Kassav is a Francophone Zouk band which was formed in the 1970s. The core members of the band are Jocelyne Beroard , Jacob Desvarieux , Jean-Philippe Marthely , Patrick St. Eloi , Jean-Claude Naimro , and Georges Decimus (though Decimus is no longer in the band) along with several other, more minor members. The total number of albums by the band and it's members is approximately 30.

Kassav was formed in 1979 by Pierre-Edouard Décimus , a long-time professional musician who worked with Freddy Marshall . Together, the two of them decided to take carnival music and make it a more modern and polished style. It was the leading band to emerge from the formative years of Zouk. They gave the style a pan-Caribbean sound by taking elements from reggae and salsa, and became one of the most famous bands in the world. Their first album, Love and Ka Dance (1980), established the sound of zouk. They continued to grow more popular, both as a group and with several members' solo careers, finally peaking in 1985 with Yélélé , which featured the international hit "Zouk la sé sèl médickaman nou ni".

With this hit, zouk rapidly became the most widespread dance craze to hit Latin American in some time, and was wildly popular even as far afield as Europe and Asia. Zouk became known for wildly theatrical concerts featuring special effects spectacles, colorful costumes and outrageous antics.