Bombo Records

Latin (as a genre label) is a broad umbrella used by the recording industry to categorize popular music rooted in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Iberian world, often characterized by syncopated Afro-diasporic rhythms, dance-forward grooves, and lyrics primarily in Spanish or Portuguese. As a marketplace category that took shape in the mid-20th century United States, it gathers diverse traditions—Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Mexican, and Caribbean styles—into a shared space. In practice, "Latin" spans everything from big-band mambo and bolero ballads to contemporary pop, rock, hip hop, and dance fusions produced by artists of Latin American heritage.

Currulao is an Afro-Pacific music and dance tradition from Colombia’s Pacific coast, centered around the marimba de chonta, hand drums (cununos), bass drums (bombos), and the guasá shaker. It is typically in a lilting 6/8 metre with interlocking polyrhythms, call‑and‑response vocals, and cyclical marimba ostinatos that create a trance-like forward motion. The genre is performed at community festivities, patron saint celebrations, and social dances, and it also has close ties to ritual song traditions in the region. While strongly rooted in Afro‑Colombian culture, currulao is also heard in northern Ecuador, and in recent decades it has informed contemporary fusions and urban styles from Cali and the wider Pacific region.