Max Rambhojan (1980 / 2019)
Guadeloupe, 1986. The football World Cup has all the islanders' eyes riveted to their TV sets. At every half time breaks, local TV channel RFO broadcasts a music video on repeat: ‘’Tou’t Jou Pa Min’m". Max Rambhojan, the local singer responsible for this monster tune, has arrived.
In the video, he effortlessly sings and kickstarts a joyous street party with his band, Show Man, his dancers, kids, friends, family and what seems like the whole neighbourhood. The song will gain cult status from then on, cementing the power of the 'Zouk Chiré' sound, a high tempo version of Zouk highly influenced by Guadeloupe's Carnival mass drum bands. Max self-releases his first solo album on vinyl in 1985, enrolling some of the best musicians the scene has to offer : his band leader King Klero, Guy Jacquet of les Vikings de la Guadeloupe fame on production duties, Ramon Pyrmée on synths, Claude Vamur, Meliza…
In 1992 a new solo album follows. By then the artists have familiarized themselves with computers and the sound has gone full-on digital. In that album Max records an updated version of his ’Tou’t Jou Pa Min’m’ anthem to great effect.
Reducing Max Rambhojan to a zouk artist would be a mistake. He’s first and foremost a master of Gwo-Ka, a musical practice born during the transatlantic slave trade and performed by all ethnic and religious groups of Guadeloupe. Gwo Ka allowed slaves to communicate, cope with their situation, mock the colonizers and maintain a cultural link with their African origins. It has never ceased to exist and has become a major part of the Island folk music culture. Max Rambhojan was schooled as a kid by Gwo-Ka pioneer Guy Conquette, and quickly joined the backing band of another legend, Ti-Sélès. That sound is the root of his particular style, especially vibrant on two tracks in his repertoire: ‘Cecilia’ and ‘On Jou Matin’, both featured on this release's b-side. A touch of Spiritual Jazz is also palpable, allowing a magical vibe to spread, giving birth to some of the finest music from this era
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REVIEWS
"Dancefloor devastation announced!" SOFA RECORDS
"Labels Hot Mule and Secousse have teamed up to deliver something special: a killer EP of "lost gems from the golden era of Zouk and Gwo-Ka" in Guadeloupe. The A-side boasts two versions of the rather brilliant and suitably cheery "Tou't Jou Pa Min'm": the jaunty, sun-kissed, whistle-sporting 1986 original mix, and Rambhojan's heavily electronic, synthesizer-heavy, calypso-tinged 1992 re-make of his biggest local hit. Over on side B you'll find the bubby dub bass, sparse synths and flute solos of the decidedly tropical "Cecilia" and a suitably breezy, sunset-ready gem entitled "On Jou Matin"." - JUNO
"Pure dance floor magic” - MR BONGO"Totally tropical, groove heavy and boasting that dizzying 80s blend of live and synthetic instruments, this is zouk at its very best. Don’t sleep, just dance in your hammock" - PICCADILLY RECORDS
“Max Rambhojan`s Tou`t Jou Pa Min`m is enthusiastic, break-neck paced, Zouk Chiré, recorded by the Gwo-Ka master in Guadeloupe, in 1986. Cheered on by crowd vocals and carnival whistles. French labels Hot Mule and Secousse, have partnered the tune with a 1992 more electronic version, plus two downtempo pieces. The 86 original is as full on as La Compagnie Creole covering Jin-Go-Bah-La, while the 92 take features stuttering accordion sounds and steel pans. Of the slower songs, On Jou Matin is perhaps the one. A percussive slice of after sunrise Electric Maloya.” - BAN BAN TON TON
“Responsible for last year’s reissue of Afro-disco masterpiece Cosmic Sounds, the Hot Mule label returns with some more tropical dancefloor heat with four rare tracks by Guadalupe vocalist Max Rambhojan. Side A features two distinct version’s of the funky Zouk gem ‘Tou’t Jou Pa Min’, with two deep spiritual tracks rooted in Guadeloupe’s Gwo-Ka musical traditions on the flip.” - MUSIC IS MY SANCTUARY
