In timba (a Cuban music style related to salsa, but with stronger influences from funk,
Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz), a "masacote" usually refers to a powerful, rhythmic burst in the music.
It is a short, intense moment where the instrumentation — especially the rhythm section — becomes extra groovy, syncopated or funky.
Used to build energy or to mark a transition in the song.
Can be accompanied by dance accents or "breaks" during a performance or social dancing.
It often feels like a kind of musical explosion or a funky groove pocket that takes center stage.
In the context of dance, such as Rueda de Casino or timba solo, dancers can respond to a masacote with expressive or improvised movements, just as they would during a "break".
When you hear it, you often recognize it immediately: a sudden burst of funky intensity that electrifies the dance floor.
More examples:
Listen for example to Los Van Van, NG La Banda or Elito Revé y su Charangón — they regularly use masacotes as part of their arrangements.
The danzón is Cuba's elegant "national dance" from 1879: a salon dance of the orquesta típica and later the charanga, and an important step towards mambo and cha-cha-chá.
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 a Cuban music and dance style that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It bridges Afro-Cuban rhythms with modern influences like funk, rock, and jazz.
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.
Changüí is one of the oldest surviving forms of Cuban popular music, originating in the Guantánamo province of eastern Cuba in the early 19th century. It is widely regarded as a direct precursor to Son Cubano, and its raw, syncopated energy offers a window into what Cuban popular music sounded like before Son was refined and urbanized in Havana.
The horn layer over the montuno: short, powerful and rhythmically intense riffs that the horns lay over the ongoing groove, building energy toward the climax of the song.
Casino is the Cuban partner dance born in the social clubs (casinos deportivos) of Havana in the 1950s. It is what Cubans call their own social dance — distinct from, and older than, what the rest of the world calls "salsa."
Yemayá is the mother of all Orishas and the ruler of the sea. Her dance is one of the most visually beautiful in the repertoire — expansive, flowing, and in constant, wave-like motion.
Yemayá is the Orisha of the sea and the mother of all Orishas. She governs the saltwater ocean and all living things within it. As mother, she is nurturing, protective — and when angered, devastating.
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.
Cuban music is built on percussion. The extraordinary density and variety of Cuban rhythmic culture reflects the meeting of West and Central African drumming traditions with Spanish, Haitian, and creole musical practices over four centuries. The instruments below form the core percussive vocabulary heard across Son, Rumba, Timba, Danzón, and their descendants.
The campana (cowbell) is the metal bell of Cuban dance music, played by the bongocero or the timbalero. In timba and songo it is more than a rhythm: it tells dancers how much energy the music is asking for.
The timbales (pailas criollas) are a pair of shallow, metal-shell drums mounted on a stand, played with wooden sticks. They are the rhythmic engine of charanga orchestras and play a critical role in timba.
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.
The keyboard (and the synthesizer) came into Cuban dance music through Los Van Van. Next to or instead of the acoustic piano it gives the band new sound colours: strings, horns, organ and electronic sounds.
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.
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.
A timba gear characterized by the absence of a basstumbao, the absence of a conga marcha and usually also the absence of bells. The building musical tension and power, often achieved through layers of rhythm, bloques and dynamic transitions that push the energy up.
Rhythmic breaks or unison hits played by the whole band, often interrupting the flow to create surprise and tension. These are choreographed and add drama, excitement, and syncopation.
Interruptive role: The bloque is a sudden, tightly coordinated rhythmic break. It disrupts the ongoing groove (tumbao, coro, or guías).
Cue for change: Right after the bloque, the band often launches into a new “gear” (a new rhythmic feel, coro, or pianotumbao). In this sense, the bloque is an announcement: it marks the transition to what comes next.
A form of obligado: the bloque is the typical timba form of an obligado, a fixed arranged passage that everyone plays together.
A fixed, arranged passage that the whole band, or a group of instruments, plays exactly together. "Obligado" literally means "obligatory": everyone plays the same accents, with no room for improvisation.
A fixed, arranged passage that the whole band, or a group of instruments, plays exactly together. "Obligado" literally means "obligatory": everyone plays the same accents, with no room for improvisation.
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.
