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Click on the album cover to listen to all sample tracks
Ravinahitsy
Damily is considered one of Madagascar’s finest exponents of tsapiky. This popular style is born of the meeting between rhythms from mainland Africa and the music the Malagasy produce in the villages of the southwest. The virtuoso guitar-playing of Damily has spread tsapiky to all corners of this vast island. He has brought out six albums since he started playing in 1992. In 2007, the French Hélico Music label released his first international recording Ravinahitsy which distils Damily’s most popular songs.
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Don’t let the unpretentious and simple album cover mislead you. Ravinahitsy is a refined and lively example of one of the most pleasant styles Madagascar has invented, called the tsapiky. This rowdy guitar-driven music has become a symbol of the southwest city of Tulear, and Damily has become its best-known ambassador. The dreadlocked guitarist displays the subtle ability of a consummate artist with his repeated motifs and rapid-fire transitions. His reputation spread throughout this vast island thanks to hits like “Liamboro Nomaly”, a 1997 song about things of the past.
Tsapiky recounts occurrences of daily life and accompanies weddings, burials, circumcisions and other events of social and cultural importance. Its upbeat tempo adds a joyful element to gatherings that are spread out over several days, and it often leads to euphoria and trance-like dances. Ravinahitsy is a fine example of why. Allied to Damily’s guitar is the powerful and seductive voice of Gany Gany, the hard-driving bass of Rakapo, the pulsating beats of percussionist Naivo and the rich accompanying vocals of Claude.
The tight-knit band has established itself as one of Madagascar’s best and these 12 tracks reflect the vitality of this tradi-modern scene. The French ethno-musicologist Julien Mallet has had a hand in the album’s production, and is turning out to be a vital bridge between the fizzling music scene in the south of Madagascar and the international world music scene. Mallet has already been involved in other releases like the excellent Tsapiky - Panorama d'une jeune musique de Tuléar and is determined to prove something specialists have been saying for decades: that Malagasy music cannot be reduced to the omnipresent salegy or its sounds from the highlands.
November 2007
Bérangère Bouvet |
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