Mecánica
The mecánica is a timba moment in which the band is stripped back to the skeleton after a cierre: the percussion goes silent, the piano keeps playing its tumbao and the kick drum (bombo) plays two hits per side of the clave.
⚙️ What happens?
- First a cierre: the orchestra interrupts the ongoing rhythm.
- Percussion stops: congas, timbales and the rest of the drums drop out.
- Piano stays: the piano holds on to its tumbao, so the harmony and the groove keep going.
- Kick keeps counting: two hits per side of the clave, a tight, almost mechanical pulse. Hence the name.
All three revolve around the rhythm section, but they work differently:
- Mecánica: thinned out; almost only piano and kick drum.
- Bomba: a heavy, funky groove led by the bass.
- Masacote: a short, intense burst from the rhythm section.
💃 For dancers
The empty space makes the pulse very clear. It is a moment to shift down, or to build tension for what comes next.
📝 Sources
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.
Lees meer >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.
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The conga (also called tumbadora) is the primary hand drum of Cuban music and the rhythmic backbone of timba, son, rumba, and salsa.
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The clave is a fundamental rhythmic pattern and organizing principle in Cuban music. It serves as both a musical pattern and a guiding concept, deeply rooted in Afro-Cuban traditions.
Lees meer >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.
Lees meer >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.
Lees meer >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.
Lees meer >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.
Lees meer >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.
Lees meer >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.
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