Randé

Randé
Robin Gautier, considered as one of the founders of the genre
Etymology	Emeraudian Creole slang for a dance
Stylistic origins	ska rocksteady héler R&B jazz soul Gaullican pop Estmerish rock Djeli pop
Cultural origins	mid to late 1960's Île d'Émeraude, particularly in Port-au-Grégoire
Derivative forms	Salledanse, Dub
Subgenres
amoureux rock, racines randé
Regional scenes
Bahia Cassier Azure Coast Euclea Rizealand Sainte-Chloé Satucin Senria Vinalia
Local scenes
Gregwa

Randé is a music genre that originated in Île d'Émeraude during the late 1960's. The term is also commonly used to denote the popular music of Île d'Émeraude and its diaspora; While usage of the term in this way is rather common, the term more properly denotes a specific music style that drew influence from traditional héler, Rizean R&B and soul, Mabifian and Garamburan Djeli pop, and Satucine jazz, while also evolving from ska and rocksteady. Randé's immediate origins are in the latter two genres, which also originated in Île d'Émeraude's vibrant music recording industry.

When it comes to musical style, randé incorporates elements of jazz, rhythm and blues, héler and soul, while also taking a lot of influence from Bahian folk music; randé was also influenced by more contemporary Bahian music such as Djeli pop. The tempo of randé is typically slower than both ska and rocksteady. The genre is primarily led by the bass and drum, two instruments that would go on to form the basis of a derivative genre, dub. The bass guitar, which in randé sound is thick, heavy, and equalized, typically plays a dominant role in the sound of randé. The guitar is often played on the offbeat of the rhythm. Randé is commonly sung in Emeraudian Creole and Gaullican in its native Île d'Émeraude, though is also sung in the native languages of other places where it has gained a significant following. One of randé's most recognizable aspects is the emphasis on social commentary, with many of the lyrics bearing the weight of being politically or spiritually charged. Lighter topics are also commonly discussed in randé music, such as love, socializing, or relaxation.

Randé shares deep links with Mufastism, a Bahio-centric religion that developed in Île d'Émeraude during the 1920's. Many of its past and current stars were/are Mufastas themselves. As a result, the genre became associated with Mufastism during its rise and increased its visibility as randé gained international popularity in the 1970's. The rise and subsequent popularity of randé would allow Mufastism to become much more widely accepted in Emeraudian society, which the countercultural stances of the new religious movement and the prior attitudes of the predominantly Catholic population had prevented beforehand. As Mufastis see it, music is a "tool for change" in society, and randé music has been an effective and important means of spreading Mufastism's gospel throughout the world. The genre is also associated with Pan-Bahianism.

Randé has spread to numerous countries around the world, and has often fused with native music scenes and incorporated other instruments. Perhaps the most notable case of this is Senrian Randé, which grew after Robin Gautier toured Senria in 1979 and collaborated with local artists to cultivate a local randé scene. Randé, as well as other Bahio-Arucian music, has been popular in Euclea since the early-to-mid 1970's, and it has evolved into numerous subgenres, such as Amoureux rock, which originated in Verlois and has an emphasis on romantic content. Numerous randé acts have begun their careers in Euclean countries, especially Gaullica, and as a result, many Euclean bands draw direct inspiration from the music of Île d'Émeraude and the rest of the wider Arucian. Randé became popular in Bahia following Robin Gautier's tour of the subcontinent in 1977.

Etymology

The term "randé" first arose as Emeraudian Creole slang, and was used to describe a "running man"-like dance dance that many young concertgoers did while at ska and rocksteady concerts beginning during the late 1950's and early 1960's. It first arose as a name for the genre after The Bawlers released their single "Do the Randé" in 1969.

History

Precursors

Beaumont and Chausson, a popular rocksteady act in the early 1960's

The direct ancestors of randé are ska and rocksteady, which both arose within Île d'Émeraude's vibrant recording industry during the 1950's. Both of these were greatly influenced by héler and calypso, along with Rizealander R&B and Satucine jazz. Mufastism was deeply linked with randé early on, and the spread of its popularity helped spread Mufastism into other countries. In such places, the movement is stamped by its randé origins and social milieu. Mufastism greatly influenced randé.

Beginning in the mid 20th century, phonographic records were introduced to Île d'Émeraude, and they became of central importance to the Emeraudian recording industry. They would also play a key role in randé's development. 7" records became popular in the early 1950's. The first héler recordings would be released as singles around this time as well, and at first two distinct styles would emerge: a more jazzy pop style, and an acoustic based and more rural sound. Both of these styles would go on to influence ska and rocksteady, which would both arise in the late 1950's and early 1960's respectively.

Ska arose in the late 1950's, developing from a mixture of rhythm and blues, jazz, hèler, and calypso. With its jazz-style horn riffs that were prominent throughout the genre, which became one of ska's most recognizable aspects, ska is characterized by a walking bass line on the quarter note, piano and guitar offbeats, and a unique drum pattern influenced by the drums of both héler and traditional Bahian music. It became the genre of choice for young Emeraudians looking for a style of music to call their own. Ska also became popular among the Emeraudian diaspora in Gaullica.

Rocksteady would arise from ska in the early 1960's, with a slower rhythm and lyrics that focused primarily on romance. The horns of ska were also less prominent in rocksteady. Many theories have been discussed as to why rocksteady developed a slower rhythm; a popular one is that Henri Beaumont, a music artist who formed a vocal group with Aaron Chausson called Beaumont and Chausson, was unable to sing one of his earlier and more popular songs, "Low and Slow", at the quick tempo of ska. The slower rhythm would prove quite influential on randé, which borrowed the slower rhythms that allowed for offbeat guitar strokes.

Randé would also be influenced by Djeli pop, which arose in the southern Bahian nation of Mabifia during the 1960's. It would spread to Île d'Émeraude after the protest song "Bahies, levez-vous!" by Honorine Uwineza was released, and it gained popularity among the young and rebellious audience of Île d'Émeraude. Randé would borrow Djeli pop's use of both traditional Bahian instruments and modern Euclean instruments, as well as its social commentary.

Emergence

Félix LeBeau, a Bahio-Cassien who helped spread randé into Asterian markets early on

Randé first began to develop in the mid to late 1960's. It first arose from ska and rocksteady, with The Bawlers and Klax and the Gendarmerie being some of the first acts in the genre. A strength of randé from early on was, and remains, its seemingly limitless flexibility; from the gritty, Gregwa style of the Bawlers, to the more upbeat, pop-like sound of later acts such as the House of Gautier, enormous leaps and liberties were taken through the years, and yet both are instantly recognizable as randé.

The first bona fide randé records were released between 1967 and 1968, with numerous acts beginning to capitalize on the new sound. Imitators would also pop up in foreign countries, most notably Félix LeBeau, a Bahio-Cassien artist who released the single "Feeling Alright" in 1968. This record is credited with introducing the randé sound to the broader Asterian market.

The Bawlers, formed by Robin Gautier, Bruno Gautier, and Milo Rémy, are perhaps the most recognizable and well known randé act of all time. Interestingly, the band went through the transition through the three genres of ska, rocksteady, and randé throughout the band's early history. Other notable ska or rocksteady acts and performers that made the jump to randé in this period were Klax and the Gendarmerie; Augustine, Prince of the Isle; The HotShots, and Camilia Dominique.

Numerous Emeraudian producers influenced the transition through the genres and aided in the development of randé's distinct sound, which include Pascal Rapace, Patrick Altidor, and Dimtri Berchard; the latter of which would also play a key role in promoting the genre and aiding its worldwide spread.

International Spread

Robin Gautier and the Bawlers performing in Verlois, Gaullica, 1978

Randé first began to bubble onto international charts in the early 1970's. A few notable acts, such as Félix LeBeau, helped the genre spread into the Asterian market and aided its popularity early on. LeBeau in particular would top the Asterian charts for two weeks with his popular single "Come Get Down With Me", released in 1972. The song would be ranked among the top 100 songs of that year by !Billboard. Randé would also be introduced to the Euclean market around this time, as randé acts that rose up within the Emeraudian diaspora in Gaullica would form and gain some popularity.

The popularity of randé had been catapulted in 1974 following (some Rizealander country singer)'s cover of Robin Gautier and the Bawlers' "I Shot the Sheriff". The cover in question would add some elements of rock to the song but retained much of the original randé style of the original, and would play a big role in introducing randé, and especially the Bawlers, to the mainstream. The popularity further increased after the Bawler's live version of their song "No Woman No Cry" off of their album "Hopin'" gained massive popularity and topped the Asterian charts for seven weeks and nearly topped the Euclean charts. The newfound mainstream popularity of Robin Gautier and the Bawlers allowed other, less well-known randé acts find exposure themselves as new listeners dived deeper into the genre. As a result, randé production in both Île d'Émeraude and elsewhere flourished throughout the 70's and into the 80's.

Contemporary history

the House of Gautier in 1990, from right to left; Damien, Claire, Mona, and Xavier "ZeeZee"

Randé in Île d'Émeraude began to decline following the death of Robin Gautier in 1984, though elsewhere it continued to thrive, especially in Euclea. Numerous randé acts, often of multiracial makeup, arose in Euclea and especially in Gaullica; among these acts were The Boom, Rebel Incorporated, and the New Wave Outlaws. Many Euclean punk rock acts that arose around the time period took significant influence from randé's rebellious style, and punk rock in turn would influence later randé acts as well. A subgenre of randé, amoureux rock, would develop in Gaullica during the mid 1980's. Amoureux rock featured a more commercial sound than randé, and featured lyrics focused on romance, though retained most other musical elements of randé. Randé would also flourish in Bahia around the time period as well. While it took a little longer for randé to gain mainstream popularity in Bahia compared to Euclea or the Asterias, it would still see itself break into the mainstream there during the 1980's. A few Bahian randé acts, such as the Rwizikuran act the Freedom Fighters and the Garamburan artist Cebo Najeke, would play crucial roles in getting randé on the map in Bahia, and would be pillars of the genre once it did reach mainstream status. Randé experienced rather limited success in most of Coius, though it found popularity in Senria following a tour of the country by Robin Gautier in 1979. He would work with local acts to cultivate a local randé scene, although it only began to gain serious popularity in Senria during the mid-80's.

Randé in Île d'Émeraude began to pick back up in the 1990's, primarily led by the House of Gautier, a randé band formed by 3 of Robin Gautier's 4 children (Xavier "ZeeZee", Damien, Claire) as well as the eldest daughter of Bruno Gautier (Mona). With the House of Gautier's emergence and the return of the Bawlers with their 1993 album "The Show Must Go On!", randé in Île d'Émeraude experienced a renaissance. The revival of Emeraudian randé would help bring renewed attention to the genre as a whole, and randé once again saw a period of flourishment that would last through the 90's and into much of the 2000's. Although the House of Gautier would disband in 2007, the main members would go on to become pillars of randé music in their own respective right, much like the Bawlers before them. They remain pillars of the genre into the present day.

Randé remains an internationally popular genre, with randé acts continuing to top charts and sell out concerts throughout the world. Randé has been heavily embraced in poorer and marginalized communities, as the common randé theme of recounting the stuggle of the Bahian diaspora endeared the genre to other similarly marginalized groups. Newer acts such as the Ambroise Legacy and Dirty Vibe have emerged in recent years as new torchbearers for the genre. Several subgenres would develop from randé from the 1990's onward, such as dub and salledanse.

Global Presence

Asterias

A randé festival in Cassier

Randé's first initial spread outside of Île d'Émeraude would be to the wider Asterias. It would first spread into Asteria Superior in the late 1960's, spearheaded by the Emeraudian diaspora in Cassier and Rizealand

Coius

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