TALILEMA (ENGLISH VERSION)

Biography and Discography

Talike and Kilema are two friends who met at the University of Ankatso in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar.
Talike was born in Ambalatsarete, in Amboasary south while Kilema was born in Amborogony, Toliara.
Before joining their talent, each has followed very different artistic paths.

KILEMA:  His was rocked by the sound of marovany (wooden zither) at a very young age in small neighborhoods where his mother took him to be present in ancestral rites such as the tromba, the tapak'anake, etc...

Born into a musical family, from an early age he was part of “The Little Singers of Parish” at the College of the Sacred Heart of Tsianaloke in Toliara with his 5 brothers. A age 10 he gathered with the people of his neighborhood by making, scraping on small rustic guitars with 4 strings obtained from bicycle brake cables or nets.

Unlike his older brothers, the patriarch of the family did not want Kilema to dedicate his time in music because according to him there’s nothing to gain from it!

In 1987, he formed his first band with a formation of five university students crisscrossing all the cabarets of the capital.

In 1991, after a casting he earned a spot as a singer at the Madagascar Hilton Hotel where he began his real professional career with the group “Blue Cadence” traveling across Madagascar to the La Réunion island.

Kilema left Madagascar in 1993 and met “Justin Vali” in Paris. He joined the group “Justin Vali Trio” till 1997. A trio sponsored by the founder of Real World and WOMAD Festival Peter Gabriel. Festivals, tours, concerts in all four corners of the world included the 25th anniversary of Woodstock. In 1998 he left the trio to create his own solo project.

In 1999 he released his first album: “Ka Malisa” (Iris Music / Harmonia Mundi) and change his residence.

Wherever he goes, Kilema, armed with his marovany and kabosy transcends the soul and magic of Malagasy music.

In 2003 “Lavi-Tany” (Ventilador Music) is out.

Currently he resides in Andalusia (Cordoba-Encinarejo) and travels the world with a quartet comprised of his brother Nesta and 2 other talented musicians in order to discover and share their culture.

In 2008 his third album “Mena” (Snail Records / Coast to Coast) is released followed by tours in Taiwan, Japan, USA, Malaysia, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, etc...

TALILEMA is an artistic project that Kilema has into his heart because it is very simple, generous and sincere.

At the moment he is driven to “concoct” TALILEMA and “AMPY ZAY” a fourth album of his quartet.

Kilema 2011 is one of 20 artists recommended by the network of theaters, auditoriums and festivals in Spain, where he currently resides.

TALIKE GELLE:

At the age of 13, Talika Gellé, inspired by the SAIRY singers (griots Antandroy), composed her own repertoire and formed her first band in her hometown of Ifotaka.

From village to village, she traveled the south of Madagascar at the rate of zebu carts and “taxis brousses” to participate in traditional ceremonies (circumcision, funeral, wedding, ...) and thus forge a musical identity.

In 1985, she formed a band with her siblings and took part in a singing competition held in Fort Dauphin (South of Madagascar). Her group won first prize.

In 1995 while living in Belgium, she formed her first a cappella female vocal trio “NY AJAJA”.

In 1997, she reformed her polyphonic Malagasy traditional a cappella trio and gives the name of TIHAREA. This will allow her to win the first prize in an international competition: the “Kleurrijk Talent” held in Rotterdam in 1998.

She participates in numerous festivals around the world and tours and performs throughout Europe.

To date she has released three compact discs: “TIHAREA” in 1999, “RY AMPELA” in 2003 and finally “VOLAMBITA” in 2009.

Talike is a sensitive artist and committed to the powerful lyrics and melodic voice. She enlivens onomatopoeia polyphonic singing and sang for several musical projects such as:

“WOMAN CARE” with eight singers including 4 Norwegian (Simone Larsen - Lynn Treekrem - Anneli Drecker-and Unni Wilhelmsen) and four African (Chiwoniso Maraire - Tigist Bekele - Marie-Daulne Talika Gellé) accompanied by five Tanzanians musicians. CD “WOMAN CARE” released in 2005 on sale at http://www.olamale.com/

“OBLOMOW'S LADIES NIGHT” (Jazz Folk) with four female voices (Belgium, Morocco, Haiti and Madagascar), accompanied by five musicians from Belgium.

“PERLES D'AMOUR” (Jazz Folk) with four African singers (Ethiopia, Haiti, Rwanda and Madagascar), accompanied by four musicians from Belgium. http://www.oblomow.com/

“BLIND NOTE” with six musicians from different backgrounds including: Baggili Karim (Belgium-Croatia), Osvaldo Hernandez (Mexico), Malick Pathe Saw (Senegal), Vardan Hovannisian (Armenia), Gultekin Emre (Turkey) and Talika Gelle (Madagascar ).
CD "BLINDNOTE" released in 2010 
http://www.muziekpublique.be/