Music archivist Vik Sohonie traveled to Haiti to track down original 1960s–80s vinyl pressings for Ostinato Records, uncovering a fascinating story behind the island’s rich sound:
📻 Radio Over Records → Transistor radios ruled the airwaves, making radio stations like Radio Métropole the real custodians of musical history.
🗽Diaspora Pressings → Most vinyl records featuring iconic groups like Tabou Combo, Les Loups Noirs, and Super Jazz des Jeunes were actually pressed in New York, Miami, or Paris for diaspora communities.
🎶 A Melting Pot Sound → Despite political turmoil under the Duvalier regime, this golden era saw musicians blending traditional Vodou rhythms (Petwo, Kongo, Nago) with Son cubano, jazz horn sections, Dominican merengue, and raw mini-jazz energy.
📦 Rescuing History → Tragically, years of humidity, political unrest, and the 2010 earthquake destroyed vast archives across Port-au-Prince. Diggers like Sohonie spent weeks scouring radio lockers, dusty warehouses, and private collections to preserve, remaster, and repatriate these rare sounds for future generations.
Haiti’s musical legacy is vast, resilient, and deeply influential—a true Caribbean sound factory that deserves to be remembered. 🎧🇭🇹
Get more into it on Roads & Kingdoms article about Kreyol Vinyl, here:
