Nous avons rencontré pour
vous " Fanfan Tibot " du Tabou Combo. Fanfan
qui vient de féter ses trente ans avec le groupe se
livre aux lecteurs de Compas Central sans artifices,
avec sa sympathie naturelle et sa gentillesse de toujours.
" Enjoy "
CC.- What is Your Name ?
YJ.-My
name is Yves Joseph although better Known As Fanfan
ti Bot.
CC.- What is Your Latest release ?
YJ.-Our
latest releases are 360 degrees and " Thirty
years to the zenith".
CC.- To someone who never heard of you how would you describe
yourself and your music ?
YJ.-To
describe myself will take a whole book. I have done
so many things in my life and my career as a musician.
To " Resume " myself : I can say that I
am a thinker, a philosopher, a good father, a good
man, a song writer and a very successful Compas Musician.
My music is Compas, it is also the most popular form
of music from Haiti my country. It is a hybrid made
of Cuban meringue and African Rhythms. However, there
are today three forms of Compas, Traditional, Funk
and Nouvel Jenerasyon or Compas Zouk. Tabou Combo
and I Invented The Compas Funk in the early 70's.
CC.- How would you evaluate the response of the public
toward your music ?
YJ.-The
public has been very receptive to our music since
everyone can relate to it. It addresses many day to
day issues. My music is here to stay , I am still
performing songs we wrote in the late sixties, they
are classics.
CC.- Do you have any regrets as a musician ? Was music
your first love ?
YJ.-I
do not have any regrets , although I have two degrees,
one in international relations and the other in education,
I am still a professional musician. I was scheduled
to take the L.S.A.T test to be a lawyer, that day
I went to Canada for a gig. I am a better Lawyer on
stage. I got into music by contagion, I wanted to
be a soccer player, I was very good at it.
CC.- You just released an album , What is Your favorite
song and why ?
YJ.-My
favorite song in the live album is " Aux Antilles",
because not only I wrote it, but it also brings back
a lot of good memories.
CC.- What other style of music influenced you most ?
YJ.-Meringue,
Bossa Nova, Jazz and African Makossa.
CC.- Sweet Micky,T-Vice, System Band seem to dominate the
Compas scene? How
do you view them as entertainers ?
YJ.-I
do not agree with this statement , in the music industry
every artist has his day under the sun. There is no
such a thing as total domination. It is not my duty
to judge others , I can only produce what I think
fits my style and my "Weltanschauung" (
this is a German word for conception of things or
Life ). As far as my view of other entertainers ,
this is the role of the public who pay their money,
not mine. I have my style of music that I listen to
when I am in my car or at home.
CC.- How do you describe your relations with other groups
? Do you work with other groups, exchanging ideas
and experiences ?
YJ.-I
do not have any problems with any other groups, as
far as Tabou is concerned we are the Leaders in Compas
Music. Many groups may have a problem with that but
it is the truth. When I see other musicians I always
share my experiences, some listen other don't. I do
my job nonetheless.
CC.- Who is your favorite Compas Artist ?
YJ.-Besides
the Guys from Tabou Combo , Ti Manno & DP Express.
CC.- What is your favorite TV Show ?
YJ.-I
do not watch Haitian shows, since where I live I do
not have reception. I watch MTV and VH1, sometimes
BET.
CC.- What is Your favorite Dish ?
YJ.-Victoria
Fillet ( medium ) with mushroom sauce and broccoli.
CC.- Who do you think is the greatest sport figure of the
past century ?
YJ.-Mohamed
Ali .
CC.- Who do you think is the greatest musician or group
of this decade ?
YJ.-Haitian
musician or group: Boukman Eksperyans and Eddy Francois.
Worldwide: Boy's to Men and Celine Dion.
CC.- Live CD's are everywhere now. Any opinion on the practice
?
YJ.-These
Live CD's Stink. Since we are in a very poor market
they are accepted, but the recordings are awful and
the producers are taking advantage of the miseducation
of the public. It takes a lot of money and professionalism
to produce a live album. Listen to the latest Tabou
at the Zenith.
CC.- What do you think is your greatest achievement ?
YJ.-Two
sold out shows at the Zenith in Paris November 6th
and 7th 1998.
CC.- What is Your greatest disappointment ?
YJ.-Not
being able to repeat New York City. We sold 500,000
singles and 100,000 albums of that record, singing
in Creole. I am looking for another worldwide hit
in Creole.
CC.- Where do you see yourself in 10 years ?
YJ.-Retired
in my Ranch with a lot of money invested in the market,
collecting royalties, playing golf or tennis with
my son and my friends. I will probably manage a group
if I am bored.
CC.- If you were President for one day what would you do
?
YJ.-If
I was president of Haiti for one day, I would make
sure that every child eats and goes to school, make
sure that everyone making money pays taxes and reinstate
a judicial system where no one is above the law, even
the president.
CC.- How would you describe the Compas flavor unique to
" Tabou Combo " ?
YJ.-Our
style of Compas is made for the international public
whom as opposed to the Haitian public doesn't dance
but listen in concerts. We have a big dilemma with
the local public , they claim that we play an uptempo
style ; in fact when we play for the Haitian public
we reduce the tempo to accommodate the dancers. We
avoid playing certain songs that are too fast. We
accommodate both anyway which is fascinating.
CC.- The Internet is now considered the fastest Way to
reach a bigger audience , How do you intend to take
advantage of this media ? Have you gotten any contract
as a result of your Internet presence ?
YJ.-We
have an extensive Website which allow us to be seen
all over the world. We have gotten several contracts
through the Internet. National and International.
CC.- Do you have kids ?
YJ.-Yes,
I do.
CC.- Is there anything you would like to say to the public
?
YJ.-Keep
up the support that you have provided so far to our
music. Our culture is what keeps us together as a
people and as a nation. We will continue to spread
our culture no matter where we go.
CC.- Who are the permanent members of the group ?
YJ.-Shoubou
, Kapi ,Herman , Jean Claude Jean , Ralph Conde ,
Ronald Felix , Raynald Valme and Daniel Pierre.
CC.- What can we expect from you and the group in the near
future ?
YJ.-We
will release a super CD for the Millennium, it is
overdue. We will probably have some guest artists.
Since we have a big concert coming up in may at Bercy
in France . The capacity of Bercy is 17,000 people
and we will fill it up.
CC.- A message to the children ?
YJ.-Stay
in school, That's your unique chance. Thank You. |
