On Thursday November 20, at the Le Grand Bleu restaurant in Le Diamant, Hibiscus Records celebrated its comeback with New Bloom, a cocktail party attended by artists, partners, media and close friends of the label. An evening designed as a moment of gratitude and transmission, featuring a showcase by Dédé Saint-Prix and Demwazel Dys.
A pioneering label for Martinican music
Founded in 1983 by Jean-Michel Mauriello and his wife Marilène, Hibiscus Records was born of a strong desire to offer West Indian artists a creative space, to affirm independent production and to promote Martinique’s musical heritage at a time when it was largely ignored by the major French record companies. In the small Clairière studio in Fort-de-France, generations of musicians recorded their first projects.
Over 350 albums were produced, including works by Dédé Saint-Prix, Éric Virgal, Kali, Max Ransay, Eugène Mona, Jean-Luc Guanel, Manuel Césaire, Thierry Lof, Tony Chasseur, Marcé, and members of Kwak, Taxi Kréol, Tabou Combo and Magnum Band.
Jean-Michel Mauriello was known for his attentiveness and passion. Every project was treated as a challenge, as a cultural mission. This is also what enabled the label to become a truly Martinican music label, recognized throughout the island.
Putting to rest before the renaissance
In 2016, changes in the market, the disappearance of record stores, the collapse of physical sales and the dominance of digital technology weakened the independent music ecosystem. Hibiscus Records went dormant. But its influence has not disappeared. The catalog lives on in the collective memory and repertoire of the artists who shaped it, an ensemble that fully belongs to the Caribbean musical heritage.
2025: revive, protect and pass on
Forty years after its creation, Marilène Mauriello, supported by her daughter Jessica Mauriello and accompanied by KRIBBEAN, a Martinican cultural start-up committed to promoting the Caribbean musical heritage, decided to relaunch the label.
It’s no longer a question of recreating a studio or becoming a producer in the traditional sense. As Mike Ponin, founder of KRIBBEAN, reminds us: “Our mission is to safeguard this heritage and pass it on to the next generation.
The watchword then becomes Kontinié alé, meaning keep moving forward.
Jean-Christian Duquet, founder of Inveo Consulting, recounts his discovery of the Hibiscus Records story from Canada, and underlines the “special emotion” he feels at being part of the rebirth of a label which, in his words, “evokes creativity, passion and musical audacity”. He also reiterates his wish to see the label become “an incubator of talent and a catalyst for Martinique’s cultural influence, capable of shining on all international stages”.
New Bloom: an evening of encounters and emotions
From the start of the evening, guests gather around a warm cocktail reception. The atmosphere is simple and genuine: discussions around the buffet, reunions between artists, exchanges between institutions, memories evoked, projects imagined.
The stage set up by the pool becomes the heart of the gathering. This is where the voices embodying the label’s mission are expressed.
A moving tribute to Jean-Michel Mauriello
One of the highlights was the tribute read by Jessica Mauriello.
Through tender, poetic text, they recall the man he was: Martiniquais at heart, a lover of Creole, passionate about music, a domino player, a fine cheat at Rummy, a lover of spicy dishes and impromptu parties.
They also tell of the visionary producer who listened to every artist late into the night.
The one who loved their mother “without cry, without promise, but deeply”.
The tribute ends with the Creole expression:
“À la kwakan’s papa!”
The applause that followed testified to the respect and affection many had for him.
Music takes center stage: Dédé Saint-Prix and Demwazel Dys
The evening continues with Demwazel Dys, the next generation. She says she’s honored to be here to celebrate the label’s revival. She invites the audience to come closer, creating an intimate and generous atmosphere.
One of his pieces pays tribute to Eugène Mona which she describes as a contemporary reinterpretation, a bridge between her own age and that of a vanished master. She emphasizes that this title would never have existed without the benevolence of Marilène Mauriello to further applause.
Then comes Dédé Saint-Prix, a major figure on the label, opens the stage with his usual energy. His presence is a reminder of what Hibiscus Records has meant for Martinican music: a space for creative freedom.
A call to build together
The evening highlights a simple idea: recovery can only be achieved through collective involvement. Artists, institutions, companies, enthusiasts – everyone contributes something.
Participating in this new page means contributing to the preservation and digitization of the catalog, supporting its distribution in the Caribbean and beyond, and encouraging the new generation inspired by the pioneers.
A new page for Hibiscus Records
New Bloom wasn’t just an event. It was a way of announcing that the story goes on.
With a committed team, a present community and a solid heritage, Hibiscus Records enters a new phase: preserving, transmitting and inspiring.
A new lease of life for a label that has shaped Martinique’s music and is poised to shine for a long time to come.
FAQ
New Bloom is an evening organized by Hibiscus Records to celebrate the rebirth of the Martinique-based music label and highlight its role in the Caribbean musical heritage.
The label returns to preserve, transmit and enhance its historic catalog, with the support of KRIBBEAN and the Mauriello family, in an intergenerational approach.
The evening brought together Demwazel Dys, Dédé Saint-Prix and Dominique Lorté, artists who illustrate the link between the pioneers and the new generation of Martinican music.
