An explosive mixture of House, Yoruba chant and Afro-Cuban percussion, Sin Palabras was initiated by Jean Claude Gue, a French DJ who went to Havana on holiday in 1994 and never left. Instead he built a studio in the heart of the city which became a meeting place for DJs, percussionists, rappers and anyone else drawn to new urban roots sounds. It also functions as a rehearsal space, art-gallery and one of the best party venues in town.

The original Sin Palabras line-up featured the two percussionists, nicknamed "El Charangero" and "El Teacher", the Cuban DJ Mandi and keyboardist Yamel Rotero Joto. For their debut Piranha album "House of Drums", producer Poney Gross also invited Tambor de Firmin to come in and play the ancestral rhythms of the Afro-Cuban tradition. These percussionists and singers usually perform at the religious ceremonies of the Santeria cult, originally brought to Cuba by African slaves. And to show that the youth are still in touch with their roots, the young rappers of Proyecto F appear with a rap honouring the Cuban Santeria.

Booking

Line up

• Armando Fernandez De Castro Fernandez (DJ)
• Eduardo Lazaga Salgado (percussion)
• Jean-Claude Gué (director)
• José Eladio Amat Medina (percussion)
• Reinaldo Sanchez Alonso (sound engineer)
• René Llaguno Roque (technician)
• Yamel Rotero Joto (keyboards)

Links

• Sin Palabras website