Two figures at the vanguard of contemporary music, the group Instituto Mexicano del Sonido and French DJ Philippe Cohen, member of the famous electronic tango band Gotan Project, are included in the program for this year’s Havana World Music Festival, which will take place in the Parque Metropolinato, February 6-7.
Also organized for the second edition of the event are other important concerts: performances by French-Caribbean composer, singer and DJ, David Walters, who among his many notable achievements has supported none other than stars such as David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz, Morcheeba and Jamiroquai, and whose work is a kaleidoscope of sound, including folk, electronic and afro-Caribbean rhythms.
Moroccan singer Aziz Sahmaoui will be another artist taking advantage of his debut in Cuba to show the wealth of world music. The African performer will arrive with his band University of Gnawa, formed of Moroccan and Senegalese musicians who came together to shine a light on a wide variety of traditional North African rhythms fused with jazz and rock. Unmissable.
Accustomed to their concerts turning into electrifying parties, members of Spanish group Muchachito bombo infierno will also be performing tracks from three of their albums: Vamos que nos vamos, Visto lo visto and Idas y vueltas, distinguished by their powerful mix of flamenco funk and rock.
Returning to the start, it is worth emphasizing the presence of Instituto Mexicano del Sonido. The group has spearheaded its very own sound revolution within Latin music, the responsibility of which rests on the shoulders of just one person, Camilo Lara, the sole member of the group which draws large crowds and moves in a sonic territory where fans of electro, rock, punk and cumbia can come together. Displaying examples of an extraordinary imagination and versatility, Lara, cites as his creative influences the works of writers such as Juan Rulfo, Julio Cortázar or Roberto Bolaño, giving form to his repertory, which includes the albums Méjico Máxico (2005), Piñata (2007), Soy sauce (2009) and Político (2012).
You don’t need to tell Cuban music lovers about the Gotan Project. For a while now, this Paris based collective - with their formidable album La revancha del tango - has been a mandatory presence in many Havana clubs which continue into the early hours.
Although the entire group won’t be present on this occasion, one of the DJs which gave life to this project – which later inspired the creation of various clones internationally – will be participating. Philippe Cohen, who makes up the group, together with Swiss Christoph H. Müller, and Argentine Eduardo Makaroff was one of the people responsible for creating those electro beats fused brilliantly with the sounds of tango, and which gave life to studio albums such as the aforementioned La revancha del tango -one of the best examples of the electro and chill out genres in recent years- Lunático and Tango 3.0. It is true that Cohen also holds the title of having been the author of the first French house compilation album.
Representing Cuba in the festival will be five high caliber musicians; Jazz pianist Roberto Fonseca, singers Isaac Delgado and Tony Ávila, and bass players Yusa and Alain Pérez, also known for having trained under the great Paco de Lucía.
