Dancing Kompa is deeply rooted in the vibrant musical landscape of the Caribbean, drawing significantly from genres like Cadence-lypso and Cadence or Compas. Webert Sicot, celebrated for his virtuosity and harmonic skills, played a pivotal role in popularizing a style of cadence that resonated widely across the Caribbean. This widespread appreciation contributed to the term “cadence” often being favored over “compas” in discussions of the music. Cadence-lypso itself is understood as the Dominican variant of kadans.
In Dominica, Cadence and Calypso emerged as the two dominant musical styles, leading to the hybrid term Cadence-lypso. The music scene was largely characterized by songs that were predominantly calypso, reggae, and, notably, cadence or compas. While fusions might exist, they were typically subtle and not prominently featured on album or CD covers. Importantly, Cadence-lypso is danced in a manner virtually identical to compas, highlighting a shared rhythmic foundation that invites movement.
Historically, album covers frequently used the terms “cadence” or “kadans,” especially for artists like Grammacks or Exile One. These albums showcased a blend of calypso, reggae, but primarily cadence. For instance, Grammacks’ albums featured tracks labeled (kadans), (sweet kadans), and (disco live (kadans)), with Deejay Zak even categorizing one tune as “zouk retro” (midlay kadans). Exile One also prominently featured cadence music, solidifying its presence in the musical discourse.
Exile One, a leading force in Cadence-lypso, incorporated reggae and calypso elements but primarily focused on cadence music. Their album “Exile one – Gordon Henderson 40 volume 1” exemplifies this, featuring 14 kadans tracks out of 18. Songs like “Rosita,” “ba yo boi,” and “jumbolo” are prime examples of their kadans style, alongside calypso and reggae infusions within the same album. Another album, “Collector kadance lypso,” further emphasizes their dedication to the genre, showcasing twelve méringue cadence tunes and also including tracks from other significant kadans bands like Midnight Groover and Liquid Ice.
While it remains unclear if there was a deliberate intention to fuse Trinidadian calypso with Haitian cadence or compas, any such fusion was minimal. The track “La Dominique” from Exile One’s “Exile One Old School Session” album might be considered an isolated attempt at this, but it wasn’t a recurring theme. The band’s repertoire was overwhelmingly rooted in cadence or compas, embodying all the defining characteristics of the style. Their album “Exile one-Old school Session: Gree/Vert” further illustrates this, with six out of eight tracks being méringue cadence or compas, including titles like “fete commune,” “torti,” and “famille Creole.” Exile One undeniably possessed a distinct musical identity as a premier kadans band.
In the early 1970s, Exile One, under the leadership of the talented Gordon Henderson, distinguished themselves as the first full-horn section kadans band to integrate synthesizers into their music. This innovation was quickly adopted by other emerging cadence or compas bands from Haiti (mini-jazz) and the French Antilles during the same decade. Exile One’s kadans music reached global audiences through extensive tours across Japan, the Indian Ocean, Africa, North America, Europe, and Cape Verde. Other notable Dominica cadence bands included the Grammacks. Further exploration into artists like Black Roots, Midnighte Groovers, and singers such as Ophelia Marie, reveals a rich tapestry of cadence music from Dominica. These bands and artists, including those featured in compilations like the Exile One CD 40th anniversary and Grammack collection 74–76, available on platforms like Amazon Music, represent the vibrant and danceable rhythms inherent in Cadence and Compas, styles that are central to the experience of dancing Kompa.
