Music of the Dominican Republic
Encyclopedia
The music of the Dominican Republic
is known primarily for merengue, though bachata, salsa and other forms are also popular. Dominican music has always been closely intertwined with that of its neighbor, Haiti
(see Music of Haiti
).
or maracas percussion
sections, and drums such as the tambora
. The accordion
is also common, and is mostly heard in merengue típico. Other instruments influences by Cuban son and mambo music frequently include a piano
, saxophone
, trombone
and trumpet
. The box bass, tuba
or guyano are rare but played. The rhythm
dominates the music, and is the most characteristic feature of the genre. It is not syncopated and includes an aggressive beat on 1 and 3. While Dominican in origin, it has also been historically linked to the music of Haiti
, which shares a border with the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola
, most notably that of Haitian méringue
and that of Haiti's national music compas. Traditional, acoustic merengue is best-represented by the earliest recorded musicians, like Angel Viloria and Francisco Ulloa. More modern merengue incorporate electric instruments and influences from salsa
, and rock and roll
. Chorus
es are usually in groups of three and are often used in a call and response
pattern. Live, wild dancing has long been commonplace, and is a staple of many of the genre's biggest stars. Lyrically, irony
and oblique references to issues of sexuality
and politics
.
Merengue continued to be limited in popularity to the lower-classes, especially in the Cibao area, in the early 20th century. Artists like Juan F. García
, Juan Espínola
and Julio Alberto Hernandez
tried to move merengue into the mainstream, but failed, largely due to risque lyrics. Some success occurred after the original form (then called merengue típico cibaeño) was slowed down to accommodate American soldiers (who occupied the country from 1916-1924) and couldn't dance the difficult steps of the merengue; this mid-tempo version was called pambiche
. Major mainstream acceptance started with the rise of Rafael Trujillo in the early 1930s.
Rafael Trujillo, who seized the presidency of the Dominican Republic in 1930, helped merengue to become a national symbol of the island up until his assassination in 1961. Being that he was of humble origins, he had been barred from elite
social clubs. He therefore resented these elite sophisticates and began promoting the Cibao-style merengue as the populist symbol. The text of merengue songs covers an array of topics, including politics. This is evidenced by the hundreds of songs that were made, which were focused on political aspects of Trujillo's dictatorship, praising certain guidelines and actions of his party. Trujillo even made it mandatory for urban dance bands to include merengue in their routines. Also, piano
and brass instrument
s were added in large merengue orchestras. On the other hand, merengue that continued to use an accordion became known as perico ripiao (ripped parrot). It was because of all this that merengue became and still is the Dominican Republic’s national music and dance.
In the 1960s, a new group of artists (most famously Johnny Ventura
) incorporated American R&B and rock and roll
influences, along with Cuba
n salsa music
. The instrumentation changed, with accordion replaced with electric guitar
s or synthesizer
s, or occasionally sampled
, and the saxophone's role totally redefined. In spite of the changes, merengue remained the most popular form of music in the Dominican Republic. Ventura, for example, was so adulated that he became a massively popular and influential politician on his return from a time in the United States, and was seen as a national symbol.
The 1980s saw increasing Dominican emigration
to Europe
and the United States
, especially to New York City
and Miami. Merengue came with them, bringing images of glitzy pop singers and idols. At the same time, Juan Luis Guerra
slowed down the merengue rhythm, and added more lyrical depth and entrenched social commentary. He also incorporated bachata and Western musical influences with albums like 1990's critically acclaimed Bachata Rosa
.
’s salve-merengue fusion album A Palo Limpio as well as an excellent recording of her group by the Bayahonda Cultural Foundation.
Palo
Dominican sacred music and can be found all along the island. The drum and human voice are the principal instruments. Palo is played at religious ceremonies - usually coinciding with saint's days - and at special occasions. With roots in the Congo region of central-west Africa, palo shares much the same pantheon of deities/saints as the Afro-American religious traditions of Cuba
, Brazil
, Haiti and elsewhere in Latin America. The instruments played in a palo are the same as salves but with out the panderos.
, a Pan-American style said to have originated in Cuba
. The guitars (lead, rhythm, and bass) are the principal instruments in bachata. They are accompanied by the bongo
and guira
(which has replaced the maracas).
The Dominican bourgeoisie at first dismissed bachata as worthless and it was therefore given the name bachata, meaning a rowdy lower-class fiesta (party). Until fairly recently, bachata was informally banned from Dominican radio and television. Despite this, bachata flourished and has now gained wide acceptance, not only in the Dominican Republic, but world-wide.
is also popular among younger and not so younger crowds of the Dominican Republic. Dominican rock is influenced by British and American rock, but also has its own sense of unique style. The rock scene in the Dominican Republic has been very vibrant in recent years, spanning many genres of rock such as pop rock
, reggae/rock, punk
, metal
. Dominican rock had started its scene in the early 80s, when Luis Días
& Transporte Urbano
, (who is considered to be the father of Dominican rock
), came onto the scene and created this genre. Since then, there have been over 70 Dominican rock bands, the most successful being Toque Profundo
, Tabu Tek, Al-Jadaqui Tribu del Sol, Top 40, TKR, Poket, La Siembra, La Reforma and others. Rita Indiana y los Misterios
are a musical group known for their blend of traditional merengue music with rock. Bocatabu is a new Dominican rock group who is very popular, too.
Also there are several underground Metal concerts occurring occasionally mainly in the cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago, where teenagers and young adults usually not satisfied with the other genres express themselves.
originated with reggae en español
in Panama
and gradually evolving to reggaeton in Puerto Rico
, the Dominican Republic was the third country in Latin America
to which reggaeton was introduced. It has had a long history of reggaeton music, more closely associated with Puerto Rican music
. Dominican reggaeton is a mixture of bachata and merengue rhythm. Some artists in reggaeton include Luny Tunes
, who are one of the biggest and most popular producers in the genre, and have produced big hit reggaeton songs such as Daddy Yankee
's smash hit "Impacto", among other chart toppers. Other Dominican reggaeton artists include Mr. Dominicanhttp://www.mrdominican.com, Heavy Papi http://www.heavypapi.com, Noztra
, Don Miguelo
, Mike El Beta, Santo Nova, O.G. Black (who was part of Master Joe & O.G. Black
), Ingco Crew
, Michalle Pie, Mojiganga
, La Fabrica
, Gem Star and Big Mato, Yo Yais. Some reggaeton artists are of Dominican descent, or by association like Arcángel & De La Ghetto
(Both Half Dominican), Nicky Jam
(Half Dominican), who was born in the Dominican Republic
.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
is known primarily for merengue, though bachata, salsa and other forms are also popular. Dominican music has always been closely intertwined with that of its neighbor, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
(see Music of Haiti
Music of Haiti
The music of Haiti is influenced mostly by Europe, colonial ties, and African migration through slavery. European musical influence derived primarily from the French and by the Spanish-infused influence of Cuba and the bordering Dominican Republic. Styles unique to Haiti include music derived from...
).
Merengue
Merengue is a musical genre native to the Dominican Republic. Swift beats from güiraGüira
A güira is a percussion instrument from the Dominican Republic, generally used in merengue, bachata, and its subgenres, that sounds like a maraca or hi-hat but in fact is a sheet of metal—in practice, often from a five gallon oil can—evenly perforated with a nail, shaped into a cylinder or...
or maracas percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
sections, and drums such as the tambora
Tambora
Tambora may refer to:* In music:**Tanpura, an instrument used in Indian classical music for continuous production of consonating reference notes **Tambora , an Afro-Caribbean percussion instrument...
. The accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
is also common, and is mostly heard in merengue típico. Other instruments influences by Cuban son and mambo music frequently include a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
. The box bass, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
or guyano are rare but played. The rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
dominates the music, and is the most characteristic feature of the genre. It is not syncopated and includes an aggressive beat on 1 and 3. While Dominican in origin, it has also been historically linked to the music of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, which shares a border with the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
, most notably that of Haitian méringue
Méringue
Méringue, also spelled "mereng" in Creole, is a music genre native to Haiti . It is musically and historically connected to Dominican Merengue. It is a guitar-based style , and is generally sung in Haitian Creole.-History:The history of méringue is similar to that of much Caribbean popular music...
and that of Haiti's national music compas. Traditional, acoustic merengue is best-represented by the earliest recorded musicians, like Angel Viloria and Francisco Ulloa. More modern merengue incorporate electric instruments and influences from salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. Chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
es are usually in groups of three and are often used in a call and response
Call and response (music)
In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first...
pattern. Live, wild dancing has long been commonplace, and is a staple of many of the genre's biggest stars. Lyrically, irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
and oblique references to issues of sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
and politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
Merengue continued to be limited in popularity to the lower-classes, especially in the Cibao area, in the early 20th century. Artists like Juan F. García
Juan F. García
Juan F. García was a merengue musician from the Dominican Republic. He was one of several merengue musicians who attempted to popularize the genre in the early 1900s, along with Juan Espínola and Julio Alberto Hernández...
, Juan Espínola
Juan Espinola
Juan Espínola was a Dominican merengue musician in the early 20th century. He is best known for his attempts to bring merengue music to mainstream audiences through ballrooms and other public venues. These attempts failed during his career due to the risque nature of the merengue lyrics.-References:...
and Julio Alberto Hernandez
Julio Alberto Hernandez
Julio Alberto Hernández was a Dominican composer. He specialized in folk-music based compositions.-Biography:...
tried to move merengue into the mainstream, but failed, largely due to risque lyrics. Some success occurred after the original form (then called merengue típico cibaeño) was slowed down to accommodate American soldiers (who occupied the country from 1916-1924) and couldn't dance the difficult steps of the merengue; this mid-tempo version was called pambiche
Pambiche
Pambiche is a Latin American dance derived from Merengue, the national dance of the Dominican Republic. The Merengue was once called the "Palm Beach One Step" and it is said that "Pambiche" is a derivation of "Palm Beach." The Pambiche is slower and less syncopated than the Merengue. It is...
. Major mainstream acceptance started with the rise of Rafael Trujillo in the early 1930s.
Rafael Trujillo, who seized the presidency of the Dominican Republic in 1930, helped merengue to become a national symbol of the island up until his assassination in 1961. Being that he was of humble origins, he had been barred from elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
social clubs. He therefore resented these elite sophisticates and began promoting the Cibao-style merengue as the populist symbol. The text of merengue songs covers an array of topics, including politics. This is evidenced by the hundreds of songs that were made, which were focused on political aspects of Trujillo's dictatorship, praising certain guidelines and actions of his party. Trujillo even made it mandatory for urban dance bands to include merengue in their routines. Also, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
s were added in large merengue orchestras. On the other hand, merengue that continued to use an accordion became known as perico ripiao (ripped parrot). It was because of all this that merengue became and still is the Dominican Republic’s national music and dance.
In the 1960s, a new group of artists (most famously Johnny Ventura
Johnny Ventura
Juan e Dios Ventura Soriano, better known as Johnny Ventura is a singer and band leader of merengue.- Early History :...
) incorporated American R&B and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
influences, along with Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n salsa music
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
. The instrumentation changed, with accordion replaced with electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s or synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, or occasionally sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, and the saxophone's role totally redefined. In spite of the changes, merengue remained the most popular form of music in the Dominican Republic. Ventura, for example, was so adulated that he became a massively popular and influential politician on his return from a time in the United States, and was seen as a national symbol.
The 1980s saw increasing Dominican emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, especially to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Miami. Merengue came with them, bringing images of glitzy pop singers and idols. At the same time, Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra is a singer, songwriter and producer from the Dominican Republic who has sold over 30 million records, and won numerous awards including 12 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards...
slowed down the merengue rhythm, and added more lyrical depth and entrenched social commentary. He also incorporated bachata and Western musical influences with albums like 1990's critically acclaimed Bachata Rosa
Bachata Rosa
Bachata rosa is the fifth studio album by Dominican musician Juan Luis Guerra and his group 4-40, released December 11, 1990 by KAREN Records. Written and produced by Guerra, the album was a successful record selling over five million copies worldwide and was responsible for bringing the bachata...
.
Salves
Salve is a call-and-response type of singing that uses güira, panderos, atabales and other African instruments. Salves are highly ceremonial and are used in pilgrimages and at parties dedicated to saints. Salve is related to palo that is played in a lot of the same contexts, but with different instruments and rhythms. The name comes from the Salve Regina, a catholic psalm, and many still sing a sacred, acapella salve that preserves the medieval modes of old Spanish hymns. The ecstatic salve played at religious parties however, is all about percussion – featuring large numbers of tambourines playing interlocking rhythms and a melodic drum called the balsie, whose player alters the pitch by applying pressure with his foot. Salve may be played in fewer parts of the country but it’s one of the best-known sounds, largely because it’s the sound of choice in Villa Mella, a poor suburb of the capital often thought of as the epicenter of Afro-Dominican traditions. The salve group of Enerolisa Nuñez, from Villa Mella, is one of the most widely listened to - thanks to her inclusion in merengue-star Kinito MendezKinito Méndez
Kinito Méndez is a merengue music star.In Mendez was responsible for the 1996 creation of the song "Flight 587," which pays tribute to American Airlines Flight 587, an early morning departure flight from New York City to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Mendez partially wrote the lyrics, and he...
’s salve-merengue fusion album A Palo Limpio as well as an excellent recording of her group by the Bayahonda Cultural Foundation.
PaloPaloPalo may refer to:*Palo , developed by slaves from Central Africa in Cuba*Palos, long drums used in the music of the Dominican Republic*Palo , the name for a musical form in flamenco*Palo , a Mallorcan liqueurPlaces...
Dominican sacred music and can be found all along the island. The drum and human voice are the principal instruments. Palo is played at religious ceremonies - usually coinciding with saint's days - and at special occasions. With roots in the Congo region of central-west Africa, palo shares much the same pantheon of deities/saints as the Afro-American religious traditions of CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Haiti and elsewhere in Latin America. The instruments played in a palo are the same as salves but with out the panderos.
Bachata
Bachata is a style of music that inhabitants of shantytowns call their own to own. Though this may seem like almost a negative connotation, one should remember that bachata has been widely accepted through many, though not all, classes of Dominican society. Bachata evolved from boleroBolero
Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
, a Pan-American style said to have originated in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. The guitars (lead, rhythm, and bass) are the principal instruments in bachata. They are accompanied by the bongo
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
and guira
Guira
The Guira Cuckoo is a social, non-parasitic cuckoo found widely in open and semi-open habitats of eastern and southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and north-eastern Argentina...
(which has replaced the maracas).
The Dominican bourgeoisie at first dismissed bachata as worthless and it was therefore given the name bachata, meaning a rowdy lower-class fiesta (party). Until fairly recently, bachata was informally banned from Dominican radio and television. Despite this, bachata flourished and has now gained wide acceptance, not only in the Dominican Republic, but world-wide.
Dominican Rock
Dominican rockDominican rock
Dominican rock, , is rock music created by Dominican groups and soloists. Originating in the 1980s with the start of Luis Dias band Transporte Urbano, successful bands such as Tribu Del Sol, Toque Profundo and Tabu Tek began to emerge...
is also popular among younger and not so younger crowds of the Dominican Republic. Dominican rock is influenced by British and American rock, but also has its own sense of unique style. The rock scene in the Dominican Republic has been very vibrant in recent years, spanning many genres of rock such as pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
, reggae/rock, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. Dominican rock had started its scene in the early 80s, when Luis Días
Luis Días (composer)
Luis Díaz Portorreal best known as Luis Días was a musician, composer and performer of popular music born in the Dominican Republic.He was immersed in the popular music and customs of Dominican folklore...
& Transporte Urbano
Transporte Urbano
- History:Transporte Urbano was founded by the Dominican composer Luis Días, in 1982, after he returned from a temporary stay in New York City.Días, a pioneer of Dominican urban folk music and one of the founders of the folk group Convite, wanted to create Dominican music with a new vision of what...
, (who is considered to be the father of Dominican rock
Dominican rock
Dominican rock, , is rock music created by Dominican groups and soloists. Originating in the 1980s with the start of Luis Dias band Transporte Urbano, successful bands such as Tribu Del Sol, Toque Profundo and Tabu Tek began to emerge...
), came onto the scene and created this genre. Since then, there have been over 70 Dominican rock bands, the most successful being Toque Profundo
Toque Profundo
Toque Profundo, sometimes referred to as Toque, or TP, is a rock group from the Dominican Republic, the most successful of the local Dominican bands to date in the late 80s and 90s...
, Tabu Tek, Al-Jadaqui Tribu del Sol, Top 40, TKR, Poket, La Siembra, La Reforma and others. Rita Indiana y los Misterios
Rita Indiana y los Misterios
Rita Indiana y los Misterios is an alternative merengue band based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The band is led by the vocalist Rita Indiana. Since late 2008 the band has been enjoying more popularity for creating music using the sounds of traditional merengue and incorporating tastes of...
are a musical group known for their blend of traditional merengue music with rock. Bocatabu is a new Dominican rock group who is very popular, too.
Also there are several underground Metal concerts occurring occasionally mainly in the cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago, where teenagers and young adults usually not satisfied with the other genres express themselves.
Reggaeton
Even though reggaetonReggaeton
Reggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...
originated with reggae en español
Reggae en Español
Reggae en Español is reggae and dancehall music recorded in the Spanish language by artists of Latin American origin. It originated in the mid-1970s in Panama and 1980s in Puerto Rico, but today reggae en Español is well dominated by Puerto Rican reggae bands...
in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and gradually evolving to reggaeton in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, the Dominican Republic was the third country in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
to which reggaeton was introduced. It has had a long history of reggaeton music, more closely associated with Puerto Rican music
Music of Puerto Rico
The music of Puerto Rico has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Taíno Indians, France, and the United States, and has become very popular across the Caribbean and across the globe...
. Dominican reggaeton is a mixture of bachata and merengue rhythm. Some artists in reggaeton include Luny Tunes
Luny Tunes
Luny Tunes are a Dominican reggaeton production duo consisting of Francisco Saldaña and Víctor Cabrera , who have been known for creating unique musical rhythms for some of the most popular reggaeton artists since the early 2000s.-Biography:...
, who are one of the biggest and most popular producers in the genre, and have produced big hit reggaeton songs such as Daddy Yankee
Daddy Yankee
Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez , known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican Reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. In his youth he was interested in baseball,...
's smash hit "Impacto", among other chart toppers. Other Dominican reggaeton artists include Mr. Dominicanhttp://www.mrdominican.com, Heavy Papi http://www.heavypapi.com, Noztra
Noztra
Martin Rivera , better known as Noztra, is a reggaeton musician. Born in San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic, his family moved to New York looking for work when he was seven. At the age of 16, Noztra began composing his own lyrics and music.- History :In 2002 he conducted one of the first...
, Don Miguelo
Don Miguelo
Don Miguelo is a Dominican rapper in the Reggaeton genre. He became famous with his smash hit "La Cola De Motora" and "Ay Que Tu Quiere". He has recently traveled to the United States in hopes that his new album will be an even better seller than before. But that never happened.-Biography:Don...
, Mike El Beta, Santo Nova, O.G. Black (who was part of Master Joe & O.G. Black
Master Joe & O.G. Black
Master Joe and O.G. Black was a Dominican–Puerto Rican reggaeton duo. They have released various albums and spawned moderate hits in Puerto Rico. They were part of DJ Joe's Escuadron Del Panico along with Hakeem & Jenay, Ranking Stone, Genio, Guayo Man, Doble Impact, Trebol Clan, and DJ Joe...
), Ingco Crew
Ingco Crew
Ingco Crew is a famous reggaeton group from the Dominican Republic. Their members are Little K, MC Pablo, and K.T. They were featured on the 100% Dominicano: La Nueva Sangre del Reggaeton album. Their top songs include "Ella no te quiere" , "Quisiera Saber", "Tu y Yo", "Saca Candela" , and "Sobala,...
, Michalle Pie, Mojiganga
Mojiganga (reggaetoneros)
Mojiganga are a Dominican reggaeton group. Their style contains more electronic elements than some reggaeton compositions usually have. For instance, the songs are usually played with a synthesizer, electronic drum set, sub bass, and sometimes harmonized, modulated, or muffled vocals...
, La Fabrica
La Fabrica
La Fabrica is a reggaeton group in the Dominican Republic.They are only known for illegally stealing Daddy Yankee's megahit mainstream break-through Gasolina and releasing it as their own in some countries of Europe, in particular Greece where it managed to peak at number three before the real...
, Gem Star and Big Mato, Yo Yais. Some reggaeton artists are of Dominican descent, or by association like Arcángel & De La Ghetto
Arcangel & De La Ghetto
Arcángel y De La Ghetto are a Reggaeton Duo, which consist of Austin "Arcángel" Santos and Rafael "De La Ghetto" Castillo.Arcángel and De La Ghetto are both of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent...
(Both Half Dominican), Nicky Jam
Nicky Jam
Nick Rivera Caminero is known artistically as Nicky Jam is a Puerto Rican singer. He was born to a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father...
(Half Dominican), who was born in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
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Classical Music
Conservatorio Nacional de Música is the academy of music of the Dominican Republic. It was founded by José de Jesús Ravelo (Don Chuchú), one of the main Dominican composers.External links
- www.iasorecords.com - Dominican Music, articles, music & video clips - bachata, merengue, Afro-Dominican, and more.
- www.BachataRadio.com - Bachata, Merengue y mas! Musica en Demanda y en Vivo, Listen to the Music of the Dominican Republic.
- All about Merengue Típico / Perico Ripiao