Kassav’ : Produce Retro Zouk with free Emulations VST plugins

Kassav’ : Produce Retro Zouk with free Emulations VST plugins

Want to produce a Zouk Retro worthy of the 80s of Kassav? Well, these free 80s emulations plugins are just what you need

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What is music genre : Zouk ?

Zouk is a musical movement born in Guadeloupe between the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s and spread mainly in the French Antilles. It was the group Kassav’ that made this musical genre known throughout the world with hits such as ” Zouk la sé sèl médikaman nou ni ” or “Syé Bwa”.

From its inception, zouk has been characterized by a fast tempo of 120 to 145 bpm, a rhythm emphasized by percussion and a strong brass section.

In the second half of the 1980s, groups such as Zouk Machine founded by the two members of the Experience 7 group (Guy Houllier and Yves Honoré) or the singer Patrick Saint-Éloi in turn made this music evolve.

Zouk is a mixture of gwo ka, calypso, biguine, African rhythms, kompa or kadans, very rhythmic, sung in Creole.The influence of African music has been fundamental.


Free plugins emulations for 80s Zouk

Dexed VST : Free Yamaha DX7 emulation

Kassav' : Produce Retro Zouk with free Emulations VST plugins

Dexed is a cross-platform, multi-format synth plugin that is closely modeled on the Yamaha DX7 : The flagship Yamaha synth used by the musicians of Kassav.

Download Dexed VST for free : here


HAHAHA CS 01 VST : Free Yamaha CS 01 Emulation

Kassav' : Produce Retro Zouk with free Emulations VST plugins
The legendary musician of Kassav: Jean Claude Naimro
with his Yamaha CS 01

Used by Jean Claude Naimro, Kassav’s star musician, as well as Jacob Desvarieux (R.I.P.), the Yamaha CS O1 is the bass of all excellent zouk of the 80s. Its free VST version, HAHAHA CS 01, is ideal for Raggamuffin or for creating a Zouk.

Download HAHAHA CS01 : here

Djinndrum VST : Free Linndrum emulation

The Linndrum, the machine drum of the 80’s is also the origin of the Zouk rhythm of Kassav’.

Download Djinndrum VST, Free Linndrum Emulation : here

If you want to know more about the instruments used by Kassav’, read this nice french article about the conference on Kassav’ by the West Indian musician Willy Salzedo : here