Guadeloupean vocal percussion technique
Bouladjèl (also sometimes Boulagèl or Bannjogita) is a vocal percussion technique practiced on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. It consists of a poly-rhythmic superposition of percussive vocalizations (throat sounds, onomatopoeia, gasps) and hand claps performed as an accompaniment to certain forms of traditional singing, mostly songs of mourning and funeral wakes. A bouladjèl performer is known as a "boularien".
Origins.
Written accounts of bouladjèl are few and recent. It is thought to have developed among Guadeloupean enslaved field workers to replicate drumming at a time when the Code Noir forbade them to use drums, and transmitted orally since. In 1988, Lafontaine presented "boula-gueule" as a vocal polyphony performed during funeral wakes. However, although it is nowadays most specifically a funeral singing practice, local oral accounts state that it was also commonly heard outside wakes up to the 1970s (e.g. child play, work, leisure singing...). Indeed, during his 1962 visit to Morne-a-l'eau, Guadeloupe, Lomax recorded bouladjèl in both a funeral context ("Bo! Pati") and a work context ("Adolin Do La").
Performance.
Bouladjèl is a poly-rhythmic musical form where groups of performers each repeat a distinct &amp; short onomatopoeic pattern of throat sounds, sometimes filtered through hand-formed resonating cavities, to produce complex ostinati together. Though it is considered to be a part of the gwo ka system, traditional bouladjèl excludes the use of musical instruments other than the voice and supporting hand claps. Some sources claim that its underlying base pattern can't be directly mapped to any of the traditional gwo ka rhythms, while others liken it to the pattern known as "tumblak".
Ensembles usually comprise two or three individuals to a dozen upwards, in principle all male. They are led by a member called the "commandeur de bouladjèl", who signals for the performance to begin with a traditional, spoken statement personalized for each occasion.
At times, performers may also enunciate short comical messages in a rhythmic manner similar to rapping on top of the vocal percussion. In the context of funeral wakes, this stimulates catharsis through laughter as part of the grieving process.
References.
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