Tulear Never Sleeps Various Artists

Music TAKING CULTURE TO THE PEOPLE Madagascar's tsapiky sensation TULEAR NEVER SLEEPS VARIOUS ARTISTS Earthworks Cat STEW 49CD

This groundbreaking album is, it is claimed, the very first compilation of tsapiky music. You may be forgiven for not knowing what tsapiky music is; few outside the

These recordings originated from a project masterminded by Jean-Paul Razafintsalama. The original idea was to send specially chosen groups to Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, for each to record four representative pieces. That involved Jean Paul making three successive trips to Toliary, the main town in the south west of Madagascar, to conduct auditions at the Andranangy studios, a rudimentary facility usually used to produce the ubiquitous low-fi cassettes sold in local markets.

A dozen groups, from the initial 18 selected, were divided into two groups to make the 1000km trek to the capital. Four dancers went along with the groups as promotional shows had also been arranged in the capital. The journey itself was a real feat of endurance for all concerned, taking several days over rough tracks through an area known to be bandit country.

What Jean-Paul was keen to record was the strong musical traditions of all the ethnic groups from this part of the country, which are even relatively unknown in other parts of Madagascar.

WHERE TSAPIKY RULES SUPREME

The region he was tapping into is defined by drawing a line on a map between the coastal town of Morondava in the west and Fort Dauphin on the south-eastern point of the island - that is where Jean-Paul tells us tsapiky music rules supreme.

It is a relatively poor region with a semi-arid drought-prone climate and a landscape of cactus and baobab trees. But it is where tsapiky (pronounced 'tsapeek') can be heard practically round the clock on the radio and in the bush taxis that crisscross the region. It also accompanies all the major celebrations and funerals, and is the music of choice in the 'informal' sapphire-mining settlements that spring up in the bush, where bands are hired by the week to play for the drunken, Kalishnikov toting miners.

So what is tsapiky music? Ian Anderson, of fRoots magazine, describes it as consisting of "full-scream female vocals and fearsome lead guitarists scattering dazzling, fractured lines". Some claim that the style comes second-hand to the guitar from the squeeze-box tradition.

They insist that when accordion music declined in the post-independence era, as spare parts to maintain instruments became less and less available, the style was taken up on electric guitars as another loud instrument to create dancing music.

Jean-Paul explains that the typical line-up for a tsapiky band is a solo guitarist, bass guitar, drums, male or female singers as well as dancers. Traditionally, tsapiky starts with a short introduction on solo guitar followed by the principal theme. An increase in tempo, called kilitsaka or folaka, comes towards the end of a song and provides an opportunity for the guitarist to show-off the extent of his talent and the singers to encourage the dancers.

The solo guitarist is often the star of the show, although sometimes it is the strength of the vocalist that is the big attraction. Good solo guitarists and singers are in great demand because managers can be persuaded to back groups with the big names. This means that groups can frequently change their line up.

GATHERING OF TALENTS

Jean-Paul managed to persuade some of the most highly regarded tsapiky musicians to record for this project. The album has 15 songs from eight different bands, including a rousing and improvised finale recorded at the end of the sessions by all the musicians.

Despite its huge popularity in the region, few if any of the musicians are rich. The life of a tsapiky musician is precarious. Few groups have their own instruments and amplifiers, and the cost of equipment hire is high. The main tzapiky groups' activities tend to peak after the harvesting of the region's main crops of maize and cotton. They are also in demand to accompany rum-fuelled ritual possession ceremonies and funerals. These can often last for several days and the musicians are required to play virtually continuously. Otherwise, they can brave the hazards of playing at the sapphire mining settlements where the 'danger money' allow groups to earn in two weeks what would otherwise take six months.