Gilles Peterson

Havana Cultura recently brought globetrotting DJ and tastemaker Gilles Peterson to the Cuban capital. This led to an historic recording session with Havana’s best up-and-coming talent, and a double CD of outstanding Cuban music.

Gilles Peterson Q&As

Q. So why music from Havana?

Cuba has always had a huge musical heritage and no where more so can this be found in the city of Havana. Whether you’re strolling down the Paseo del Prado, jumping in a cab or just walking past an open window you never have to listen hard to hear the music. It’s the very lifeblood of the city itself - you can feel the energy and vibe as soon as you near the crumbling city wall. Music is in my bones and I’ve always been a fan of a good mojito so I just couldn’t resist the urge to spend some time there and truly discover the musical talent behind the incredible sounds of this city.

Q. Why the name Havana Cultura?

Havana Cultura is an art project run by Havana Club which showcases the work of artists living in Havana and other Cuban artists living across the globe, and we collaborated with them on the album from the start. Culture in Havana couldn’t be more synonymous than it is with music and we couldn’t have done this project without drawing on Havana Cultura’s huge knowledge of up and coming local talent and genuine sense of Cuban culture. By listening to the album you get to experience the very soul of the city itself and we wanted the name of the album to reflect this.

Q. What did you know about music from Havana and Cuba before you embarked on the album?

I was a big fan of what they call Musica Cubana Moderna which was the music of artists like Irakere and Pablo Torres as well as playing over the years brilliant salsa and timba from people like Los Van Van. Of course I have been seduced by the Buena Vista Social Club but had no idea of the strength of the reggaeton and hip-hop scenes.

Q. Has the music moved on since the Buena Vista Social Club?

Music from Cuba and the artists behind it will always be massively distinctive to Cuba but just like the country itself it’s moved on massively since Buena Vista. The last few years has really seen an explosion in the diversity of the Cuban music scene as well as outside influences come in such as reggaeton and hip-hop and electronic dance music. Gilles Peterson Presents Havana Cultura features this new generation of artists delivering the very freshest sounds Cuba has got to offer.

Q. How would you describe the contemporary sounds of Havana?

You hear so much diversity on the streets of Havana – salsa, timba, descarga, rumba, are all major influences of course. I have always been interested in the link between African and Cuban music (dating back to the slave trade) and wanted to stand it on its head by doing a Cuban version of a Fela Kuti song (Roforofo Fight).

Q. What are Cuban musicians influenced by?  Are there any western musicians that are particularly popular, for example?

The biggest music on the street is reggaeton which has spread all over the Caribbean and latin america and the organic sound of the rumba. You hear reggaeton everywhere in Havana. But hip-hop is also popular and the recent death of Michael Jackson had a massive impact in Cuba as it did in the whole world. But increasingly Cuba is becoming part of the wider world especially with the spread of the internet and now you can hear the influence of R’n’B, hip-hop, rock, dance music and reggae too

Q. Where did you record the album?

The majority of the album was recorded at the legendary Egrem recording studios in downtown Havana, where all the major figures of the Cuban music scene have recorded including Benny More’, Arsenio Rodriguez and of course the BVSC. However, we really wanted this album to take the listener on a musical journey and to really get under the skin of the city so we spent quite a bit of time recording elements of the tracks at the houses of the various artists involved as well as just recording the sounds of the city itself, which we later built into the tracks.

Q. Who worked with you on the album’s production?

The album was co-produced with Vince Vella, an Italian Cuban music fan, who I had met in a London club where I was spinning and the legendary jazz pianist Roberto Fonseca, who turned out to be my overall saviour and chief of operations during the recording. Fonseca also brought his 4 piece band, which you can hear throughout much of the album.

Q. How did you find/choose the artists you collaborated with?

A number of the artists that you hear on the album we actually found through the Havana-Cultura website. A number of the artists that you hear on the album we actually found through the Havana-Cultura website, which was set up by Havana Club to help give locally based artists a chance to show their work on a global scale. The website and Havana club team proved to be a huge resource, helping to put us in touch with artists and musicians in the area. Both Vince and Roberto had lots of contacts too that we were able to tap into when we were out there.
Before recording the album we also spent quite a bit of time in Havana meeting and spending time with the various artists – this really immersed us in the local music scene and put us in contact with lots of other musicians and artists, some of whom had never recorded an album before but where just so incredibly talented.

Q. Was it an easy process getting the album produced?

It went like a dream. We expected problems in working in such a different culture, but actually found everyone we dealt with to be incredibly positive and helpful and the musicians and vocalists were so talented and professional that I think we recorded it quicker than if we had done it in Europe.

Q. Will any of the artists be performing in Europe/Canada/South America?

Yes, absolutely. Roberto Fonseca is on a jazz tour at the moment with his band, which will see him perform in London and across Europe. Kumar is also really busy on the world music scene – he’s been playing at festivals in Italy, Spain and Portugal over the summer and next year is already looking busy for him. Gente De Zona are riding the crest of the reggaeton wave in Latin America and performing all over.

Q. Will you be doing any events with the artists?

Yes, we are having an album launch party in Paris in November and possibly London where we hope to present the Havana Cultura Band, featuring the vocalists Danay and Ogguere. I’ll never forget hearing them for the first time in Havana when we were recording the album – their sound was incredible and I’m really looking forward to seeing the audience’s reaction at the launch party.

Q. Where next?  Will you produce another album?

For me the Havana-Cultura album is just the beginning, and we’re really excited about where this is going to take us. I genuinely believe that the artists on this album are going to have a big affect on world music over the years to come and we’ll be going on that journey with them.

The Artwork
Alexandre Arrechea & Youri Lenquette

The graphic design for Gilles Peterson’s Havana Cultura CD was entrusted to Alexandre Arrechea — a surprising choice, considering that Arrechea is not known as a graphic designer; he’s a Cuban painter, sculptor and conceptual artist who regularly shows his work in galleries and museums around the world. So Arrechea wound up doing what he does best. He created a piece of art. His black-and-red CD sleeve is a homage to Havana, evoking walls layered with life and soul, a city boiling over with creativity — a perfect metaphor for the monumental, multi-layered musical offering within. Arrachea’s inside photo of a man carrying a load of bricks might be a wink in the direction of Peterson, who has, at times, staggered under the weight of his enormous record collection in London. For the cover of the CD package, Arrechea chose a lively photo of Peterson watching the world go by on a Havana street corner. The photo was shot by Youri Lenquette, a world-renowned French music photographer who has spent many months of his life in Havana photographing Cuban musicians. While he may be best known for his work with rock stars, Lenquette has returned again and again to Cuba since 1995 when he discovered the country and its music. When an interviewer once asked him to think of any musician from any time in history he might have wished to photograph, Lenquette replied with the name of the legendary Cuban singer and bandleader, Benny Moré.