BIOGRAPHY

Charles-Henri Guelon is with the orders of this young traditional group of maloya which it created in his district of Rock-Thin in Saint-Louis in 1998. It should be stressed that Charles-Henri is not new not come in the traditional maloya. Originating in the district of the White Gully with Saint-Pierre, this last taught to the bases from the maloya as of the 12 years age at Rene-Paul Elleliara the leader of Kisaladi, renamed later Okilé.During two years it works its voice and improves with the percussions and then just the formation.It plays of the roulèr, sings and dances.It becomes one of the pillars impossible to circumvent of this group, takes part in the festivals of the hexagon.In 1998, it is the experiment Tempo Tiembo, the meeting of 150 percussionnists created at the time of the 150ème anniversary of the abolition of slavery, action taken by the departmental association of Insertion the Local Committee of Insertion and known as association.It acquires other experiments, becomes acquainted with the sizes of the percussion réunionnaise and the idea to found its own group germinates in its spirit.Thus is born Ras Mélé, a group of friends resulting from this famous formation.The group wants to bring its note in the musical landscape and thus in 2002, first CD is born, "Puts ansanm".For professional reasons certain members leave the group and a new framework takes form.A second album "Mangoustan", entirely dédiéà the music of the former slaves, always left the studios Oasis of the Saint-Louis River, left in December 2003.
"the force and passion go beyond any obstacle" says Charles-Henri and it is certain that Ras Mélé, for its first large spectacle in company of its musical godfather Firmin Viry on December 13 with the theatre of Saint-Gilles "put fire in the hut" and offered to the witnesses present a superb service, worthy of its elder Danyel Waro, Rwa Kaf, Granmoun Baba....
But not question for the group of reproducing a maloya conforms to that of old.Mélé short-nap cloth knew to create a style, a maloya well with them.It is delighted that its music can generate the division and the exchange enters réunionnais.The musicians who sing with several give an undeniable human heat to their creation and these choruses, with multiple resonances, mark the illusion of an inspiration gospel or plunge us in the fright of the African tribaux songs.A true treat for the followers of true and pure sounds.Arrangements also are more modern, more festifs. "the old ones fought so that this music continues to live.It is significant for us to take over.The maloya it is really a force.And if one does not fight to transmit this force, in ten years the maloya, our inheritance cultural will be drowned or non-existent among the musics with foreign consonance.In each one of us cohabit of the different cultures, our roots are multiple and the maloya is our common denominator "
Charles - Henri is a man inspired by his life, his culture and his country and which aspires to the division of its music.