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Tet Kale Records was established in 1999 by
musician/producer Jephte
Guillaume as an outlet for releasing the brand of
Afro-Haitian rhythms and
jazz-influenced dance music for which he has already received
global acclaim.
Tet Kale's releases continue in the tradition of Jephte's own
much-loved and
sought-after recordings and productions for labels such as
Kaleidiascope, Project
X, Spiritual Life Music, Wave, Epic, Sony/550, LaFace, Life Line
Japan, Flower
and JVC Japan and Isma's (France), merging house beats, Haitian
Vodou rhythms,
jazzy improvisation, conscious lyrics and the spiritual revelry
of Brazilian
samba.
It is less often than once-in-a-million, but on extreme rare
occasions, someone
comes forward who is able to bring to the public the deepest and
most personal
aspects of their experience...and universalize it. For the
audience that soaks
up the gifts of such an expression, the world is a larger and
richer place,
reflected through a different mirror.
This phenomenon describes the beautiful work of
Producer/Artist/Composer/Multi-Instrumentalist/Remixer/DJ:
Jephte Guillaume,
and the releases on his label: Tet Kale Records.
Since his musical beginnings in Haiti, Jephte
Guillaume has been a producer-in-the-making. His growing
years in Haiti
germinated in the midst of devotional drums, song and dance
through the Vodou
tradition, and were contrasted by his family's profound
connection to Gospel
Music, through the church. With Jephte's understanding of his
own musical roots,
and his intense involvement - performing as a bassist on the
US/World stages
- in Gospel, R&B, Soul, Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, AfroBeat, Funk
and Dance music,
an alchemy was brewing in him to create a new groove concept
that now stands
on its own as the Tet Kale sound.
Tet Kale Records all came out of Jephte's love affair with
Dance music. On
his label, he represents himself as Artist, as well as the likes
of Wesley,
Yurai, and Jean-Claude Lamarre...some of his artists are
new-on-the-scene, and
others well-established. What he brings to every release on his
label are relentless
grooves, percussion arrangements that are unique beyond
description and rich
orchestrations with exquisite texture and sensuality. With the
instrumentalists
and vocalists all at the top of their game, every new single
comes out alive
with soulfulness. No matter what the release, you can dive in as
listener...and
find yourself wishing that the song would never end!
So why did he go to the trouble to start his own label? As
Guillaume puts it:
"I write music to move and to touch people...so I wanted to be
able to
decide when to get it out!" In other words, after he started to
make his
mark, and make the impact that he did on the Dance scene, there
was no category
to describe his sound, so, the best solution was to invent a
place for himself.
With many well-loved releases on Spiritual Life Records, ("The
Prayer (Priye- a)", "Ibo Le Le" and "La Kou A"),
as well as countless compilations around the world, Jephte is an
internationally
revered name in the Deep House Music World, and is renowned as
the creator of
Vodou House!!! His music is always in demand...and his vast
audience is seeking
out the Tet Kale releases in their growing stylistic dimensions.
What makes Tet Kale Records so special is the integrity and
intelligence with
which its artists are presented. The artfully situated Haitian
musical elements,
as a constant motif running through the Tet Kale releases,
remind us that it
is indeed Universal Culture that is the healing force in
humanity! In these
times we need all the joyous reminders of our humanity that we
can get! The
hard-core talent of Jephte
Guillaume is bringing forward his deep reality through Tet
Kale records...and
that reality is this: Great music is Here To Stay!
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