Interview with Jean-Philippe Guillaume

              Haitian Diaspora Oral History Collection
Interview with Jean-Philippe Guillaume
Miami, Florida, May 19, 2012
Interview ASM0085000019
Interviewed by Kevin Mason
Recorded by Kevin Mason and Xavier Mercado
Outline by Xavier Mercado
Length: 39:30 minutes
Interview with Jean-Philippe Guillaume, the creator and engineer of Mizikpam.com, a Haitian music aggregator similar to Pandora, Last.Fm, and Spotify. Guillaume moved to South Florida from Port-au-Prince. His grandfather was a saxophonist and his great uncle was the bandleader Raoul Guillaume. In the interview, Guillaume talks about the progression of Haitian music, the widespread style of genres on the website, and his general knowledge about the “ancestry” and story elements of Haiti’s popular music. He also traces the history of Mizikpam.com, the listenership, and the presence of Haitian music in South Florida.
This interview forms part of the Haitian Diaspora Oral History Collection of the University of Miami Libraries Special Collections.
This oral history expresses the views, memories and opinions of the interviewee. It does not represent the viewpoints of the University of Miami, its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The University of Miami makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interview and expressly disclaims any liability therefor.
Copyright to this interview lies with the University of Miami. It may not be reproduced, retransmitted, published, distributed, or broadcast without the permission of the University of Miami Libraries Special Collections. For information about obtaining copies or to request permission to publish any part of this interview, please contact Special Collections at asc@miami.edu.
Jean-Philippe Guillaume 2
May 19, 2012
INTERVIEW OUTLINE
- 00:00:12: JP Guillaume, creator of Mizikpam.com I know you through your work with Mizikpam.com, you also provide DJs for monthly Haitian events, you’ve participated with the Lakou Miami radio program as well, and you come from a legacy of music as well. So it’s a pleasure to be chatting with you.
- 00:00:49: Can you tell us a little bit about your upbringing?
- 00:01:40: And you cover that on the website. You go back to the 1950s for big bands with Raoul Guillaume, Issa El-Saieh, even the modern stuff, like T-Vice, and the racine of Sanba Zao, for instance.
- 00:03:09: You live here in South Florida and you are very involved in the Haitian music scene. Can you describe who is here and who is performing and the environment?
- 00:04:36: Can you describe an example of an underground show and perhaps one of the more popular konpa shows?
- 00:05:59: The Haitian community is big here in Miami, which has traditionally been in the hip-hop scene, with many contributions in Miami bass music. At Zakafest when they asked the young [Haitian] performers to come up, they were hip-hop artists. Is that the direction Haitian music is going in?
- 00:07:18: Because there are endorsements going in that scene, like Prestige [Beer] would sponsor Big Night [in Little Haiti], who is endorsing these young artists?
- 00:08:10: For an easy comparison, on market terms you can compare [Mizikpam] to Pandora, Last.fm or Spotify, or something like that?
- 00:11:02: And a big part of the project is doing the computer engineering [for Mizikpam]. Have you always been interested in computers?
- 00:12:02: Because it’s something you’re interested in, has there been any original content that Mizikpam has generated, as far as podcasts or interviews or anything like that?
- 00:13:26: Here in South Florida, say someone goes to see Les Shleu Shleu, then they go to their channel [on Mizikpam]. Who else could they hear on that channel?
- 00:14:14: How would a Shleu Shleu station be different than, say, Dificiles de Petionville?
- 00:14:54: And you’re kind of looking at it kind of like the lineage of the band members, in a way…
- 00:16:05: Many Haitian music fans identify with a particular band. Who’s your band? Jean-Philippe Guillaume 3
May 19, 2012
- 00:17:39: Have you thought about getting in touch with the people [listening] in Turkey or marketing out there?
- 00:18:27: What other activities have you as an organization, you’ve worked with a couple of other folks on the project in general, what other things do you do in the Miami community and South Florida?
- 00:19:47: One thing Monvelyno Alexis said recently in one of his songs is kod-ak-po. What do you think that means, what role with the drum and the strings tied together? Is that a metaphor for something bigger?
- 00:20:43: We were chatting a bit about the business side of Mizikpam, the strategies there, but you got into by interest?
- 00:24:17: And personally, what kind of Haitian records have made a big impact on your life?
- 00:25:12: What do you think have been some of the negative media images out there that have had some effects on Haitians?
- 00:26:43: So music is a way to reach a new audience, a non-Haitian audience, and dispel stereotypes?
- 00:27:58: January 1st is your Independence Day, but recently we celebrated Haitian Flag Day. That’s also a very big event, people really celebrate this one. Why do you think this event is so big?
- 00:29:09: How do folks usually celebrate it [Haitian Flag Day]?
- 00:29:56: You’re a younger guy. I’ve seen some events like those at Casa Champet that have an older crowd. Where do young folks go to hear some music?
- 00:31:39: And you’ve had pretty close interactions with these bands. Who are some of the ones that you’ve heard of just by being here in South Florida?
- 00:32:37: You also have a Facebook page and you do a lot of interaction through modern social media?
- 00:35:13: In general, of all styles of Haitian music, where do you see it going? More commercial, soon, maybe in the next five year?
- 00:37:26: Is this style more of a world beat? Is that where it’s going, do you think?
- 00:38:27: It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, about your work about keeping Haitian music and reaching new markets. If you have any parting words that would be great.
- 00:39:52: END OF INTERVIEW