qualibet on one of the best singers freestyle

Sobre Quadlibet

Quadlibet (Pronounced: /Quad-la-bay/) Meaning: 4 Finely turned instruments of sound. Quadlibet, first formed in the Bronx in 1985, was the brain child of Roger and Darryl Alexander. Roger and Darryl had a love for Dance Music that was irreplaceable; music from artists such as Shannon, Lisa Fischer (Only Love), Lisa Lisa, Jenny Burton, C-Bank and Loleatta Holloway to name a few. These were Freestyle’s 1st generation artists. As 1985 went on, Quadlibet hooked up with producer Ancil Cox to cut the very first version of "Take Me I’m Yours". The band members at that time were David, Giselle, Darryl, and Roger. Giselle sang lead with Roger, Darryl and David providing background vocals. It was just a demo, but none-the-less, it was the beginning of things to come, or so they thought. The group began to lose touch and was disbanded in early 1986, due to the responsibilities of school and work. Roger: I loved the time spent with Giselle, David, and Darryl, it was so relaxing and pressure free. Giselle had a beautiful voice and was also the cousin of Sweet Sensation star and lead singer Betty. So we could see a lot of things happening for the group with Giselle’s star power connections. It just all ended so suddenly. Roger set out on his own and cut several demos with long time friend of Beat Street fame, Lorenzo Kuriaki Soto; along with assistance from then Hanson & Davis vocalist; Eddie Davis "Hungry for Your Love". During this time period, Roger was also writing for several artists on the Southway label, Definite Destruction, and Caz out of Brooklyn, while working with his then manager, Eduardo Leon. Roger: Working with Eddie was unbelievable. Eddie Davis was one of the most respected people in the music business. While writing for Definite Destruction, Roger had the thrill of a life time. Todd Terry was hired to produce the track for the next single by the all girl group out of Brooklyn, titled "Take Me baby" written by Roger Alexander. The song was never released due to conflict within the group and its demise and eventual path to break up. Roger also wrote a production for Charlie Baby of Baby and Keys which was also short lived. So, Roger was back at it again, this time with childhood friends; Ricardo Diaz and Lorenzo Kuriaki Soto. Back in 1985, this trio got together to work on several songs, but once again everyone had other responsibilities and left to pursue them. Always keeping the faith, they felt in their hearts that this time was different. In1988,Freestyle hit New York City by storm! Every car and every club in the city was playing Cynthia, Cover Girls, TKA, Sweet Sensation, Safire and Judy Torres to name a few. Freestyle was around in the early to mid 80’s but there was something about 1988. The group felt that this was the right time. This was the right moment to make a comeback, they hooked up with Owen Soba; producer to Tonasia and Soave and cut a single that both Roger and Kuriaki worked on the previous year titled, "Feeling That You’re Leaving". Awesome product from Soba Productions but there were issues shopping it in the record industry and yet again the group was forced to abandon the project. Roger continued writing and went back to where it all began; Quadlibet’s original producer, Ancil Cox. The group decided that giving up was not an option and that they needed to find an identity –something to catch the eye and ears of the industry. In March of 1988, while working at Soul Fingas studios in the Bronx, Ancil asked Roger to consider rewriting "Take Me I’m Yours" but tailor it to the music heard on the streets and in the clubs. So Roger set off on this task and by that following week the song was completed and that very same day the production was also completed. At the same time, Ricky (Ricardo Diaz) was working on getting the group big time management support from Sparkle Productions; owned and operated by the late Mr. George Vascones. Roger: Wow! Mr. V, nothing more to say there, George was great! One of the most down to earth people you’ll ever meet and was accompanied by a great staff”. At that time, Sparkle Productions was the creme-de-la-creme management company, featuring artists Judy Torres, Cynthia, Johnny O, Body & Style, Soave and many others. Ricky, whom was always the voice of Quadlibet on the business end— seemed to have struck gold. For the first time the guys had a hot single and great backing from a company with a reputation. Roger: It was unbelievable; I remember the three of us sitting in Mr. V’s car and this was his first time hearing the revised version of "Take Me I’m Yours". He just turned to us and said, "you guys got something here". That day we signed with Sparkle and everything just seemed to go right. The group had a successful time with Sparkle Productions performing in such venues as the Palladium nightclub, Studio 54, La Mirage, Roseland, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida. But with all the success on the live performance circuit—the group still did not have a record deal. Roger: Not having a record deal wasn’t the end of the world because we liked to perform; however, the issue was that all the shows were gratis. I still felt that one day we would land that elusive record deal. The other issue with not having a record deal was the financial side. With the group not having a record deal in place meant management and staff was not getting paid. This was a burden and the group watched as their workload started to dissipate. Once again Ricky was called into action to follow up on several leads. He got a tip from one of his music insiders and was pushed into the direction of Buddah Records executive Art Kass. Buddah/Sutra Records was huge back in the 70’s when Disco ruled. They released hit after hit on the Buddah and Sutra labels but their claim to fame was Gladys Knight & The Pips and the Fat Boys. Roger: We met with Mr. Kass and his son, very nice people. They didn’t promise us the world but they really liked the song and wanted to put it out on Sutra Records. The group signed with Buddah/Sutra Records in October of 1989; and in 1990 just 6 months after signing, the record company went bankrupt and with that their association with Sparkle Productions was done. With no performances scheduled. everyone went their separate ways. Of all the group members, Ricky was the only one to enjoy success hooking up with Rare Arts under the stage name, Ricky Ricardo and releasing his Latin house hit "Boricua Posse". Tragedy struck on December 9, 1991, when Lorenzo (Kuriaki) Soto was gunned down outside of his home. Roger: The pain I felt that night, I will never forget. I knew Kuriaki all my life., We went to the same elementary school and lived in the same neighborhood. That same year, we played football for the same team. He was with me on my birthday at the Red Parrot two nights before he died. Kuri would always talk about reuniting the group for one more go round, it was something he always wanted to do. After losing one of their beloved group members; the others just drifted apart, however the writing never stopped and in the fall of 1993, almost 2 years after the death of Kuriaki, Roger was approached by Moses Lopez and Louis Garoe to write songs for their group "Back II Basics". Both Moe and Lou were referred to Roger by long time producer Ancil Cox. During several rehearsals, Moses asked Roger to join "Back II Basics" due to his connections and knowledge of the business. There was just one more move to make, management. So Roger set out and got with his good friend and very first manager Eduardo Leon. The group needed direction and Eddie was that missing piece. The group believed that he was good at what he did and he was also someone that listened and was a pleasure to work with. Moses: Big Quadlibet fan. I remember hearing about this group from friends who went to see some of their shows. I heard "Take Me I’m Yours" and I thought it was great. Roger has talent with both singing and song writing and I just wanted him to be a part of what we were trying to accomplish. Another addition to the group came when Bruce Ortiz was hired to provide assistance with the choreography for the group’s upcoming show. The members liked his energy and asked if he like to join the group. The decision was not an easy one for Mr. Ortiz as he was part of freestyle diva Nyasia’s dance team. In the end, he chose to be a part of "Back II Basics". Moses:I knew it would be a tough decision for Bruce because he was already locked in with the dance team. And joining a group just starting out was not an easy decision. Bruce: Becoming a part of "Back II Basics" was not a hard choice for me. I wanted to be part of a group and I felt in my heart that I had accomplished the dancing side of my career and wanted an opportunity to invest my time in singing. Plus the opportunity to work with Quadlibet was very exciting. We were all part of Sparkle Productions so I already considered them family. After cutting "Bring Your Love to Me" under "B2B" The group later changed their name to "Quadlibet" though this was something Roger was totally against in the beginning but warmed up to in time. Moses: it was something Roger was opposed to from jumpstreet; but, we all felt that going under "Quadlibet" would keep the memories alive. Our job wasn’t to replace Ricardo or Kuri, but to let their memories live on in the name "Quadlibet" and we were successful at doing that. I think all the group members, from David, Giselle, Darryl, Ricardo and Kuriaki live on in the name today. While working closely with Mr. Leon, the new "Quadlibet" caught another break.Eddie had set up a meeting with one of Freestyle’s premier producers Zahid Tariq but that seemed to be short lived as well. Roger: I’ve always loved Zahid Tariq’s work. I don’t really know what happened, things just fell off. Again it was back to the drawing board and with that, the group said goodbye to Louie Garoe and hello to Osbel Medina. The group later hooked up with Willie Valentin of Artistik Records and had a short stint on the Tazmania” label finally releasing "Take Me I’m Yours". Quadlibet later went on to produce 3 tracks for Artistik, "Now is the Time", "Never Gonna Give Up" and, "Thoughts of You". Roger: Wow! It only took a decade, but I was still happy to see "Take me I’m Yours" on vinyl. This was a song that went through two transformations. I was still happy. Roger, Moses, and Bruce are still part of what make Quadlibet today and have just added a new member Roger Aponte to the group. Roger has always been a part of the group providing assistance, production, and melody arrangement for the group. Roger is a very strong song writer as well. Moses: Roger makes us stronger as a group vocally. I miss Obie and wanted him to be a part of this but responsibilities to his family and job must take priority and all of us understand that and wish him well. The group and its members have come a long way and have never stopped or given up on their passion to create music. Quadlibet’s love and dedication to Dance Music is unweaving and as of today they are working on several projects including releasing a new single on Artistik’s compilation CD “Freestyle Parade 2010. For booking: Quadlibetbx@gmail.com Myspace: http://www.myspacecom83201978 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?