Latin Beats Unplugged: The Stories Behind the Sounds
By Romy E. Tomiuk
Music Editor
Rich in vibrant beats and deep-rooted traditions, Latino music serves as a powerful reflection of its cultural heritage. Genres such as salsa, bachata, cumbia, and reggaeton bring distinct flavours and energy, captivating audiences everywhere. This National Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate Hispanic and Latino communities alongside these iconic styles, honouring their origins and impact on contemporary music.
Being one of the most influential genres, salsa, built on the foundation of Cuban son, is known for its fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythmic patterns, Spanish melodías, and American jazz. Originating in Cuba, it quickly evolved in Puerto Rico and Colombia before gaining widespread recognition. In Spanish Harlem, Johnny Pacheco, a Dominican musician, played an extremely important role in naming and shaping the genre. In the 1960s, he co-founded Fania Records and labelled the fusion of Afro-Cuban and Latin styles as “salsa.” By the ’80s, its influence extended into mainstream U.S. music, and its popularity began to spread globally.
While salsa captivated the world with its vibrant energy, bachata emerged with a more intimate and soulful sound. Originating from the Dominican Republic in the early 20th century, it began as a rural music form, often telling stories of love, heartbreak, and hardship. It contained heartfelt lyrics, combined with the melancholic strumming of the guitar. First recorded by José Manuel Calderón in the 1960s, the genre initially faced stigma as music of the lower class. Despite this, artists such as Calderón and Juan Luis Guerra helped elevate the genre and brought it into the mainstream.
Cumbia, a genre born on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, blends diverse cultural influences. Initially an African courtship dance, cumbia’s music began to take shape in the 19th century, evolving with the addition of European and Indigenous instruments like flutes, drums, accordions, and guacharacas. Musicians such as Lucho Bermúdez and Andrés Landero played crucial roles in popularising cumbia, infusing modern influences while honouring its deep heritage.
As we celebrate the evolution of Latin music and the history behind these genres, it is essential to recognize how reggaeton has emerged as a contemporary force. The genre developed in the mid-1990s when Puerto Rican DJ Nelson coined the term while working on his mixtape, Reggae Maratón, Vol. 1, by accidentally combining the words “reggae” and “marathon.” The genre evolved from earlier styles, particularly Jamaican reggae introduced to Panama in the 1980s, where it was adapted into Spanish by artists like El General and Nando Boom. The distinctive dembow pattern became a signature element, quickly popularised by figures like Shabba Ranks. While closely linked to Puerto Rican culture, reggaeton has become a powerful platform for Afro-Latino voices.
Rich in cultural heritage, Latino music showcases the unique grooves and stories embedded in genres like salsa, bachata, cumbia, and reggaeton. As we celebrate the vibrant styles this National Hispanic Heritage Month, we honour the enduring impact on music and culture around the globe.