The National Film and Sound Archive of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre has been undertaking a project to digitally preserve the string band and other music recordings made by Paul Gardissat in the late 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s. This project is now complete.
Since the end of 2004, the National Film and Sound Archive of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre has been undertaking a project to digitally preserve the string band and other music recordings made by Paul Gardissat in the late 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s. Paul Gardissat's recording studio was the only commercial recording studio in the country for much of the period from the mid-1970s until the mid-1980s (Radio Port Vila - which became Radio Vanuatu in 1980 - also made recordings for use in its programs but not commercially). These recordings include some of the famous string bands that were producing the most popular indigenous music at this time, including a number of classic songs and albums that defined the era in which they were produced (for example, the songs “Fridom” by Souwia, “30 Julae” by Huarere and “Yumi hapi long 1980” by Tokolau which provided the soundtrack to national independence in 1980). The preservation of these recordings was necessary because they are significant historical documents recording the popular music of this time and because the recordings only exist on normal analogue tapes and are therefore becoming very susceptible to being destroyed through deterioration. All recordings were digitized and then digitally re-mastered to “clean up” the sound before a final digital copy was made for archiving on hard drive as well as on CD. Altogether over 130 albums of music – almost all of Paul Gardissat’s contemporary music recordings – were digitally preserved.
These recordings include some of the famous string bands that were producing the most popular indigenous music at this time, including a number of classic songs and albums that defined the era in which they were produced
Now the project is completed and a launch of the albums in their new CD format took place at 5.00pm on Thursday 21st July 2005 at the Espace Cultural Française, where the Silver Jubilee exhibition (also organised by the Cultural Centre) was showing. This launch was open to all members of the public. Copies of all digitized recordings were able to be ordered on the night. In the following week - the week of the Silver Jubilee celebrations - a compilation CD of historic (classic) string band songs about Independence was released by the Cultural Centre to mark the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of Independence.
This music preservation project was made possible by funding from the Non-State Actors Programme of the European Union.
Following is the list of the 131 string band albums and other recordings that were digitized.
01/ADVENT SINGERS / TALK HAPINESS
02/AMI / BETTY
03/AMAS CRUSADERS / WHY MY LORD
04/AORE SINGERS
05/ASIO / BLUE AIR HOTESS
06/ASIO / BLUE OCEAN HERO
07/BILRAN SIMPOPOE LAU
08/BULVARA / VILA HARBOR
09/BULVARA / SWEETY ROSE
10/CATHOLIC MEDIA / CENTENAIRE
11/COCORAT / DARLING CHITY
12/COOL SHADOW / VANUATU TUSKER
13/DARAMBO / RED CROSS
14/DARAMBO / SORI LONG HEM
15/DARAMBO / SUFFERING AFRICA
16/DOGOAU / LELEPA
17/DONGOLEOWIA / RIMEMBA UMA
18/EASTERN COUNTRY BOYS / DARLING THREE HALLO
19/EASTERN BOYS TANNA / GOLDEN RULES
20/ELAU SAKE / BLADE STAMPA LAEF
21/ERRO / JAKSEN ROAD
22/ERRO / GOLDIE RIVER
23/ERRO / KAORI TREE
24/ETON MAWEN / AELAN BLONG EFATE
25/EXODUS / EXODUS IN VANUATU
26/FATUANA / IN NOUMEA
27/FATUANA / EXPO 1988
28/FATUANA / NINA RITA
29/FATUANA / MI LAEFEM YU
30/FATUANA / FATUANA IN AUSTRALIA
31/FATUANA / FATUANA BON WEEK END
32/FATUANA / DELMA
33/FETAKIA / ANNE JOSEPHINE
34/FULTON COLLEGE / WE LOVE YOU LORD
35/GALA / MY HOME PENTECOST
36/GABY / VILA REGGAE
37/GENERIC RADIO SOUNDTRACK
38/HUARERE / VANUATU TEDEI
39/HUARERE / VANUATU TUMORO
40/HUARERE / SMILE
41/HUARERE / KAM LONG VANUATU
42/HUARERE / KRISMAS 1990
43/KAQUAI / AMBAE AELAN
44/KASSA / LOVE ZITA
45/KRAISUN / NAMBA 4 HOLE BLONG YASUR
46/KONA / MATTHEW MO HUNTER
47/LAUTANO / BLACK FRIDOM
48/LONMEHA / MY LOVELY ISLAND
49/LONHARO / MERI KRISMAS
50/LONWOLWOL / GRAIG COVE HARBOUR
51/MAKUARA TOKOLAU / WAN TAEM MOA BAKEKEN
52/MAKURA TOKOLAU / ORIANA SEA FAIR PRINCESS FAIRSTAR
53/MAKURA TOKOLAU / RAON LONG TOYOTA
54/MAKURA TOKOLAU / NO MANI
55/MAKURA TOKOLAU / TAEM BIFO, TAEM NAO
56/MAP / MELODIE DES ILES
57/MARIDONGO / CYCLONE NIGEL
58/MARUM / BYE BYE CENITA
59/MARUM VOLKANIC AELAN
60/MISC / TALE / KUSTOM STORI
61/NAHABAU
62/NAWESMA / VISIT LONG VILA
63/NAGAWIKA / VILLAGE BOYS
64/NAWORA MATUA / TAGABE STATION
65/NAWORA MATUA / NGUNA AELAN
66/ NEKOWIAR BY JEAN GUIART
67/NEW JERUSALEM CITIZEN / JESUS IS ALIVE
68/NOISY BOYS / 1986 TANNA
69/NOISY BOYS / FES TUA
70/NOISY BOYS / AMAZING VANUATU
71/PAKARUA SINGERS / SPRING OF LURY WATERS
72/PMC CHOIR
73/PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 44TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
74/RICHARD ET LE TRIO DE KEAMU / FRANCINE
75/ROCKY BEACH / BENBOW MARUM
76/RUBEA PAGO PAGO / HELLO TAXI
77/RUBEA PAGO PAGO / DARLING LEI ANGINAU
78/RUSSET BOYS / KUD EDUKESEN EMAE
79/SALVATION ECHOES / I'VE GOT GOOD NEWS
80/SAMOA POINT
81/SARA POKASI / ALEA TIWIA
82/SARA POKASI / TALOVA
83/SIA / FACE BLONG VANUATU
84/SIWOMAU / N1 OF MAY 1845
85/SIWOMAU / YU KAM DANIS
86/SONI / KUSTOM AMBRYM
87/SOUTHERN CROSS / VANUATU BAMBOO BAND
88/SOUWIA / FRIDOM
89/SOUWIA / OLSEM BIFO
90/STONEY BOYS / BLOODY MARY
91/STONEY BOYS / GREEN GREEN AELAN
92/STONEY BOYS / SWEETNESS BLONG TAON
93/ STRING BAND COMPETITION 1
94/ STRING BAND COMPETITION 2
95/SUNLIGHT SOLOMON / VANUATU
96/TAFELAPA / PANITA TONGOA
97TAKAFELAPA / GUDBYE BRISHILA
98/TAMBA TAMBA / AURORA I VISIT PORT-VILA
99/TEMP 1
100/TEMP 2
101/THE NEGATIVES / ANNA
102/THE PLEADERS / JESUS IS THE ANSWER
103/TOATAU / GOODBYE JOHNNY WALKER
104/TOATAU / PEACE MOA UNITY
105/TOKAWI / TROPICAL MARKET
106/TOKOTAKIA / ART FESTIVAL
107/TOKOTAKIA / TURIST LONG VILA
108/TOKOTAKIA / SUKATEN
109/TOKOTAKIA / MAKET LONG TAON
110/TONGOA SHEPPERD / IN SHININE AMOR
111/TRIO DE KEAMU / LE RETOUR
112/TRIO DE KEAMU / KEAMU MON ILE
113/TROPIC TEMPO / YOU COME
114/TUKI MERE / O IMERE MARIE
115/VANUATU INDEPENDANCE 30 JULA 1980
116/VANUATU MOBILE FORCE / BRASS BAND
117/VANUATU RENEWAL BAND
118/VATDORO / LAND DIVER
119/VATDORO / LOVING SONGS
120/VATDORO / VANUATU
121/VETLIS / DJIBAOU
122/VILA DORCAN CHOIR / BEAUTIFUL JESUS
123/WESTERN BOYS AGAIN / AGAIN
124/WESTERN BOYS / CHINA TOWN
125/WESTERN BOYS / COOKI BAR
126/WESTERN BOYS / LOVELY HOME
127/WESTERN BOYS / WINNER 1987
128/YOUNG BEACH BOYS / HAPPI KRISMAS
129/YOUNG BEACH BOYS / LUMBUTUKI TONGA
130/YUMI SING 1 / MISSI MAKA NUMBER ONE
131/YUMI SING 2 / MISSI MAKA NUMBER TWO