Category Music

If it’s about music, find it here.

Oct 19 2010

KONPA PROMOTERS: PROTECT THE FANS’ POCKETS

I’ve come across many people in many Konpa circles complaining about event promoters asking way too much for cover charges, which by all estimates range anywhere between $30 and $45. But what these people fail to realize is that these promoters for the most part set their charges according to their operating costs. So asking them to lower their cover charges would be to ask them to minimize their costs, which, in my humble opinion, is where the bulk of the challenge lies.

The objective of this piece is not to go around blaming sectors in the market; it is, rather, to present a comprehensive analysis of the situation and offer alternatives of solution. Also, since I am more aware of the reality in the Northeast market, my focus will be more on the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Boston markets.

In any free market environment, competition is the thermostat that regulates price fluctuations. In other words, when the market playing field is leveled for all the players, competition is basically the element that determines prices for products and services. And the successful entrepreneurs are those with the perfect grip on cost accounting and cost management for cost control and containment, for cost is the parameter that determines market outcomes.

It is not a secret that the recession is negatively impacting the lifestyles of most people in the economy. As a result, less people than usual can afford going out partying. While less people are turning out for party calls, the costs of putting a live out-of-area band -such as Nu Look, T-Vice, Djakout Mizik, DISIP or Zenglen -on stage at any convenient venue in the Northeast are skyrocketing. The promoters, unfortunately, are being made convenient scapegoats and blamed and slashed left and right as though they are overcharging their patrons.

The promoters or event organizers are in business to make money, if there is money to be made that is. With costs as high as they are, with any one of these aforementioned bands on the ticket, to break-even (we are not even talking about making a profit), these party organizers will have no choice but to raise their cover charges as high as 50 to 75 percent. Whenever we are talking about costs, the patrons/consumers/partygoers are always the ones to absorb the pressure of market uncertainties and price gouging. In other words, the high costs are always passed on to them. Something has got to be done to control costs, which, in turn, will make it possible to protect the pockets of the partygoers.

Let’s not fool ourselves, folks. The bands are not going to lower their fees for service just because they are asked to or people are complaining. It does not work that way in a free market environment. They need to be forced or constrained to do so. It is understandable for some of these popular out-of-area Konpa bands in the business to be asking anything from $6,000 to $8,000 as fee for service. It is about the economic reality of supply and demand. Because the demand for their services is going to the roof, they find it normal, and understandably so, to charge the promoters anything they want. And these event organizers accept the charges because they know they will be passing the burden on to the patrons. I am proposing a commonsense approach to fix this problem.

  1. The notion of having regular events with two or three bands on the ticket must be put to rest. It is not cost-effective, and it is definitely not beneficial to the attending patrons. Let’s say, for instance, a promoter decides to organize a party with Disip and T-Vice in New York or New Jersey. I intentionally select these two bands because they headquarter in Florida, not anywhere near our geographical area –New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Boston. The costs of putting such a party together could be in the range of $20,000 to $25,000. And let’s assume that the venue’s occupancy level is 600 people. That party organizer would have to charge at least $40 just to breakeven, just to make the invested capital; we are not even talking about making a profit. Anything below $40 would be running on a deficit. So that party organizer would have to overstretch his/her cover charge, should he/she want to make a profit. The patrons would be the ones to feel the heat the most, not the promoter and certainly not the bands. And the reason for that is because the costs are being passed on to them.
  2. The focus must be on investing in the local bands, meaning more efforts need to be made to stage the local bands –Carimi, Zin, System Band, etc. Call me market protectionist however you want; I strongly believe that the Northeast territory belongs to the bands in the area. Therefore, it does not make any sense for these bands from outside our territory to be in the area every weekend entertaining the people while some of our local bands are being neglected for the most part. No wonder the upcoming bands in the area are struggling to stay alive; they are not being encouraged to challenge themselves. I am not saying the out-of-area bands must not be touring the Northeast. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that we need to give priority to the local bands, should we want to lower costs and alleviate the burden being passed on to our patrons. Zenglen, Nu Look, T-Vice, Djakout Mizik, Disip, Harmonick, Kreyol La, Gabel, 5 Etwal, etc… are not playing a level of Konpa which Carimi, Zin, System Band, etc… are not playing. To think that the out-of-area bands are better suited to entertain the people in our geographical turf is a myth that needs to be challenged.
  3. Business sponsorship is another way a promoter can lower costs to alleviate the burden on the patrons. If you are going to have a party, it would make a lot of sense to go out there and find businesses to sponsor the event. Both the entertainment company and the sponsoring businesses will benefit from it. I don’t really know what the issue is, but it seems as though the concept of business sponsorship is not quite registered in the minds of our business owners. Again, if you are looking for sponsorships, why limiting yourself to only the Haitian-owned businesses? The Haitian community does not only do business with Haitian-owned business institutions. We do with businesses in the other communities. So why not going after these enterprises for sponsorships?

It is inconceivable and economically preposterous for any promoter to think that the recessive economy is not negatively impacting the ways the people live their lives. People are becoming more and more penny-conscious, yet you have promoters wanting to rob them of their hard-earned money. The time is right for a different approach to be put to test.

If the promoters are really intelligent as I believe they are, they will invest in the local bands to lower costs and alleviate the unbearable economic weight breaking the people’s backs. It is not that the regional bands don’t have what it takes musically speaking to give the same results as these out-of-area bands.

Charging the people $40 to come watch two out-of-area bands on a ticket (for instance, T-Vice and Nu Look or Zenglen and Disip) performing is not needed, not when the same amount of people could have turned out with only either one of the two bands on the ticket. With that, the patrons could get a break on the cover charge of as high as 50%. That to me would be economically compassionate and the right thing to do.

Oct 11 2010

KONPA ARTISTS ON THE POLITICAL BANDWAGON

Choubou: Tabou Combo's lead vocalist, a Michel Martelly endorser

Political endorsement is something very serious; it ought not to be taken lightly. So far, we have witnessed quite an array of Konpa artists coming out at an unprecedented rate to publicly endorse candidates in this presidential election cycle; in my humble opinion, I think that is encouraging. I am not trying to scare anybody, but I am just hoping that you guys know that political endorsements, at times, come with backlashes and consequences -whether directly or indirectly.    

To the rest of you Konpa personalities, those of you who are still standing on the sidelines and have yet to jump on the bandwagon of presidential endorsement, I have four simple words for you: DO NOT DO IT.

Haitian politics is a very tricky and complicated field. You are dealing with an electorate not democratically cultured enough to accept the fact that you can have a say in the political process and have your political position respected. They all aspire to democracy, but refuse to understand that it cannot be possible without the creed of tolerance.  

Yes, indeed, you have your rights as citizens of Haiti to publicly endorse anybody you want in this race just like your fans have their rights to not support you anymore because your political endorsements do/did not reflect theirs.

Some people take politics very personal. Remember, you need the support of your fans to stay in business. Your fans are all you have. Once they turn their backs on you, you are game; your career is over. So be very careful with that political endorsement thing. If you cannot sustain the heat, keep yourself away from the furnace. Otherwise, you might get burnt.

Of course, Fanfan Ti Bot, Choubou, Cubano, Douby, etc… they all can come out publicly and endorse candidates; they do not have anything to lose. With all due respect to them and what they represent in the world of Konpa music, as far as this new generation of fan base is concerned, these guys don’t really matter in this business anymore. If Konpa was a structured and lucrative business, they should have not been in circulation anymore; they should have gone into retirement long ago. But you, young artists coming up, have a lot to lose. I am going to repeat the same thing I said to you earlier, and that is you need the support of your fans to stay alive in this entertainment business.

My golden advice to you all is this: DO NOT MINGLE; LET THE PROCESS RUN ITS COURSE. You are not ordinary citizens; you are people with a platform. Therefore, do not put yourselves out there for political expediency.

That’s all I wanted to communicate to you all. Hopefully, you will find my advice sound and relevant. Well, I am a nobody, why should you listen to me?

Oct 3 2010

MIZIK MIZIK’S PARADI NAN LANFE -A CD REVIEW

Front cover of MIZIK MIZIK's Paradi Nan Lanfe

I wrote this review two years ago, but had never gotten to publish it. Enjoy the read…

If you are shopping for a real Konpa CD with a smooth Jazzy spice, and you don’t pick up the latest Mizik Mizik CD, you really don’t know what you are shopping for. You need to make up your mind.

This is one of the best albums issued in the year 2008. Don’t expect Paradi Nan Lanfe, the title of the album, to be a prototype of the latest album of Djakout Mizik, Zenglen or Nu Look in order for it to pass the test of musical greatness. Musically speaking, the album is rich and versatile, meaning everyone will “jwen.”

I think the crew did an excellent job to give us this amalgam of rhythms while still keeping it Mizik Mizik. Every time I get to listen to Paradi Nan Lanfe, the vibe coming out of the songs would take my spirit away and transpose it onto the mainland, our beloved Haiti Cherie. I hope it can have the same effect on you.

When you have guys like Shedley Abraham, one of the top drummers we have in our Konpa; Yves Abel; Gerald Kebreau; Andre Dejean, a living legend and one of the top trumpeters in the business, invited to bring their expertise for the realization of this colossal project, you cannot expect a mediocre piece of work. That is just impossible.

The first track on the CD is this song Mal by J.P. Argant, Eric Charles, Fabrice Rouzier, and Clement Belizaire. It is a tribute to Bernard and Jovany Blanc, Carlito Zounon, Veronique Valme, Wladimir Antoine, Jacques Roche, Luca Spinelli, Nadim Hippolyte, Jean-Pierre Riviere, Francois Latour and many more who have lost their lives during the macabre moments of organized insecurity our nation has lived in its recent history.

The lyrics are very current and address a very gruesome moment in our history. This song is basically a call to reason to those who are involved in the situation of insecurity, sapping the structures or our nation.

Rhythmically speaking, it is a song anyone can say to be going to cause damage at parties. It is very groovy, tasty and suave. When you listen to it, I want you to pay a careful attention to what Fabrice Rouzier on the keyboard, Shedley Abraham on the drums, Paul Hennegan on the tenor saxophone, John Normandin on the trombone and Andre Dejan on the trumpet are doing to bring us back in time to enjoy the beat of the tropics, something that is becoming a rarity these days in our Konpa.

Ranmase Konpa, track 2 on the CD, is a landmark that no one can dismiss for its colorfulness. In this song, M. B. Jacquet, Eric Charles, Fabrice Rouzier, and Clement Belizaire are honoring the legacy of the great Nemours Jean-Baptiste, the father of our Konpa Direk. They are thanking him for such a great musical heritage he has lived to leave behind for us to enjoy, especially at a time when almost everything of cultural capacity we used to enjoy is gone. They also are calling on everyone involved in our music –the musicians, the promoters, the producers, the music stores, the radio stations, the night clubs, and the fans -not to let it vanished, to give it the importance and care that it deserves.

At the very beginning and throughout the song, a good observer of Konpa Direk can feel the prints of Skah Shah and Tabou Combo in it, enhancing and spicing the tempo a little. This is a song one can say to have what it takes to be labeled “son lari ya.” I can envision already how the people are going bananas on the dance floor when at parties the DJs are spinning this song like crazy. It is not a summer song, but its jumpy tempo can make it pass for one.

Lavi Ka Bel is a very mellow and jazzy konpa song. It is the type one would want to listen to after a long day of hard work. Fabrice Rouzier and Eric Charles worked together on this one. Anyone carefully listening to this track cannot ignore the great contribution of Michael Benjamin on the acoustic guitar. He did a splendid job keeping the beat dry and jazzy with his acoustic guitar. These musicians (Yves Abel on the base, Shedley Abraham on the drums, Paul Hennegan on the tenor saxophone, John Normandin on the trombone, and Andre Dejean) delivered perfectly well to make the track what it is.

In this song, Fabrice and Eric basically want to communicate a message of unity, love and harmony. They envision a harmonious life where everyone is condemned to live together. And the things that can get us there are love and unity. To them, life could be more beautiful if we are willing to love and help one another.

Paradi Nan Lanfe -a creation of Fabrice Rouzier, Eric Charles, and Clement Belizaire -is a tribute to the great Haitian keyboardist, Ansyto Mercier, and all the patrons that used to and continue to frequent the Steak-Inn in Port-au-Prince.

First and foremost, this is a very smooth and well-assembled love song. The woman in the song has everything going for her –beauty and romance; no other women can come close to her in comparison. She really got it going on. She has an angelic beauty; however, beauty and romance alone are not the only ingredients needed for the singer’s relationship with her to be complete. Something of great significance is missing -love is absent. In spite of this huge flaw, he just can’t imagine living life without her. She is like a pain he just cannot afford to live without –a necessary evil, so to speak.

If you are looking for a hardcore Konpa, the “pike devan” type, you will find it in this one here –Pa Gen Moun Ki Gen Moun. Before I go any further in my opinion of this track, I have to particularly commend the keyboard of Fabrice Rouzier, the drums of Shedley Abraham, and the guitar of Clement Belizaire for their magnificent contributions to this track. Listening closely to this song, no one can dare discounting their remarkable contributions.

There is a lesson of morality that is being propagated throughout this song. It touches up on a very pertinent issue –frivolity in relationships, which the artist himself categorizes as foolishness. Some people feel like they have something to prove to the world; they have to have many mates to feel important, worthy or needed. According to Clement Belizaire, Eric Charles, and Fabrice Rouzier, that’s a misconception.

One individual is just one indivisible human being; therefore, having more than one mate is just an idiocy, considering the fact that he/she cannot be split to meet the needs of all the mates at any given time. Somehow, neither one of the mates, including the one claimed to be the official one, will be fully satisfied. So ladies and gentlemen, what these guys from Mizik Mizik are saying is that if you can’t be the one and only one in the person’s life, why opting for a lesser position?

This is a very important message to spread to help strengthening the institution of family, a microcosm of the big Haitian society. We have too many households without a father these days in our existence as a people. And, for the most part, the main reason behind that phenomenon is found in the very pertinent issue these guys are exposing in this song –frivolous and concubinary relationships.

Gilbert Ravix, Eric Charles, and Fabrice Rouzier put their talents together to bring us Chavire, a very smooth love song with a little spice of Zouk to it. This song is about a man who is feeling a lady, but can’t find the words to express that feeling. He would get tongue-tied each time he finds himself in the position to affirm his feeling to her.

Some critics may argue that Mizik Mizik’s originality is nowhere to be found in this song, and that it is too close to what we are accustomed to from Alan Cave. I think that would be a fair criticism; I find Alan Cave’s prints to be too blatant all over the song. Whether or not it is a plus to Mizik Mizik is to be determined. The reactions from the fans or the impact it is going to have on the partygoers will determine whether the rapprochement or closeness serves its purpose.

I don’t think Fabrice Rouzier, Eric Charles and the entire Mizik Mizik crew could have done any better than the way they delivered on this track Nou La. This is one of my favorites from the whole album. The lyrics are blazing hot. The lead vocalist says something that makes me nod in approval. He says that some people enter your life and change it completely for the better, a phenomenon no scientist can explain.

This song is basically about the same thing we talked about earlier in this review –morality and values. The man in this song wants to give his woman the guarantee she needs to have in his relationship with her. He said, “Cherie, we are in this for the long haul -to get engaged and get married. We have been through a lot, being the main reason why we must swear to never let go of each other. Some critics would argue that we are not made for each other, but we know what we need and what we make sail for. If I were to choose between you and life, without any doubt, I would choose you ‘a l’infini.’ If we are married, there will be no divorce.” Those are some strong words, enough to have a woman going goo-goo gaga.

Clement Belizaire and this guy Gerald Kebreau, the base player from the group T-Vice, killed it. Fantastic job, guys!!! I have to specially give it to Kebreau for having the astuteness and audacity to make his instrument stand out so loud and clear, something that is not easy to do. Often time, the sound of the base guitar gets camouflaged and baffled in the mix. When you listen to this song, I want you to listen closely to see what he is doing on the base guitar.

What I personally admire about these Mizik Mizik guys is that, unlike many in the Konpa music business, they don’t do music for the fun of it; they don’t have time to sit in the studio producing garbage. They take their times to put out a piece of work which everyone can relate to. That does not come cheap; it comes with hard work and great talents.

I recommend Paradi Nan Lanfe to all lovers of great music. This album is so rich in rhythms and lyrics that everyone will find their little portion for their own delectation. And its richness could have not been possible had it not been for the magic touches of these invited artits -Shedley Abraham, Yves Abel, Gerald Kebreau, Michael Benjamin, Calo Vieux, Richard Cave, Michael Guirand, Jude Jean, Paul Hennegan, John Normandin, and Andre Dejean -whose contributions are priceless and immeasurable. I am not surprised by the good quality of this product. After all, it is from the Mizik Mizik crew; therefore, could anyone dare expecting anything less? I don’t think so.

I hope to have done my best to give you an idea as to what to expect from Paradi Nan Lanfe. This review can only satisfy part of your curiosity. You still need to go buy the CD to not only monetarily support the band, but also to better and fully enjoy the fun there is in it to enjoy. It is worth the investment; you will not regret it.

By Emann Joasil • Posted in Music
0
Oct 2 2010

BELO: SHOW THEM HOW IT’S DONE

Belo: During a live performance at the FIAF

Belo has the momentum, and he is unstoppable!!! His EXPLOSION on the international arena is now happening, just about half a decade since he decided to take on this music career. There is nothing supernatural about his success, since most of us Haitians always try to give a supernatural explanation to anything that seems to surpass our limited intelligence or intellect.

His latest album REFERENCE, from what I could gather, was officially distributed in the United States by this distribution company called MI-5. I also found out that its promotion has been a success. This guy is not sleeping; he is on a mission. He on tour all over the world -Canada, the US, Algeria, France, Brazil, etc… -promoting the Haitian culture.

Belo is exposing our culture to the world community not because he is Jean Belony Murat, but because he has a product that is being marketed perfectly well. I had said it before, and I am going to say it again –marketing is everything. This is the discipline that can make or break your business, regardless how great your product is.

Let me explain to you how eminent marketing is for business success. Take two products –product A and product B. Product A is lousily manufactured but has a well-defined marketing strategy. Product B, on the other hand, is perfectly manufactured but has an awful marketing strategy. Product A has a greater chance than product B to make it in the market and be successful. That’s what marketing does. It has the ability to play in the psychology of the consumers to make them accept a product with initially no chance to make it.

I hope the people in the Konpa business can learn a thing or two from Belo as to what he is doing and how he is doing it. The man surrounds himself with skilled people, people who know what they are doing, how can you expect him not to breakthrough? Keep bathing in mediocrity and tell me how far it will get you. I have been telling you all along that mediocrity will not take us anywhere.

Most people in the Kompa business believe in the idiocy that our Kompa music cannot gain steam in the international market because of the language in which we sing; our Creole is the ultimate scapegoat. What a ridiculous argument!!!

I could have been making that same nonsensical argument had I not witnessed with my own naked eyes the impact of Raggamuffin music or Dancehall Reggae on both the South Korean and Japanese societies. Mind you, these societies are very conservative and reluctant when it comes to being receptive to foreign cultural tendencies.

During my time in the US Army, I had the privilege to be stationed for about two years in South Korea and Japan. When I and my friends would go to Korean- and Japanese-owned clubs outside the military installations, the Koreans and the Japanese, who may not even know anything about what Beenie Man and Buju Banton are saying in their songs, would just go crazy on the dance floor bouncing nonstop to the beats until the party is over. The young Koreans and Japanese would buy, sing and dance Ragga Muffin –a music that is not only culturally foreign to them but also sung in a language they cannot even come close to comprehend. So don’t tell me it is the language. There is something the Jamaicans have been doing that we are not doing. And I know what that is. It is called MARKETING. These guys know how to get their music out to the world.

Belo has been in this music business for not even a decade, yet he is taking the world market by storm. He is out there, folks. He is picking up steam and momentum. He is not singing in any language other than Creole for the most part, has that stopped him from being popular and going international? Has that stopped him from winning the RFI prize? The answer to both questions is… HELL NO!!!!!!!

It is not the language in which an artist sings that can make or break that artist; it is, rather, how well of a job they do in marketing their music. So stop blaming the Creole language for everything and anything that is not working with our music. The language is far from being the reason why our Konpa Direk cannot cross certain market boundaries.

We must not be producing music to cater to only the Haitian market, a market with only 8 million consumers. Our market is too narrow as it is, and the purchasing power of the consumers is already too minced. Any musician who aspires to make it big in this music business needs to go after other markets –for example, the American, the Asian and the European markets. Keep in mind that you don’t enter these markets with no preparation whatsoever to compete. If you do not sit down to do your homework prior to your entry, you are wasting your valuable time and resources. In these market environments, competition is fierce. Only the best survive.

Music is meant to be a lucrative endeavor; therefore, we must not be making music to be counting peanuts. Belo, be the Manuel of Jacques Roumain’s novel Gouverneur de la Rosee for our music so that you can show them how it’s done.

Sep 30 2010

THE FUTURE OF WOMEN IN KONPA DIREK

Saida: former backup singer of Hangout

For those of you who may not know, Konpa Direk is Haiti’s most popular genre of music. It is the legacy of two great Haitian musicians –Weber Sicot and Nemours Jean Baptiste. This is the music the majority of the Haitian people play at social gatherings (parties) and blast in their cars. When these two men created Konpa, however, I am not sure they had women in mind. So the question is, after a little over fifty years since the creation of Konpa Direk, is there a future for women in this music business?

Konpa is yet to be a comfort zone for women. It is a male-dominated world with only a few women struggling, despite all the humiliations they are being victim of, to gain some degree of recognition. From Cleo, Georgie, Mei Mei and Saida of Hangout to Sandra of Zin and Stacey of Tempo, the women have not been given the respect they deserve. For the most part, they are being “sexploited,” sexually harassed and/or treated as second class artists.

I’ve heard many people making the argument that if you dream of having a long-lasting band, keep the women away; the moment they integrate the band, trouble will surface. The men will be competing against each other to see who will be the first to knock her out or sleep with her. And once you have band members competing against each other over matters that have nothing to do with music, unity and esprit de corps, essential elements for the band’s success, will be greatly impacted. That alone will suffice to place the band on the verge of disorganization, chaos and destruction.

If the aforementioned reality really exists inside the Konpa bands, I think management is slacking in its duty. The job of the manager of the band, if I may, is to set the guidelines as to what behaviors are appropriate and what are not. In other words, the job of the manager is to come up with policies that would praise good deeds and punish misconduct. When you have mediocre folks that don’t know what they are doing managing these bands, of course, you can expect the women to be treated like pieces of meat for all the men to prey on.

Is there a future for women in this business? I am very hopeful that things will change for the better for women. But that won’t happen until management can step up to the plate and lead these bands with an impeccable level of professionalism. I am also hopeful that things will get better for these women when they (the women) start realizing that favoritism can only take them this far. Should they integrate these bands, the decision should be made on the basis of talents and merit, not favoritism. If it is based on favoritism or solely on their good looks, they will have to sell their dignity by making hideous concessions only to secure their positions.

Sep 29 2010

KONPA NEEDS A MAKEOVER

The photo for the CD cover of the latest CARIMI album entitled BUZZ

Yes, I said it -KOMPA needs a makeover ASAP. In fact, it has long been overdue; it reaches the breaking point of boredom. Almost everybody is now playing the same thing and sounding the same. Many are asking, why is that?

KONPA artists, for the most part, are known for their conservativeness and narrow-mindedness, could that be the reason? Also, could it be that the majority of them don’t have the education background to better appreciate music and the historical knowledge of music to research and bring new materials to our musical mosaic?

As the market is changing, so should our music. In the United States, for instance, the music industry is constantly changing. Every 10 years or so, one can expect to experience a change in direction, a breakthrough or something new to go mainstream. Had it not been for JAZZ and BLUES of the 1940s and DISCO of the 70s and 80s, we would have not had the today’s R&B, one of the most popular Afro-American musical genres as we speak. All that stemmed from the competitive nature of the market environment.

The players in the American Music Industry are very aware of the negative impact of sameness and stagnancy on the market; they tend to stall market progress and development. So in such an ever-changing market environment, should you want to maintain a competitive advantage, you have got to keep moving with the flow and rhythm of the market. Otherwise, you will be left behind, and you will become obsolete overnight.

In the Haitian music environment, CARIMI is now testing the market with a new buzz in sound –a mixture of Kompa/R&B/Techno -which seems to be catching steam. So I hope they stay steady and put the right marketing behind it to force the market to follow the trend. They seem to be doing just that as evidenced by this simple observation: Now all these newly-emerged bands out of NY want to sound like them. Let’s see how far and in what direction the CARIMI experience is taking the market.

In the 1980s, when ZOUK was invading our musical sovereignty, when it almost had KONPA on its knees, it was not because it was foreign; it was, rather, because it was different and revolutionary. In reality, ZOUK was and continue to be KONPA on diet, a sexy version of the hardcore KONPA we used to be playing back then, before the introduction and marketing of our KONPA LOVE. So during its inception in the 1980s, it was looking and sounding luscious and appealing. Therefore, everybody, including our KONPA artists, wanted a piece of it. Had it not been for the combativeness of radio hosts such as FELIX LAMY of RADIO NATIONALE (a great Haitian cultural patriot; peace be upon him), today, KONPA would have probably been on the shelf somewhere in our music conservatory; we could have been playing ZOUK.

Despite the fights to rescue, protect and defend our musical sovereignty, the impact and influence of ZOUK was so huge that it did not back away without leaving a dent on our market. Yes, the danger was contained, but it led KONPA to a new and revolutionary direction. The change could be felt in the emergence of an array of new bands and solo artists – ZIN, ZENGLEN (the Gary Didier Perez version), PHANTOMS, PAPASH, TRIOMEX, ZEKLE, DIGITAL EXPRESS, SWEET MICKY, FASAD, SKANDAL, TANTAN, ETC… –to which the name new generation Konpa was going to be credited. Then, the generational demarcation line was drawn on the sand. The market was then divided between the OLD SCHOOL KONPA and the NEW GENERATION KONPA.

KONPA has traveled a long way and been through many battles. And throughout its journey it has never stopped transforming, which is the reason why it still exists today. I am for a makeover of our music while keeping the fundamentals untouched. We should not and must not be afraid of transformation. Time is doomed to change and transformation, so must be anything and everything we do in life, including KONPA. Giving a facelift to our music does not mean that it will go away and that it will be substituted with something else. If we want KONPA to survive the first half of this century, we must not be resisting the change that is now being felt brought to us by such bands as CARIMI and T-Vice. We cannot stand before the change of time.  It is either that or else.