Rasin

Rasin, also known as Haitian roots music,[2] is a musical style that began in Haiti in the 1970s when musicians began combining elements of traditional Haitian Vodou ceremonial and folkloric music with rock and roll. This style of modern music reaches back to the roots of Vodou tradition where it came to be called musique racine ("roots music") in French or mizik rasin later in Haitian Creole. Modern-day, the movement is often referred to simply as "rasin" or "racine".

"Mizik rasin" redirects here. For the first Czechoslovakian Finance Minister, see Alois Rašín. For the dried fruit with a similar spelling, see Raisin.

Rasin
Stylistic origins	Rada rhythms, petro rhythms, rock and roll , Hard rock
Cultural origins	1987, Haiti
Typical instruments	Rada and petro drums, tanbou, rara horns, electronic keyboards, electronic drums, electric guitars, electric bass
Subgenres
Rabòday[1]
Regional scenes
Haiti, French West Indies, Dominica, France, North America

Music of Haiti
General topics
Related articles
Genres
Cadence Kompa Gospel Hip hop Kontradans Méringue Mini-jazz Mizik rasin Rabòday Rara Rara tech Rock Twoubadou Vodou drumming Zouk
Media and performance
Music awards	Haitian Music Award
Music festivals	Carnival Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival
Nationalistic and patriotic songs
National anthem	La Dessalinienne
Regional music
Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Aruba and the Dutch Antilles Bahamas Barbados Bermuda Bonaire Cayman Islands Cuba Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic French Guiana Grenada Guadeloupe Guyana Jamaica Louisiana Martinique Montserrat Panama Puerto Rico St Kitts and Nevis St Lucia St Vincent and Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Virgin Islands

Characteristics

Rasin bands combine the Vodou ceremonial and folk music traditions with rock and roll. The Haitian Vodou musical tradition includes "cool" rada rhythms often associated with Africa and the "hot" petro rhythms that speak of a New World, and rasin bands incorporate both styles in their music, although rarely in the same song. On top of the basic horn and drum rhythms, melodies are layered that include structure from rock and roll. Typical rasin instrumentation can include a variety of drums (including distinct rada and petro styles), rara horns, electronic keyboards, electronic drums, electric guitars, an electric bass, and one or more vocalists.[3]

Most rasin song lyrics are written in Creole and often incorporate traditional Vodou ceremonial lyrics or poetry. Song can speak to traditional Vodou themes such as spying and betraying, feeling lost or estranged, the need for judgement and justice, or the urge to reconnect with an ancestral homeland. Some rasin songs are based on prayers directed to particular loa, or gods, while others may be ballads relating to Haitian mythology. Many songs contain multiple layers of meaning, and can be interpreted as social or political commentary. Songs often emphasize spiritual messages of tolerance, faith, justice, and universal love. The music is upbeat and rhythmic and, like Vodou ceremonial music, intended for dancing.[4]

History

Under the regimes of François Duvalier, and his son Jean-Claude Duvalier, the government appropriated for itself the authority of the Vodou religious traditions and made extensive use of religious leaders and traditions to assert its brutal authority and impose order. When Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country, a widespread dechoukaj uprooted the most oppressive elements of the former regime and attempted to separate the Vodou religion from its entanglements with the government. Unable to do so beyond a limited extent under the Duvaliers, musicians adopted traditional Vodou folk music rhythms, lyrics, and instrumentation into a new sound that incorporated elements of rock and roll and jazz. The movement also attracted Haitian American artists and members of the Haitian diaspora who returned to the country following the downfall of the Duvaliers.

Influenced by Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana style guitar, rasin uses Vodou drumming rhythms with call and response vocals. It is the most political of Haiti’s musical styles, having evolved under the Duvalier dictatorship and that criticized the military and sung the praises of Haitian culture and belief.[5]

Rasin bands often write and perform songs that contained political messages. "Ke'm Pa Sote" by Boukman Eksperyans, whose song title translates to "I Am Not Afraid" in English, was the most popular song at the 1990 Carnival in Port-au-Prince and was widely understood to be a criticism of the corrupt military government of General Prosper Avril.[6] First performed during the 1992 Carnival in Port-au-Prince, just months after the presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide was overthrown by a military coup d'etat, RAM began regularly playing a song entitled "Fèy", the Creole word for "leaf". The song lyrics were of folkloric Vodou origins. Despite no overt references to the political situation, it was widely played on the radio and immediately taken up throughout the country as an unofficial anthem of support for Aristide. By the summer of 1992, playing or singing the song was banned under military authority, and band founder Richard Morse was subjected to death threats from the regime.[7]

Rasin Musicians

A Ayibobo Azor B Beken Belo Bob Bovano Boukan Ginen Boukman Eksperyans Buvu Ambroise Bwa Kiyaman C Carole Demesmin Chandel D Djakata E Eddy Francois Emeline Michel Emerante de Pradines Eritaj Erol Josue J Jacques Schwarz-Bart[8] James Germain John Steve Brunache

K Kalfou Lakay Kanpech King Wawa Koudjay L Lakou Mizik Lina Mathon Blanchet Lumane Casimir M Malou Beauvoir Manno Charlemagne Martha Jean-Claude Melanie J-B Charles Moonlight Benjamin N Naika Netty P Papa BongaR Racine Figuier RAM Rasin Kanga Riva Nyri Precil

S Sanba Zao Simbi So Anne T Tokay Totot Bissainthe W Wawa Weena Wesli Z Zekle Zing Experience Zobop

Audio samples

Year	Band	Song Title	Album	Notes
1996	RAM	"Fèy"	Aïbobo	Censored by Haitian military, 1992–1994
1997	RAM	"Zanj" Listen	Puritan Vodou	Rara horn and petro drum instrumentation

See also

• Haitian hip hop
• Haitian Vodou
• Haitian Vodou drumming
• Rock and roll

References

1. Stuart, Alanna, ed. (27 November 2015). ""Music is the Haitian soul": a primer on Haiti's unstoppable music scene". CBC. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
2. Saaf, Donald, ed. (11 December 2018). "Dan Zanes' House Party!: A Family Roots Music Treasury". Young Voyageur. p. 20. ISBN 9780760362020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
3. Hall, Michael R. (2012). "Historical Dictionary of Haiti". p. 177. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
4. Hall, Michael R. (2012). "Historical Dictionary of Haiti". p. 177. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
5. Alain, Christian. "About Haiti:Music". Retrieved 22 January 2014.
6. Marx, Gary (2005). "Lyrics of Love and Haïti" Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine. Chicago Tribune. November 8, 2005.
7. Shacochis, Bob (1999). The Immaculate Invasion. New York, New York: Penguin Publishing. ISBN 0-14-024895-1. p. 10.
8. Farmer, Joe, ed. (8 February 2014). "Jazz Racine Haïti". Radio France internationale. Retrieved 11 August 2020.

Further reading

• Averill, Gage (1997). "Day for the Hunter, Day for the Prey". Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226032922.
• Shacochis, Bob (1999). The Immaculate Invasion. New York, New York: Penguin Publishing. ISBN 0-14-024895-1.