José Luis "El Tosco" Cortés
Founder of NG La Banda and the principal originator of timba"> timba — José Luis "El Tosco" Cortés created the band that first synthesized songo, funk, hip-hop, and Afro-Cuban ritual music into the genre now known as timba"> timba.
About
Cortés studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana and was a member of Irakere — Cuba's premier jazz-fusion group — before founding NG La Banda (Nueva Generación) in 1988. His concept was radical: take the rhythmic density of songo, add the aggression of funk and hip-hop, incorporate explicit references to Afro-Cuban religious traditions, and deliver it all with the precision of conservatory-trained musicians.
NG La Banda's early records — En la calle, En directo desde el patio de mi casa — defined timba"> timba's initial sound and created a new relationship between Cuban musicians and Cuban dancers. The despelote style of dancing emerged in direct response to NG La Banda's rhythmic innovations. Cortés is also an exceptional flutist, and the flute became a distinctive lead voice in the timba"> timba ensemble.
A Cuban popular dance music genre that emerged in the 1980s–90s
- emerged in the 1980s–90s
- influenced by songo, rumba, funk, blues, jazz, pop, rock and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
- Known for complex rhythm shifts, aggressive bass lines, and high energy that push dancers to improvise.
Lees meer >Despelote is the most explosive individual dance style in timba"> timba — a full-body release of energy that happens during the high-intensity bomba sections of a timba"> timba song.
Lees meer >Cuban Dances Originating in Havana
Havana, the cultural heartbeat of Cuba, played a central role in the creation and evolution of several iconic Cuban dances. Some were born directly in the capital, while others were transformed there into the forms we know today.
Lees meer >Songo is the direct bridge between traditional Cuban music and timba"> timba. Developed by Los Van Van in the early 1970s, it rewired Cuban popular music by absorbing funk, rock, and jazz into the Afro-Cuban rhythmic foundation — and laid every groundwork that timba"> timba would build on.
Lees meer >Timba is the music this site is dedicated to exploring. It emerged as a distinct genre in the late 1980s and crystallized in the early 1990s — born in a moment of social crisis, built on the full accumulated history of Cuban music, and still evolving today.
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