ARCHIVE

It began with the Biguine… A genre with many styles, cadence (Creole: kadans) evolved primarily in the Antillean islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, and Haiti from the early 1960s through the early '80s. The cadence era was exciting and extremely fertile, bringing together creolized European colonial genres such a beguine and mazurka with the African gwo ka drums and tumbélé rhythms, along with popular styles from other Caribbean islands as well as Africa. The 1970s brought the introduction of electric instruments, lyrics that reflected a growing Black consciousness movement, and a variety of international pop influences and stylings such as rock, reggae, calypso, funk and soul, salsa, and more. The early '80s saw the rise of zouk, the next innovation in Antillean popular music created by some of the key foundational cadence bandleaders.

"Music for the Masses" invites you on an excursion of sound and rhythm. Discover the music of established and emerging artists, both signed and unsigned, on the international music scene. For the avid globe-hopper and armchair traveler alike. You might want to pack a map and a sandwich. Catskill resident "DJ Neva" is an ethnomusicologist, producer, and long-time cultural activist, specializing in music from the entire African continent, as well as the Caribbean and Latin America, the Maghreb and Middle East, and the Roma (Gypsy) diaspora. Formerly the producer of "Continental Drift" on WBAI-FM and New York International on Haitian community station Radio Soleil in NYC. The show is broadcast live from Catskill, NY.

Playlists and more information here.

Selection of original DJ mixes here.