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6 days ago
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How Bachata, the music of poor, Black Dominicans became a global sensation
What began as songs about heartbreak in the brothels and barrios of the Dominican Republic in the 1960s has become a worldwide sensation. Even the Bee Gees have gotten a bachata spin. Prince Royce's bilingual take on the 1977 hit 'How Deep Is Your Love' has topped the Latin music charts this summer and proves bachata is no longer chasing the mainstream but reimagining the pop canon. Bachata dance classes, parties and festivals have sprung up across the US in recent years, everywhere from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, and Omaha, Nebraska, to Oklahoma City. It's easy to find abroad as well. Upcoming bachata festivals are happening in cities in Austria, Egypt, Australia and China. I'm a scholar of Dominican culture and the senior researcher for the History of Dominican Music in the US project at the City University of New York's Dominican Studies Institute. I see bachata as a revealing window into modern post-1960s Dominican history – and one that spotlights the emotional truths and everyday experiences of poor and Black Dominicans in particular. Music from the margins Bachata was born in the Dominican countryside and later developed in the shantytowns of Santo Domingo, the capital. In most Latin American dictionaries, the word 'bachata' is loosely defined as 'revelry' or 'a spree'. The distinctive sound is formed from guitars, bongos, bass and the güira – a percussion instrument also used in merengue music – and accompanied by typically romantic or bittersweet lyrics. The music was long associated with the lower classes and Black Dominicans. The genre's first recording came in 1962, just over a year after Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, a brutal dictator who ruled the island for 31 years, was assassinated. Trujillo's death marked the beginning of a new cultural and political era in the Dominican Republic, although democratic hopes were soon shattered by a military coup, civil war and a second US intervention following an earlier one between 1916-1924. Urban and middle-class Dominicans looked down on bachata as the music played in brothels and favoured by poor, rural people who started to migrate to urban areas in large numbers in the 1960s. It was played almost exclusively on Radio Guarachita, a Santo Domingo station run by Radhamés Aracena, a key promoter of the genre. Amid a country reeling from political upheaval, bachata emerged as a soundtrack to working-class survival. The guitar-based rhythms were shaped by Cuban bolero and son and Mexican ranchera music, while the lyrics chronicled daily struggles, grief and marginalisation. Play Shifting language In the 1960s, bachata lyrics centered on heartache and were often directed at a romantic partner. 'Understand me, you know I love only you. Don't deny me the hope of kissing you again,' Rafael Encarnación sang in Spanish in his 1964 song Muero Contigo or 'I Die With You.' By the late 1970s and early 1980s, sexual innuendos were common, adding to the genre's low standing among Dominican elites. 'I gave you everything you ever wanted, but it was all useless because you went looking for another man,' Blas Durán sang in 1985. 'I was left like the orange vendor – peeling so someone else could suck the fruit.' To reclaim respect for bachata, some artists, such as Luis Segura and Leonardo Paniagua, in the mid-1980s began calling their music música de amargue, or 'music of romantic bitterness'. What began as a genre label gradually transformed into a sensibility. 'Amargue' came to name a feeling marked by longing, loss and quiet introspection – akin to 'feeling the blues' in the US. American blues similarly emerged from the hardships faced by Black Americans in the South and expressed themes of sorrow, resilience and reflection. By the 1990s, the stigma surrounding bachata began to fade, partly due to the international success of Dominican star Juan Luis Guerra and his album Bachata Rosa. The album sold more than 5 million copies worldwide by 1994, earned Guerra a Grammy Award for best tropical Latin album, and was certified platinum in the US. As acceptance of the genre grew, traditional bachateros in the Dominican Republic continued releasing bachata albums. However, Dominican pop, rock and other artists also began recording bachatas – such as 1990's Yo Quiero Andar by Sonia Silvestre and 1998's Bufeo by Luis 'El Terror' Días. Play Bachata goes mainstream Migration to the US is a pivotal chapter in Dominican history after the 1960s. The US Immigration Act of 1965 functioned as a de facto immigration policy and encouraged a large-scale exodus from the Dominican Republic. By the mid-1990s, a strong and vibrant Dominican diaspora was firmly established in New York City. The Bronx became the birthplace of Grupo Aventura, a group that revolutionised bachata by blending its traditional rhythms with urban genres such as hip-hop. Play Their music reflected the bicultural diaspora, often torn between nostalgia for their homeland and everyday challenges of urban American life. Against the backdrop of city life, bachata found a new voice that mirrored the immigrant experience. The genre shifted from a shared feeling of loss and longing to a celebration of cultural community. In 2002, the song Obsesión by Aventura and featuring Judy Santos topped music charts in France, Germany, Italy, the US and elsewhere. The group Aventura and, later, lead singer Romeo Santos as a solo artist sold out Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, respectively. As they rose in fame, Aventura became global ambassadors for Dominican culture and made bachata mainstream. Global spin on bachata Bachata's popularity has also spread to other countries in Latin America, and especially among working-class and Afro-descendant communities in Central America that see their own realities reflected in the music. At the same time, Dominican diasporic communities in countries such as Spain and Italy carried the genre with them, where it continued to evolve. In Spain, for example, bachata experienced a creative transformation. By the mid-2000s, bachata sensual had emerged as a dance style influenced by zouk and tango, emphasizing smooth, body-led movements and close partner connection. Around the same time, modern bachata also developed between Spain and New York City. This style is a departure from traditional bachata, which focuses on the box step and fast footwork, and incorporates more turns and other elements from salsa. Play In 2019 bachata was added to Unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which also lists Jamaican reggae and Mexican mariachi. Today, bachata's influence is truly global. International conferences dedicated to the genre attract dancers, musicians and scholars from around the world. Puerto Rican, Colombian and other artists from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds continue to nurture and reinvent bachata. At the same time, more women, such as Andre Veloz, Judy Santos and Leslie Grace, are building careers as bachata performers and challenging a traditionally male-dominated genre. Bachata holds a place not only on the world stage but in the hearts of Latino, Black, Asian and many other communities in the US that recognise the genre's power to tell stories of love, loss, migration and resilience. Wilfredo José Burgos Matos is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, Lehman College, CUNY.
FACT
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- FACT
Dru Hill, Bobby V and The Product G&B take over Barasti Beach for one night only
Enjoy smooth vibes under the stars. Dubai is set to turn up the heat on Saturday, 24 May, as Barasti Beach hosts an epic throwback celebration under the stars. Titled The Kings of R&B, this electrifying night will see a lineup of R&B legends grace the stage with timeless hits and silky smooth vocals — including Bobby V, Dru Hill, Horace Brown and The Product G&B. Dru Hill Synonymous with the golden era of '90s R&B, Dru Hill are true icons of the genre. Hailing from Baltimore, the group, led by powerhouse vocalist Sisqó, rose to fame with hits like 'In My Bed,' 'Never Make a Promise,' and 'How Deep Is Your Love.' Known for their soulful harmonies and high-energy performances, they helped define a decade of slow jams that still resonate today. Bobby V A smooth operator with velvet vocals, Bobby V (formerly Bobby Valentino) took the 2000s by storm with his breakout single 'Slow Down,' which climbed the Billboard charts and became a club favourite around the world. With hits like 'Tell Me' and 'Anonymous' and collaborations with everyone from Ludacris to Nicki Minaj, revellers can anticipate a performance laced with rhythm, groove, and serious vocal prowess. Horace Brown A true R&B cult favourite, Horace Brown made waves in the mid-'90s with his slick vocals and effortlessly cool swagger. Known for tracks like 'One for the Money' and 'Things We Do for Love,' his music remains a soulful staple for fans of classic R&B grooves. The Product G&B Best known for collaborating with Carlos Santana on the Grammy-winning 'Maria Maria,' The Product G&B brought a fresh fusion of Latin vibes and R&B melodies to the airwaves. With a genre-blending style on tracks like 'Cluck, Cluck' fans can expect a nostalgic set under the stars. With beachfront views, cool drinks, and some of the most unforgettable voices in R&B history, The Kings of R&B at Barasti Beach promises a night of pure nostalgia and musical magic. We'll see you there. GO: Visit for tickets and more information.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘How Deep Is Your Love' Review: A Mischievous Documentary Dive Into an Unfamiliar Ecosystem
Around ninety percent of life forms in the deep sea have yet to be named by humans, British director Eleanor Mortimer informs us in the course of her documentary 'How Deep Is Your Love.' It's a statistic somehow comforting in its vagueness — how, after all, can we put an exact figure on what is unknown to us — and humbling in its vastness, a reminder that we still don't own huge stretches of the globe we profess to run. Across history, any number of explorers, scientists and storytellers have been fascinated by the essential, alien hostility of the ocean to our species, and its enduring status as a place we can only visit but never settle. Mortimer joins those ranks with a film that functions both as awestruck spectacle and anxious warning — joining a literal boatload of marine biologists racing to demystify an ecosystem before deep-sea miners destroy it. Having premiered at the True/False documentary festival before making its European bow in CPH:DOX, 'How Deep Is Your Love' is a warm, approachable entry in the growing eco-documentary subgenre that should net considerable distributor interest on the strength of its plaintive environmental message and its frequently dazzling imagery — as Mortimer's filmmaking abets the biologists' mission to capture and chronicle an iridescent array of never-before-seen creatures down below. It's not a doc that goes heavy on hard science, instead embracing its layman's perspective, as Mortimer's own running, conversational voiceover whimsically reflects on her own relative smallness and remove from this strange, silent world. The final effect, roughly akin to Jacques Cousteau fused with Mark Cousins, will bemuse some and beguile many. More from Variety How Do Political Docs Stay Alive in New Trump Era? Key Documentary Players Meet at CPH:DOX to Ponder Alternatives After 'Streamers Went to the Right' 'Tesla Files' Documentary Aims to Expose Inner Workings of Tesla and Question Elon Musk's Political Ambition (EXCLUSIVE) True/False Film Fest Unveils 2025 Lineup Including Eight Sundance Docus (EXCLUSIVE) A stretch of the Pacific Ocean spanning 1,700,000 square miles and administered by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone is about as remote a location as one can journey to on Earth — at least a 12-day maritime voyage from the nearest land — but a hotspot for oceanographers thanks to the richness and diversity of life on its seafloor. As they head toward its center, and survey the depths of its 'abyssal zone' (over two miles below the water's surface) via state-of-the-art cameras, the mostly British, millennial-aged team of scientists on the vessel joined by Mortimer doesn't feign know-it-all composure in the face of such familiarity: Their wonder is palpable and easily shared as various exotic, amorphous, luridly painted organisms float into view, identified with decidedly non-academic names like 'Psychedelic Elvis Worm' and 'Headless Chicken Monster.' (Officially naming a species, Mortimer learns, can take up to 14 years.) There's something endearing about seeing the scientific world this far out of its depth, in all senses of the term, and Mortimer's interview style disarmingly makes the most of this rare leveling of the scales. 'If you had a chance to meet this arthropod, what would you ask him?' she asks one team member about the small, spindly whatchamacallit under scrutiny, cuing an oddball reverie about taking an underwater invertebrate out on a date. There's room for fantasy in a realm where facts are scarce. But there's work to be done too, much of it bittersweet, and soundtracked to the duly plangent strains of Portishead's 'Glory Box.' These extraordinary species must be captured to be studied — using, in amusingly stark contrast to the technological wizardry of the observational equipment, a mechanical device not unlike an arcade claw grabber — and of course die once brought to the surface. 'I feel a bit like the Nicole Kidman character in 'Paddington,'' grimaces one scientist about the essentially destructive nature of his study — and depending on your perspective, this sense of guilt is either amplified or mitigated by the larger-scale threat posed to the seabed by mining companies intent on extracting the precious mineral resources of the deep. Such industrial excavations risk wiping out untold (and, indeed, as yet unseen) natural wonders, though delegates of the ISA are unable to reach an agreement as to how to curb or monitor them. Back on land, at the organisation's headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, Mortimer's camera hovers outside stalemate meetings to which she's refused access: the sense of time drifting when there's none to waste is hard to avoid. In a climactic flourish of make-believe, the glowing creatures found on the expedition are airily superimposed on the drab offices and corridors of the ISA building — the film's final, playful but gently pointed reminder that we all share the same planet. Best of Variety The Best Albums of the Decade
