a success in France, where it peaked at #9, followed by 4 albums with R&B overtones, including a 2006 an album with the Zouk hit single 'Pas de Glace', a duet with Medhy Custos.

Members

* Christiane Obydol (former) * Jean-Marc Vivenza (former) * Dominique Zorobabel (former) *

(former) * Jane Fostin

Discography

Albums

Singles

* "Sové Lanmou" (1986) * " Maldon' (la musique dans la peau)" (1990) - #1 in France * "Ou ké rivé" (1991) - #28 in France * "Sa ké cho" (1991) - #9 in France * "DJ" (1992) - #31 in France

References and links

* Elia Habib, ''Muz hit. tubes'', p. 187 () * Zouk Machine, chronolog
Étoile-productions.be
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zouk Machine Zouk musicians Guadeloupean musical groups