Mambo originated in Havana, Cuba in the 40s. The Mambo was originally played as a Rumba with an emphasis on 2 or 4. Once introduced, it fast led to other variations. Although Mambo did not last long and is only danced by advanced dancers today, it led to other styles that became popular such as Salsa and Cha-cha.

Music:

Mambo is an up-tempo dance rythm, usually around 200 bpm. Mambo, like Salsa is played in 4/4 with all 4 beats being evenly accented. Like a lot of Latin American rythms, percussion forms a very important part of the music.

Dance:

Mambo is probably one of the toughest dances to learn, especially is you are already used to dancing one of the other Latin styles like Salsa. Although the music is 4/4, the stepping is quite different. The steps are taken on the second beat as opposed to the first beat, which is one of the main differences that throw most dancers off. The other difference is that the weight change takes place three times in every four beats whereas only two steps are taken!

Latinos NZ Popularity Scale: 1/10

Mambo is rarely danced in Latin clubs in New Zealand, and is rarely taught in training institutes.

Article taken from Latinos.co.nz (http://www.latinos.co.nz)

In 1978 former NME writer Nick Logan birthed Smash Hits on his kitchen table. The first issues cover star was Plastic Bertrand, and Logan so unsure of the magazine he edited it under the pseudonym Chris Hall. He shouldn?t have worried as the Magazine went on to both mirror and shape the pop music of the 1980?s. Its colour posters became wallpaper for teenagers bedrooms. The real revolution was securing the rights to print the lyrics to ?Smash Hit?of the day. These lyrical crib sheets rested between the pages of school textbooks. Scanning the words to Nik Kershaws ?The Riddle? held a greater appeal to me than studying my French verbs.

Smash Hits was my first introduction to the wonderful world of the music press. Interviews and record reviews showed a wonderfully na?ve and witty take on the world of pop. What they may have lacked in terms of critical analysis they more than made up for with humour, pathos and the ability to show no respect for reputation. My distrust of Paul Weller stems from the amount of abuse he suffered at the hands of Smash Hits. He was ridiculed for his angst-ridden approach to music. He came across as Rik from the Young Ones, the people poet with a guitar. Although I admire Jam I don?t love them as I feel maybe I should and Weller?s post Jam music leaves me cold.

Posh, Ginger, Scary, Sporty and Baby owe a great deal of their brand image to Smash Hits. The nicknames came from the pen of a writer at Smash Hits, plain Mel, Mel, Emma, Victoria and Geri doesn?t have the same ring to it does it.

So why has it died on its feet? Well the landscape of pop has been rapidly changing. The rise of the Internet has provided a free source of lyrics. Britpop crossed over into the mainstream media and much of what was special about the music press started to wither. Oasis and Blur where everywhere so there was no need to seek out something like Smash Hits for coverage.

The irreverent style that had won Smash Hits so many fans. Typical question; what colour is Thursday? Is sadly misplaced in this media trained era. Stars can?t stray from the script that the PR people had given them, they parrot out the same answers across a wide range of publications. Why did you need Smash Hits if the same points are made in Heat or The Daily Mail. In stripping bands of any semblance of personality record companies have not only diluted the colour in the charts but murdered the cut and thrust of the pop music press.

In the past Morrissey would drop quotes about Oscar Wilde or colour of his underwear. It was via Smash Hits that I first came across, Jesus and Mary Chain, New Order, The Cure, The Mission and a cast of 1000?s. The publication did have bite. On an assignment to interview New Order, the bands surly reaction and unfriendly nature resulted in a piece that allegedly cost Barney Sumner his marriage. Bizarre Love Triangle made flesh.

It seems odd with Arctic Monkeys defining a tipping point where organic pop seems to be replacing the manufactured variety that Smash Hits has gone now. I guess the NME has stolen the ground that Smash Hits once owned. If they printed song lyrics then the NME would be Smash Hits in indie clothing.

I doubt Smash Hits will be missed as music has been replaced by a general idea of celebrity at the centre of youth culture. The shifting of Top of The Pops to a Sunday is another sign of this. Heat covers this new ground well and should be praised for its stance on weight issues. Not a week goes by without them attacking celeb?s for being too skinny or praising women who are not afraid to be curvy.

It always sad when any form of printed media folds. It means less voices, less opinion and less choice. I hope someone sat at a desk at the NME is dream of a new pop magazine??..

Tony Heywood

Come see my musical musing at

http://highwayfive.blogspot.com/

For dance, bigger monitors = better monitors. Bigger recording room = better room. Remember that dj in club will play your track on big loudspeakers. If you mix your track on a small monitors or headphones, it may happen that your track won’t be good for club and dj will not play it.

2. Make adaptation of your recording room.

Your producing/listening room has to be well damped, otherwise you will hear a lot of reverberation and sound coloration when mixing. It is very important. If you don’t have a lot of funds (expecially for large room), don’t worry. It doesn’t have to look great, more important is to do the job.

3. Do not use noisy sound cards.

Try to avoid using cheap soundcards below $100. They have very poor quality and they are good for games rather not for producing music. If you have enough funds, consider buying card staring from $300 with low latency. Some cards offer also internal crossing which also might be useful.

4. Use good sound synth sources.

There are already some plugins that sound great, however if you can afford, invest in a best synth hardware. Hardware in 90% of cases sounds better than software. There are also many different samples on the internet. A lot of samples like sf2, wav, reason refills, midi, vocal samples and acapellas, you may find on Vipzone Samples website – also a lot of free samples.

5. Use good reverbs.

For your instruments and vocals try to use good reverb units / plugins. Good sounding reverb placed on some instruments in the mix can bring your track to life. If you can’t afford top outboard units, you may use one of impulse-based plugins available on the market. They should work well for your DAW.

6. Use rhythmic delays on your instruments in the mix.

Remember that dance, trance, and techno music is based on rhythm. Don’t forget to use rhythmic delays on leads, vocals, arpeggios or trance basslines and other synths. This will help a lot. Don’t forget also to quantize your midi tracks (if you use midi).

7. Sometimes less bass = more bass.

Don’t overdo with bass on a bass drum or bass line. Kick drum should have a short click at the start and be enough pumpy for dance. You can easy find a lot of free good sounding kicks on the internet. Remember, bass should also have some mid-frequencies audible near the 1-3 kHz – not only the lowest bass. Compare your bass to the bass used in a good sounding tracks.

8. Less instruments = cleaner mix.

Instead of making many sound layers, try to use not much instruments. Make sure to choose punchy and selective sounding instruments with not too wide spectrum. Work on each instrument with equalizers, effects – like delays, reverbs, phasers etc. depending on the sound type. Use eq, to make each instrument staying in its frequency, not overlay with other instruments frequencies.

9. Set kick and drum section louder than other instruments.

It will significantly helps during the mastering. If you will set them louder, you (or mastering engineer) will be easy able to make good, pumping master on a good compressor. With drums sounding quiet in dance track, proper mastering can’t be done and noone will play your track in the club.

10. Send your track to the mastering engineer.

Try to not master your track by yourself and use good mastering engineer instead. He has fresh ear since you worked on your track probably a lot of time already. Mastering engineer will tells you the truth about your track, and what you should fix in the mix. You may find a lot of online mastering studios / houses.

Bio

I was interested in music practicaly since I was born. When I was 4 years old, I was very excited with my father’s old Abba-tapes. I listened to Abba all through my childhood. My next fascination was Italo Disco and later Depeche Mode. When I was 16 years old I started to play the guitar. This was the beginning of my next musical fascination – I started to listen to the rock music and groups like Deep Purple, Dire Straits or even later The Cure. My first tracks was recorded on a 4-track tape machine and these was rather some rock-guitar tracks, not dance. Me and my friends founded some rock groups, one of them called Muzyka Wiatru (The Music of the Wind) released album on MC. Unfortunately there was a time for pop in Poland and nobody was really interested in promoting new rock band. After 6 years I left guitar…more on http://www.janardana.net.

Interesting samples for producers you can find on my website http://www.vipzone-samples.com More useful mixing and mastering tips on http://www.master-your-track.com.

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Linear Style Salsa originated in America, and was mainly developed for the purpose of performing on stage. In Linear style, dancers stay aligned to the same line which makes it easier for viewers to watch. Linear Style is now fast gaining popularity around the world, with two main styles: LA Style and NY Style from Los Angeles and New York respectively.

Music:

Linear Style Salsa has exactly the same music as Cuban Salsa. The music is played in 4/4 with beats 4 and 8 representing a pause and the other beats representing steps. Claves, Congo or the tin drum are often used to mark the main beats of the music. The music is quite similar to Mambo.

Dance:

Linear Style Salsa has a 4/4 rythm. Unlike Cuban style of Salsa, Linear Style does not have a pause on the 4th and 8th beats. Instead, Linear style offers a quick, quick, slow stepping with the slow step taking up two beats of timing. Both dancers dance in a straight line, with most moves ending up with dancers swapping sides while still aligned to the same line. Linear Style salsa also features a lot of moves where the leaders comb themslves, or the followers.

Latinos NZ Popularity Scale: 6/10

Linear Style Salsa is fast gaining popularity in New Zealand. Having said that, most salsers in a Latin Club follow the Cuban style of dancing and the Linear Style is saved for performing on stage.

Get a bit of variation in your Salsa moves with LA and NY styles!

Article taken from Latinos.co.nz (http://www.latinos.co.nz)

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Rumba has two origins: Spanish as well as African. Rumba was first danced by African slaves as early as the 16th century. The Rumba folk dance had sexual connotations with the male having a sexually agressive attitude and the female having a deffensive attitude. It gaining popularity in Latin America in the 1920s.

Music:

Like Salsa, Rumba music is played in 4/4 but the music is much slower at just over 100 bpm. Traditionally, Rumba is danced on the second beat with a pause on the first beat although American style Rumba is danced on the first beat. The forth beat is usually accentuated.

Dance:

Rumba is primarily a sex pantomime. The hip movements are quite exaggerated, especially for the men. The men have a sexually agressive attitude in the dance and the women have a sexually deffensive attitude. The women usually dance with a hankerchief in their hands which is waved in front of the body enticing the men, but when the men react the women quickly cover up. Traditionally, the men attack with their hips by getting very close to the women, but some variations allow men to attack with other parts and from a distance!

Latinos NZ Popularity Scale: 3/10

Rumba is not a very popular dance in New Zealand’s Latin clubs, primarily because Kiwis are fairly reserved on the dance floor. But, as more and more dancers learn the dance it is definitely becoming more popular!

Rumba is the dance of love and sex. So, don’t be scared to have some fun!

Article taken from Latinos.co.nz (http://www.latinos.co.nz)

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Cumbia is a variant of the African Guinean Cumbe music. It originated in Colombia in the early 19th century, when African slaves arrived into what was a Spanish colony at the time. The dance also turned into a courtship ritual. Although originally interpreted with drums and claves, the music was soon Europeanised with guitars and accordians added. Apart from Colombia, Cumbia is also quite popular in Mexico and Chile.

Music:

Cumbia rythm is often classified as Salsa, as it is played in 4/4 as well. For this reason, a lot of dancers new to Salsa confuse Cumbia for Salsa. The first beat is a heavy beat and the third and forth beats are accentuated making the beats similar to a horse-riding beat.

Dance:

Cumbia was originally a courtship ritual. The dance is traditionally danced with women wearing long skirts that they wave around. They often carry candles as well. The men dance behind the women with one hand behind their back and the other hand holding their hat. The hat is taken on and off with the music.

Latinos NZ Popularity Scale: 2.5/10

Cumbia music is rarely played in Latin clubs in New Zealand and when played is often confused for Salsa music by the untrained ear.

Article taken from Latinos.co.nz (http://www.latinos.co.nz)

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Bachata, like Merengue originated in the rural neighbourhoods of the Dominican Republic. Bachata is a sensual romantic dance with romance, heartbreak and sadness being the prevalent themes for the music.

Music:

Bachata music is played in 4/4. Dancers who are new to Latin American Dancing can often confuse this for a slow Salsa. The main difference between the two (apart from the pace of the music) is the use of bongo drums to provide syncopation, with an amplified guitar being the other main instrument.

Dance:

Bachata is a sensual dance with the steps fairly similar to Salsa, although the pace is much slower. The main difference is the replacement of the pause on beats 4 and 8 by a tap by the foot and an upwards jerk with the hip. The tap is often replaced by lifting the foot in the air. Bachata is danced much closer than Salsa and the most common step is a side to side movement, with three steps to the left and a tap followed by three steps to the right and another tap.

Latinos NZ Popularity Scale: 3/10

Bachata is slowly gaining popularity in New Zealand, with more dancers understanding the rythm and dance. On an average night out in a Latin Club, every 10th song would probably be a Bachata.

Give it a shot and get ready to get up close and personal with your partner!

Article taken from Latinos.co.nz (http://www.latinos.co.nz)

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Mambo originated in Havana, Cuba in the 40s. The Mambo was originally played as a Rumba with an emphasis on 2 or 4. Once introduced, it fast led to other variations. Although Mambo did not last long and is only danced by advanced dancers today, it led to other styles that became popular such as Salsa and Cha-cha.

Music:

Mambo is an up-tempo dance rythm, usually around 200 bpm. Mambo, like Salsa is played in 4/4 with all 4 beats being evenly accented. Like a lot of Latin American rythms, percussion forms a very important part of the music.

Dance:

Mambo is probably one of the toughest dances to learn, especially is you are already used to dancing one of the other Latin styles like Salsa. Although the music is 4/4, the stepping is quite different. The steps are taken on the second beat as opposed to the first beat, which is one of the main differences that throw most dancers off. The other difference is that the weight change takes place three times in every four beats whereas only two steps are taken!

Latinos NZ Popularity Scale: 1/10

Mambo is rarely danced in Latin clubs in New Zealand, and is rarely taught in training institutes.

Article taken from Latinos.co.nz (http://www.latinos.co.nz)

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Rueda de Casino originated in Havana, Cuba in the 60s. Rueda is a particular style of Salsa where dancers form a circle and dance in pairs (leaders and followers). All dancers perform the same moves as they are called by the caller and dancers swap partners quite a few times during one dance.

Music:

Rueda’s music is exactly the same as Salsa music, as it is just a variation for the dance and not the music. The music is played in 4/4 with beats 4 and 8 representing a pause and the other beats representing steps. Claves, Congo or the tin drum are often used to mark the main beats of the music.

Dance:

Rueda is a particular style of Salsa where dancers form a circle and dance in pairs (leaders and followers). All dancers then perform the same moves when the moves are called by one person in the circle. Most of the moves involve dancers changing partners and so, dancers find themselves moving around the circle during a dance. A lot of the moves have hand signals to represent them, which is particularly useful when dancers are dancing in a big circle or in a noisy environment when it is not particularly easy to hear the caller. Most Rueda moves are common to partner dancing in Salsa, whereas some are specific only to the group variation of the dance.

Latinos NZ Popularity Scale: 7/10

Rueda is quite popular in New Zealand and is quickly gaining popularity with more dancers getting used to the dance. On an average night out in a Latin Club in New Zealand, you will often see Rueders get together for a few Ruedas.

Why dance with just one, when you can dance with them all?!

Article taken from Latinos.co.nz (http://www.latinos.co.nz)

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[Question Yaya! Who do you think you are?

Yaya Diallo – I don’t think! I am Farafin, which means I am a dark skin man. The word Africa is the Arabic name for our continent. In Bambara we call the so-called Africa Farafina. Farafina means the land of dark skin people. I am from Farafina and I am proud of it. I don’t want to be somebody else. People in general say African American. I would say American Farafin, which means dark skin human being who lives in America.

[Question What is your African background?

Yaya Diallo – I come from far away. I was born in 1946 in Fienso (French Sudan), now Mali. My parents were nomadic. When I was very young I used to travel a lot. I grew up in the bush far from any western civilization. The music that I heard was very traditional and played live. I did not have a radio or TV. I had the opportunity to listen to the music of the different ethnic groups from the Ivory Coast, Burkina and Ghana. In some villages I heard Muslim songs coming from the mosques. By night, I would enjoy the frog symphonic orchestras. From 1946 to 1960 I was living in complete nature. My musical training is a long story but you can learn more from my book The Healing Drum.

[Question What are your feelings about the civilized world?

Yaya Diallo – In the city I had strange feelings. I saw people listen to music through what I thought was two kinds of boxes. The first was a radio. You could change the singer with the tuning button, I thought. The second needed records. It read 78, 45 and 33 1/2. You had to adjust everything with something but I did not have a clue as to what. Even still, the only music that I heard was the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Johnny Holliday.

[Question What do you think about the word African American?

Yaya Diallo – Dark skin people living in America are not different from people I met in Africa (Farafina). To me they are just different ethnic groups like the Yoruba, the Bantou, the Zoulou or the Touareg. Africa is not one culture. We have thousands and thousands of languages and different music. My wife is an African American from Louisville, KY. Her mother is from Dark Corner, MS and her father from Jackson, TN. Like my wife and family there was one African American man, James Brown, who saved my life with his music.

[Question How can an African American man save the life of a traditional African?

Yaya Diallo – In 1967 I left my country to go to Montreal, Canada. On my way, in Paris, I saw a big picture of James Brown in the Olympia Theater. In my mind I thought, Oh! A black man in Olympia in Paris, France. In Montreal I was looking for a place to dance or listen to the music that I loved. One day I found a radio station that played black music. I heard James Brown and felt at home.

[Question What do you think about African American music?

Yaya Diallo – I always say that I don’t think, I feel. When we talk about African American music we talk about Spirituals, Blues, Funk, Jazz, Gospel, Rap, dance music, etc. I want to talk on each one by one.

When people in Canada were dancing the twist, jerk and go-go, in my country a French man named Johnny Holliday was playing bad versions of Wilson Pickett and Ray Charles music in French. In America I found out this French man was a robber. He stole the music, sang it in French and looked like a genius for us Africans.

[Question What did you feel when you started to dance?

Yaya Diallo – I used to go out to dance to Wilson Pickett, James Brown, and Sly and the Family Stones music. For me they were Africans. They had good beats, good feelings and most important, African Soul. I did not feel that from Chinese or European music. In the 70s I discovered the Funk music, The O’Jays, Parliament, Ohio Players, Kool and the Gang and JR Walker and the All Stars. I felt I was at home when I knew the Motown Family (Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Temptations and Stevie Wonder). I could survive because I had those kinds of musicians.

[Question In terms of music, what is the link between African and African Americans?

Yaya Diallo – African Americans are Africans from the village and sadly they just don’t know it! When you listen to the music you can find out. Kool and The Gang played Funky Stuff. When you listen to the drum part you will get the Dounouba part of the dance Sounou. Sounou was played in the 15th century and today is the dance young people love. In Africa we learn the past in the present and teach it to the next generation. The African Americans sometimes do not know how African they are.

[Question Why can you say that they are African?

Yaya Diallo – The first time I heard the Four Tops I thought I was listening to the Bambara Farmers in the evening after a hard working day. The Temptations reminded me of the men Fire dancers and singers. I can listen to Temptations but I am afraid to see them. I am not initiated to the Fire dance and the music brings out memories about the secret ceremonies that happened afar in the village. Aretha Franklin is for me a great Djeli-mousso coming from the Empire of Mali in the 13th century. When I listen to African American music I don’t worry about the meaning, only what I feel.

[Question What do you think about Jazz?

Yaya Diallo – Really, to tell the truth, I don’t feel jazz. Many people coming from Africa feel the same way. I learned about jazz in 1980 when I recorded my first album, Nangape, on Onzou Records. That opened the door for me with jazz. Jazz magazines like Cadence and Down Beat wrote articles on me like I was a jazz man. I was invited to do workshops at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, NY. I met jazz big names like Art Blakey. He said, Yaya is the only African that I can jazz, that I can play with and be comfortable. I completed a trio with Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell in the Symphony Space in New York.

[Question What about Gospel?

Yaya Diallo – To me gospel means religion or church but my father-in-law changed my mind. When going to church with him I saw a big band and a big choir. People were singing and I forgot that I was in church. I was surprised; I saw ladies in a trance like in my village but they called it shouting. This reminded me of the Mania Secret Society where only woman go into a trance when praising god (See The Healing Drum).

[Question What is rap?

Yaya Diallo – I love rap! I use to lie about buying rap and say that it was for my children. Rap is the old tradition of the Fulani people in Mali. It tells life stories through poetry that is recited quickly. Nomadic people have to explain their daily journey through this same quick form, but without the foul language. Today, the young people think that they have reinvented the wheel.

[Question Yaya, what is wrong with African American music today?

Yaya Diallo – Today everything is easy. Instead of buying a drum set you buy a drum machine. Computers do everything. You can get almost every sound by pressing a button. This is the type of world that we live in today. The young Africans love it like we used to love James Brown. Time is the only thing that has changed!

[Question How did African American music change American Society?

Yaya Diallo – We changed everything! We changed the style of dance; we created new sounds, new styles, and new way to dress … EVERYTHING! Country music is the white version of the Blues. Rock-n-roll comes from our music. People forget that Jimmie Hendricks was a Blues player that just changed his sound and look. Without James Brown, Sly and Family Stone and the Motown Family there would be no Madonna, no Celiene Dion, no techno, and no disco. African Americans brought this to the world. It is sad because people do not recognize it. We changed the world and it will never be the same again.

[Question How do people know you in America?

Yaya Diallo – I am the author of two books, The Healing Drum and At the Threshold of the African Soul. I have four CDs, Nanagape, The Healing Drum, Dombaa Folee, and Dounoukan. I thank Onzou Records, the first company that trusted me to make my first album in 1980. That was not easy!

The History of African American Music by Malian musician/author Yaya Diallo was written to celebrate Black History Month. The article is translated into English by LaKesha Churn and edited for English grammar and clarification by Stephen Conroy, Producer/Publisher of the independent label to first produce Yaya Diallo in 1980 on Onzou records, http://www.onzou.com

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