The bomba is the peak of a timba song: a heavy, funky groove in which the bass takes the lead, the piano steps back, and the conga and timbal play at full power. For dancers it is the moment for despelote and free movement.
Bomba
Piano: tumbao, often relaxed or simplified; sometimes drops out completely
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.
Songo is the direct bridge between traditional Cuban music and 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 the groundwork that timba would build on.
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.
Reggaetón moves have become a regular part of timba dancing. You see them mostly during the bomba and other heavy, bare moments in the montuno, when dancers break away from their partner.
Despelote is the most explosive individual dance style in timba — a full-body release of energy that happens during the high-intensity bomba sections of a timba song.
Suelta is dancing apart from your partner, solo — in son, casino and timba. In timba it is more grounded and contained than despelote — a cooler, more controlled individual expression that still responds directly to the music.
In the 20th century New York was the second home of Cuban music. Here Afro-Cuban jazz and the mambo craze of the Palladium Ballroom were born, and later salsa.
Changó (also written Shangó) is the Orisha of thunder, lightning, fire, and dance. He is one of the most powerful and widely venerated Orishas in the Lucumí/Yoruba tradition.
The claves are two round sticks of hardwood. Struck together, they give a high, sharp click that cuts through the whole band. On the claves you play the clave rhythm, the pattern that Cuban music is built on.
The piano is the harmonic and rhythmic heart of Cuban popular music. In timba, it is one of the most demanding and expressive instruments in the ensemble.
The piano is the harmonic and rhythmic heart of Cuban popular music. In timba, it is one of the most demanding and expressive instruments in the ensemble.
A tumbao is a rhythmic and melodic pattern that is repeated over and over, usually in a cycle of two, four or eight bars. Piano, bass, tres, guitar and percussion each have their own tumbao; together they make up the groove a song rests on.
Timba, the explosive and rhythmically rich genre of Cuban dance music, transformed how the bass functions in popular music. In Timba, the bass is not just foundational — it’s fiery, funky, and free.
A break is a short rhythmic figure played by (part of) the band that interrupts a running gear or links two gears together. Kevin Moore calls such a figure an efecto; other names are bloque, break, punches and cierre.
This is the opening section of the song, which sets the mood and introduces the musical motifs.
It often features a horn section and can include elements from the song's main themes.
