René Lacaille is the musical embodiment of the unique Creole culture of the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion, incorporating African, Indian, Madagascan and European rhythms and instruments. Born in 1946, René Lacaille is the master of the spicy séga rhythms of l'Île de la Réunion, a volcanic island paradise located deep in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The embodiment of la Réunion's vitality, René is a man steeped in his culture's celebration of life and good times. As early as age 7, he learned how to command a party when he accompanied his father to perform at weddings and dances throughout the island's many towns. This was rigorous training, because the musicians had to be versatile and capable of playing the Paso Doble, cha-cha, polka, waltz, bolero, Creole quadrille, Sega, and Maloya. René's talent and curiosity led him to master the bongos, drums, accordion, guitar, and saxophone. The countless nights that Rene spent playing professionally, combined with new music arriving from other shores, provided a variety of influences for him, and his own compositions would soon be informed by flamenco, salsa, twist, rock, jazz, and fusion. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.