Born in La Réunion at the dawn of the 2000s, Tapok brings together Arno Bazin (vocals, guitar), Aldo Ledoux (vocals, accordion), Yohan Calciné (vocals, percussion), Damien Mandrin (vocals, bass, percussion) and David Hamet (vocals, guitar). After Arno came across a collection of poems by Francky Lauret, the group decided to set the poems to music. Inspired by the music of Ziskakan, Granmoun Lélé and Kom Zot, in which some of the group's members have taken part, Tapok's music revolves around the island's predominant styles: sega and maloya. In 2002, this approach led to the release of their first album, Tapokéné, which aroused both curiosity and interest. Fervent defenders of a well-defined Reunionese cultural identity, Tapok continue to promote their heritage through numerous albums, Tapokinnot (2003), Tapokopat (2005), Tapokalips (2011), and in 2020 celebrate twenty years of a rich and storied career, with the release of VINTAN (2020). Acknowledged as one of Reunion's leading musical groups of the 21st century, the group is regularly considered to be one of the next generation of maloya musicians.
