So this is your 14th album ?
Jocelyne Beroard : Yes, 14th under the generic name of Kassav, not counting the live or solo albums. Otherwise, it would be the 45^th or 47th album since 1979 - and that’s minus the compilations.

But haven’t these last few years been less productive ?
J.B : We released fewer records when we first signed with Sony, our former label. They wanted to establish the band in France, so it was part of their strategy. As we had invented a musical style, we had to be there so that the public could get used to us. So we used our different personalities to present the varying facets of zouk music.

This new album goes back to the roots of your success...
Jacob Desvarieux : Partly, but the audience has changed and we are 20 years older. We can’t look backwards. We just keep trying to hold on to the ideals we had at the time. When I go back to Africa, I see that the local music has changed enormously : young people listen to American music now, even more so as the United States are trying to monopolise the music scene. We are trying to redress the balance.

Jacob, you contributed to the big hit last year of Dis l’heure de zouk. Are you using this recent success to launch another album?
JD : People talk about revival because it’s been a long time since we’ve heard a zouk track being played constantly on the radio, and selling so well. What’s new, in fact, is that zouk is being broadcast on young people’s radio. The music itself hasn’t changed. What’s changed, is the attitude of radio broadcasters and presenters, who are more likely now to say : "Kassav is a bedside favourite”. And if you ask them why they don’t play it more, they say : "I like it, but do you think young people will ?"

Is that why you wanted to work again with Passi on this album ?
JD : We’ve known Passi since Bisso Na Bisso. When we celebrated 20 years of Kassav, we invited him along with Khaled. He came to see us during the recording of this album, and when he heard Abo Lewo, he said : "I like this one, can I do something on top ?" It wasn’t a gimmick. Just because there’s Passi, everybody talks about marketing, but all we care about is that our music is popular.
JB : A radio presenter told me : "You obviously listen to new music". We’ve been listening to everything that comes out for years! We’re living in the year 2004, we’re not stuck in 1980 ! When we like a style, we go for it - that’s all.

What is the tone of the lyrics on this album ?
JB : They witness everyday life. There is a song which is really powerful for me, called "Jeneraison" which talks about youth. You hear about the break-up of society, but youth is what society creates. Nothing is provided for young people, they are left to their own devices, and no one attempts to establish a dialogue with them. They are looking for their own identity, a way to assert themselves. They are in a world where the most important thing is how much you weigh. Before, there was some kind of moral code, and you could say : "If you work hard, you will be able to have a good job and earn lots of money." Nowadays, even if you work hard, you can’t be certain of getting a good job, and even if you do, you can't be sure of keeping it. Society should have another look at what it’s doing for young people.

Zouk is music for dreaming, falling in love, dancing...
J.B : Zouk music makes you want to dance, it’s party music. It’s one of the most youthful types of music. We’re proud that it’s become a reference point, and that it’s recognised as such. When we look back and see what we’ve produced, we’re pretty content.
J.D : We’d rather not be like those classical composers who 200 years after their death are proclaimed to be geniuses. We’d rather they said that about us while we’re still alive.