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Bouyon gwada: the hardcore bouyon of Guadeloupe

Bouyon gwada, also called hardcore bouyon, is the branch of bouyon that grew between Dominica and Guadeloupe. The two islands share Antillean Creole, and their musicians together built a sound that is harder, faster and rawer than the classic bouyon of the live bands.

A creation between two islands

Bouyon gwada was born from musical collaborations between citizens of Dominica and Guadeloupe. Dominican bouyon arrives in Gwada through carnival and exchanges between Creole-speaking islands, then Guadeloupean producers and singers make it their own with their codes, their language and their street energy.

A harder sound

Where the original bouyon of WCK rests on bands and traditional instruments like lapo kabwit and the jing ping accordion, bouyon gwada pushes the drum machines, the basslines and the voices sung or rapped in Guadeloupean Creole. It is the bridge between Dominica bouyon and modern forms like shatta bouyon.

The place of bouyon gwada today

In Guadeloupe, bouyon is everyday music: fetes, carnival, social media and sound systems. Bouyon gwada keeps an image there of an authentic, unfiltered sound, defended by fans who want to keep the link with the genre’s Dominican origin.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between bouyon and bouyon gwada?

Bouyon is the original genre created in Dominica. Bouyon gwada is its hardcore branch developed with Guadeloupe: harder, more electronic, sung largely in Guadeloupean Creole.

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