BIOGRAPHY

GUATEKE by José Ruiz : Passion for music & Roots

José Ruiz was born in 1957 in Caracas (Venezuela), in a family where music was not really a major interest.
However, when he was 17 years old, a decisive encounter turned his life upside down.

Some of his friends, passionate about music, used to meet to sing together to the sound of their guitars.
That's where it all began.

José gets captivated by that instrument and immerses himself in its learning by imitating the sounds he hears around him.
His mother, touched by his enthusiasm, gifts him his first guitar, a present that would mark the beginning of a great musical adventure.

But José's story does not end with the guitar: the young boy is also fascinated by Venezuelan cuatro, a typical stringed national instrument, with percussive sound and a small and practical size. José quickly adopts it.

Some time later, he met some musicians from a local salsa band (a booming genre) who were looking for a bass player for their band.
Although he had no experience with bass guitar, José no doubt to take the step and learns as a self-taught musician to play that new instrument.
In this band José discovers his vocation for lead vocals and the famous salsa choruses.

In this first opportunity to sing, Jose embarks on a daring exercise: singing while playing the bass.
This versatility of combining his two passions becomes one of his musical hallmarks.

But at the age of 23, pursuit of his university studies takes José far away from Caracas, to the city of Mérida, at the heart of Venezuelan Andes. There, he immersed himself into mathematics studies.

However, music would remain an inescapable presence in José's life.
In Merida, he meets a group of musicians passionate about “Son Cubano” and without a doubt tries his luck by joining the band playing double bass.
Soon he will also take on the role of co-singer in the group.
His weekends and free time are filled with concerts, while music becomes not only an escape, but also his main source of income.

Soon, José forms his own salsa group, “La Propia Salsa”, and composes his first songs, talented fusing his Venezuelan roots with Cuban influences.

In 1989, after completing his studies, José joined the teaching profession, advancing internally from post to post in the field of mathematics.
His musical career then seemed to lie dormant for eight long years, overshadowed by the rigors of academia.

However, a totally unexpected opportunity rekindled the flame: José was sent to Toulouse, France, to study for a doctorate.
Little does he know that this trip will mark a major turning point in his life.

In Toulouse, José discovered a new musical universe, quickly connecting with Venezuelan, Chilean and other Latino musicians living in the pink city, who soon invited him to share the stage.

The magic happened immediately. In 2000, he joined the salsa group “Lluvia del Son”, as well as the Venezuelan folk music group “Caney”.
These musical encounters awakened in him an essential realization: music is not just a hobby, it's his true vocation!

Determined to make a living from his passion, José took a radical decision: he resigned from his teaching post and committed himself fully to his new artistic career.
This bold choice led him to collaborate with a number of prestigious groups, including “Rigo Ruiz y su Bomba Caribe”, “Orquesta Cumbia Tormenta”, “La Selecta”, and “Leo y su Ricasalsa”.
The magic worked: José multiplied his appearances on the stages of numerous festivals in Europe (France, Spain, Belgium...), and even overseas (Guyana, Martinique, Guadeloupe), where his music made hearts beat faster.

Then came a decisive encounter. José met Fabien Roynette, a highly talented percussionist whom they had met at a joint concert. Together, they decided to launch an innovative project: GUATEKE.

The 2 artists formed a duo that reinvented traditional Venezuelan and Latin American music, bringing new arrangements to the genre's standards and, of course, incorporating José's own compositions.

GUATEKE project became a reflection of José's journey: a ceaseless quest for reinvention, passion and new arrangements.

Today, José Ruiz is a complete artist - musician, composer, singer and arranger - whose career spans several continents.

His journey, both atypical and moving, is a poignant illustration of the power of music as a universal language, and of the strength of those who, like him, choose to follow their passion without compromise.