Description
Gurejele is a kaneka group originating from the Mebuet tribe on the island of Maré, also known as Nengone, in New Caledonia. Active mainly during the 1990s and early 2000s, the group developed a repertoire based on the dance rhythms of kaneka, melodies and vocal harmonies.
The band is led by Dick Buama, who writes most of the lyrics and compositions. Around him, the core of the group includes Hnatr Buama on vocals and backing vocals, Georges Buama on bass, Jacky on keyboards, and Lucien Wakaine on guitar. Mangrove Productions also mentions Vaé as an important figure in the band's musical development, without specifying his role in detail to assign him a precise instrumental part.
Gurejele released his first album, Wabeb Bulu, in 1993 on Mangrove Productions. The credits compiled in L'intégrale attribute the majority of his songs to Dick Buama. Lucien Wakaine and Philippe Guaenere are also credited as authors or composers of some tracks.
The group continued its journey with Waero in 1995. The album includes the tracks Wa Wengu, Waero, Tacetilo, Ededo, Meririna, Waipeipegu, and Ryol. Most were written or composed by Dick Buama, while Ryol is attributed to Philippe Guaenere.
In 1997, Gurejele participated in the Pacific Tempo festival in Nouméa. The following year, the group performed at the opening of the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, in a program that also included the Australian Aboriginal group Yothu Yindi. Mangrove reports that Gurejele then toured the Pacific, with appearances at the Napuan Festival in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and the Musiques d'Ailleurs Festival in Tahiti.
In 2000, Gurejele recorded his third album, Hnoro Mane. The album includes the tracks Gorok, Nia Kei Cele, Dongo Dongo, Ule Tedrene, Hnoro Mane, Hage Mane, La Hnaeroc, Femme kanak, Watolea, Wacoco, and Marie Hélène. Most of these songs are attributed to Dick Buama.
The song Watolea became one of the group's best-known tracks. It remains in their digital catalog alongside Wacoco, Waipeipegu, Wabeb Bulu, and C'est qui qui paye.
In 2001, Gurejele released the compilation album Co Mece Ko to mark approximately ten years of their career. It included the previously unreleased track "C'est qui qui paye," written and composed by Dick Buama. The group celebrated this period with a concert in Mebuet, before disbanding shortly afterward, according to the biography published by Mangrove Productions.
A compilation entitled L'intégrale then brings together 31 tracks from the albums Wabeb Bulu, Waero and Hnoro Mane, as well as the best of 2001. It allows us to rediscover the essential repertoire recorded by Gurejele during this first period.
After the group's breakup, Dick and Hnatr Buama continued their musical activities under their own names and as the duo Dick & Hnatr. Their careers remain directly linked to the repertoire and history of Gurejele.
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