Haitian Beatz

I'm not sure that I've ever been really sad to see a store go out of business; until today, when a friend of mine called me to inform me the closing of Antilles Mizik Ltd.

News of Antilles Mizik closing its doors will likely be met with cheers of indifference by the HMI competitors and with sadness by new generation compas fans and old generation as well. Surely it says something about the state of the Haitian music industry that this once powerful chain—which, by the way, only had 2 stores, one in Haiti and one on Linden Blvd in Cambria Heights New York, could not stay afloat due to financial hardship.

Antilles Mizik, established for over two decades, by Phillipe Lavelanet was the kind of store that bands usually stopped by while touring in New York.  Almost all of our past and present bands have at least once released an album under the Antilles Mizik Label: Tropicana, Tabou Combo, Magnum Band, Tvice, Mizik Mizik, Djakout Mizik, Dega, Phantoms, Top Vice, Sweet Micky, the famous Konpa Gold compilation and many more.

With cd sales taking a plunge during the past 3 years, it might be the beginning of the end for record labels in the industry.  The once big giant labels of the HMI have all wither in the vine. Geronimo Records for the last 5 years have shifted from producing Haitian music to Haitian movies, the death of Marc Duverger of Marc Records, could not create a replacement, Nouvel Jenerasyon of Joubert Charles have shut its door in New York and relocated in Haiti to focus more in promoting events.  Almost all our bands have their own personal basement studios, or have a friend who has one; therefore the need for a label to give them advance seed money to start a project, is not necessary anymore.  Most of our bands now produce their own CDs.

According to sources close to Philippe Lavlanette, he tried his best to keep open what he describes as his “ treasured investment”, but the troubling financial times that we all face today, could not let him control his own destiny of preserving Antilles Mizik.

 
As Antilles Mizik is no more, a part of us can’t help but feel it’s the end of an era.  As we all, either at home or in your cars, jam to the spirit of the holiday seasons to one of the CDs once released under the “Antilles Mizik” label, many will see it as a “funeral” to the death of what once used to be the “Mecca” of our music industry.

 

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