As soon as I step into the streets of Old Havana, I hear music: salsa blasting from a whizzing pedicab; the pregón of street-sellers announcing their wares; a tender love
Havana s street music goes quiet
The streets of Cuba s capital, Havana, are usually filled with music. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, however, such live music performances are currently not possible. The musicians have to play without an audience or else improvise.
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Alternative music in Cuba is heard and danced increasingly more and better. The support of traditional labels for these new and unique styles is still insufficient, but young people have found in independent productions a new way to bring their creations to larger audiences.
The groups that we share below have moved away from commercial and traditional genres. With hybrid sounds and sometimes bold lyrics, these creators bet heavily on audiovisual productions to make themselves known. They know that media space for alternative music in Cuba is limited, so they take advantage of every opportunity and trust that their music will play on mobile phones, flash drives and any other digital device.