Coastal Styles of Music in Madagascar

Different current type of music coined in local musical customs that appeared in the coastal areas since the 1960s. Chief among these two up-tempo dance music patterns that have become notably famous throughout Madagascar and have gained crossover success; salegy is a 6/8 pattern that initiated in the northwest around Antsiranana and Mahajanga and tsapika which is a 4/4 pattern focused in the southwest between Betroka and Toliara. Other key coastal patterns include basesa of Deigo-Suarez and the northeast coast fame by Mika sy Davis, kilalaky of Morondava and the southwestern interior performed by such orchestras as Rabaza, mangaliba which is from the southern Anosy area, kawitry from the northeast that is well-known by Jerry Marcoss also the southern beko polyharmonic custom performed by ensembles like Senge and Terakaly and kwassa-kwassa and sega music which is from the neighbouring Reunion Island and Mauritius.