Cumbia-Rock by Cabas:

You like that music??? Good for you.

I like this:


Dominican JJ

I really enjoyed this but in the Salsa video I couldn't for the life of me hear or see the cumbia part. http://www.dr1.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif

Why don't dominicans like cumbia
 

I have noticed this on all my trips to Dominican. That extends to the entire spanish-speaking Caribbean.

While dominicans do appreciate a good vallenato, Puertoricans and Cubans couldn't give a damn about cumbia or vallenato, unless perhaps, we are talking about Carlos Vives.

This contrasts heavily with Mexico, El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile; nations that have adopted cumbia and given it their own spin.

Why is that? Is cumbia too damn slow and boring to caribbean ears? How can that be, cumbia is caribbean. Is it lack of marketing? Or could it be that mexicans and argentines like it because it doesn't seem to be that hard to dance? http://www.dr1.com/forums/images/smilies/cheeky.gif

It is both lack of marketing and lack of good Cumbia singers.

my dominican wife says she doesn't even know what is cumbia,,,,we just had a party at my place the only thing i can remember about the music was that it had to make everybody dance..............if it was slow it was skipped over....

First Cumbia hit in DR for ages:



Ezequiel hit the nail.

There is plenty of good cumbia in Colombia... and there were some brilliant singers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuH9JRetATA

No, vallenato is a music that was born in the valledupar region of the colombian caribbean, very different from Bachata. Most bachata hits are vallenato covers though.

But not as good as Merengue, Bachata and Salsa singers. (And nobody know them, Carlos Vives is the exception). Lack of marketing.

You have to keep in mind that the three Spanish speaking Caribbean Islands (Cuba, Dominican Rep, and Puerto Rico) are world super powers when it comes to music, and world class musicians. That's why it is so hard for foreign genre music to penetrate.

Of course there are, good is a very subjective term, I would say los diablitos de colombia are millions of light years more talented than Monchy y alejandra (Monchy y Alejandra got famous doing Diablitos covers). You must not be familiar with cumbia if you don't think there are talented singers. Now, marketing, that part of it I agree with you.

I also agree it is hard to penetrate the caribbean markets, especially Puerto Rico. However, Mexico is also a musical and cultural power of latin america, far greater than all the others, yet they embraced cumbia. Mimi Ibarra is a colombian salsa singer and she is bigger in the DR than any dominican salsero, so the market is not impenetrable, actually colombian salsa is pretty well listened to in the DR. It must boil down to genre, rhythm....

Colombian Salsa is the no.1 Salsa listened in the DR right now hands down.

That rhythm is a modern Merengue.

JJ

Is a mix of cumbia and reggaeton.

The problem is that not even "El Diablo" knows who are "Los Diablitos de Colombia", and everybody knows Monchy y Alejandra.

The way I see it is that "Los Diablito de Colombia" needs to thanks Monchy y Alejandra for popularizing their musics.

However, Mexico is also a musical and cultural power of latin america, far greater than all the others, yet they embraced cumbia. Cumbia dancing is very similar to what they dance in México (Música Norteña and Quebradita), I can't tell the different, maybe that's why is so popular there.

Plus Mexican dance music is not appealing to other Latino outside of Mexico, compare to Merengue, Bachata and Salsa.



Mimi Ibarra is a colombian salsa singer and she is bigger in the DR than any dominican salsero, so the market is not impenetrable, actually colombian salsa is pretty well listened to in the DR. It must boil down to genre, rhythm.... She is very popular because she sings what I had said before, the established music of the of the three caribbean island Merengue, Bachata and Salsa.

Does she sing Cumbia? If she does how popular is her Cumbia in the DR?

Música Norteña and Quebradita, never heard nothing so ugly in my life.
Espinosa Paz is a real Mexican idol, any time I listend this guy crying I tune a different radio station.
I like Mexican Rancheras and Romantic music, but the above mentioned.... que pariguayos.

JJ

That's why I don't listen to Spanish music stations here in Atlanta, because 70% of the songs that they play is "Música Norteña and Quebradita".

1) Are you kidding me, you really don't seem to understand the genre at all. Cumbia is absolutely nothing like that nortena abomination. Cumbia is a fusion of African rhythms, Colombia was the port of entry of African slaves into Nueva Granada - it was the music the african slaves sang to express their sorrow. There isn't a trace of that in the music of northern mexico, 0 african influence.

2) Los diablitos de Colombia, you personally might not know them by name, but who really hasn't heard Los Caminos de La Vida, my dominican acquaintances have. I wouldn't say everybody knows Monchy y Alejandra, unless you talk to dominican and puerto rican youths. The point is, if they had the talent and creativity to compose their own ish, they wouldn't be doing covers.

3) Mexican dance music, what do you mean by that? If you are talking about spanish pop music/pop culture, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Colombia (in that order) and perhaps Spain and Argentina to a lesser degree dominate that sphere at the moment. Now if you are talking about quebradita and narco corridos, I'd rather have a root canal without anesthesia than dance to that crap, I don't think anybody outside of nothern mexico can tolerate it. BUT, here is the kicker.... nortena music makes at least 20x in record sales than salsa or merengue ever will... bigger population, bigger buying power. Just look at the grammys... merengue and salsa are dying genres... sad but true.

4) Mimi Ibarra does not sing Merengue, just salsa, salsa has been huge in Colombia since the days of La Fania in the 60s and 70s.

Here in Santiago they have radio stations that play balada and rock from all of the Spanish speaking countries. Of course bachata and reggaeton are dominating still.

I think because only Fulanito can get away with using an accordian, all else(mostly Mexicans and Colombians) sound corny. http://www.dr1.com/forums/images/smilies/happy.gif