EVERY GENRE PROJECT - November 3 - Cubaton

Genre of the Day - Cubaton 🇨🇺

Album of the Day - Visualízate by Gente de Zona (2016)

I feel as if monthly I get a reminder that I still haven't been to Miami, whether it’s my dear sister who’s an aficionado of the city making a journey down south or in discussions with my friend who hails from its everglades and mango trees. The city is obviously well-known for being the central nexus of the Cuban American community with about 2 million residents in the greater area claiming Cuban heritage, being a hop and a skip away from the island and all. Miami acts as the stateside jumping off point for a ton of music steeped in Cuba’s rich musical history—one auteur from the city just so happens to be known as Mr. Worldwide—particularly today’s genre, a flagbearer in recent years for Cuba’s continued musical relevance. 

Genres produced per country is perhaps not something measured by the UN, but Cuba would arguably be near the top of the charts. Just this year, four Cuban or Cuban-adjacent genres have appeared in this column (guaracha, guaguanco, descarga, and a bolero-inspired Vietnamese staple). The island’s head-spinning array of sounds has been integral to all of Latin music. Beyond the Latin world, it retained and consistently invigorated centuries-old African rhythms, and sent them back to the continent in a boomerang arc that has had butterfly effects across modern African popular music like soukous. However, the 21st century has seen the other Caribbean islands piquing the ears of the wider world more than Cuba—reggaeton shot up from the shores of Puerto Rico and has ascended to commercial dominance in the span of twenty years, and other genres like the Dominican Republic’s bachata have entranced  audiences. 

The Cuban musical scene has faced constant stifling in recent decades, as it’s highly subject to censorship as the government clamps down on music that smacks of foreign influence, and acts have had to circumvent great odds in fusing these wider musical trends with domestic heritage. A single lyric about a girl leaving Cuba with a foreigner saw the band Maxima Alerta, one of the progenitors of cubaton, banned from performing and left with no choice but to emigrate to pursue music. But trust—as the heavy hitter of Caribbean music, Cuban musicians would still find its way to make its voice heard. Cubaton imbues reggaeton’s street tales with the percussive lineup and musical richness that buttressed genres ranging from son Cubano to mambo, salsa, and Afro-Cuban jazz. Music often eludes governmental attempts at oversight, so cubaton has swept the island and beyond among Cuban Americans, scores of musical and instrumental history in conversation with the modern transnational musical institution reggaeton has evolved into.

Gente de Zona really is from the zona, hailing from Havana and now bringing cubaton across the world—recent posts highlight a tour in Italy. The duo’s 2016 Visualízate reveals their penchant for the songcraft needed to effectively mesh organic Cuban instrumentation with reggaeton’s electronic revolution. The melodic width and sonic depth of the horns, full-bodied percussion, and backing vocals of the megahit “La Gozadera,” an ode to the entire Latin world’s vibrant musical patchwork, sharply asserts the unparalleled festivity a Cuban horn section and piano line brings to the table. Dense and electrified party hits like “La Tentación” aim for widely applicable party fare, but the genuine warmth achieved by brass still sears through. Perhaps it’s only trying to garner goodwill, given the cautionary tale of Maxima Alerta, but their hopeful declaration that a lover will come to Cuba in “Yo Quiero (Si Tu Te Enamoras)”—a ubiquitous collaboration with Pitbull—atteststo the country’s musical indispensability if the sonic flair it adds across the album wasn’t enough.