Founder of NG La Banda and the principal originator of 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.
Cortés studied flute at the Escuela Nacional de Arte, played with Los Van Van in the 1970s 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'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 ensemble.