Album lore

Jean-Philippe Marthely’s 1985 album *Touloulou*, issued by Warner Strategic Marketing, assembles seven tracks that weave through the Caribbean’s dance-floor currents—zouk foremost, with nods to kompa and kizomba rhythms. The record bears a modest footprint, with tracks like “Rété” inviting deep crate-diggers to its layered percussion and call-and-response vocals that define the era’s club sounds.The album’s title track and others such as “Zioum (i adan)” and “Bèl Krèati” reflect Marthely’s command of rhythmic propulsion and melodic hooks, emblematic of mid-80s West Indian dance music. Though its listenership remains niche, *Touloulou* stands as a discreet artifact within the lineage of zouk, capturing the genre’s blend of traditional and electric instrumentation under the Warner banner.

Album lore

Jean-Philippe Marthely’s 1985 album *Touloulou*, issued by Warner Strategic Marketing, assembles seven tracks that weave through the Caribbean’s dance-floor currents—zouk foremost, with nods to kompa and kizomba rhythms. The record bears a modest footprint, with tracks like “Rété” inviting deep crate-diggers to its layered percussion and call-and-response vocals that define the era’s club sounds.The album’s title track and others such as “Zioum (i adan)” and “Bèl Krèati” reflect Marthely’s command of rhythmic propulsion and melodic hooks, emblematic of mid-80s West Indian dance music. Though its listenership remains niche, *Touloulou* stands as a discreet artifact within the lineage of zouk, capturing the genre’s blend of traditional and electric instrumentation under the Warner banner.