Sjoerd Kerkstra (Kerkstra) is an accomplished musician and producer from the Netherlands. When asked about his musical influences, he lists an eclectic bunch that includes the likes of Dmitri Shostakovich, Maurice Ravel, Steve Reich, Charlie Rouse, Milton Nascimento, Jai Paul, Machinedrum and Q-Tip. 

In Havana, Sjoerd teamed up with the vocal ensemble Sexto Sentido. “I knew I wanted to work with Sexto Sentido about 30 seconds into the Youtube home video of them casually singing 'Canto a Elegguá',” he remarks. “It took me about 10 minutes and three replays to close my mouth.”


01 Eleggua Feat. Sexto Sentido - Kerkstra

Emerging from South London is producer Rukaiya Russell, a music lover from the days of TDK and Sony Walkman. Influenced by 1970s soul, funk, dance, house and garage music, Rukaiya’s travels around the world also exposed her to a variety of sounds, including zouk, salsa, merengue and hiplife.  

Rukaiya had the opportunity to record “Para ti” with the female vocal quartet Sexto Sentido: “They are so professional and on point. Their vocal arrangements are endless—we could have been in the studio all day trying different things!  It was a pleasure and honor to work with such talented ladies.” 

02 Para Ti Feat. Sexto Sentido - Rukaiya Russell

Enrique Maresma (Kike Wolf) is one of the founders of the acid techno movement in Cuba. For over 10 years, he has been working as a DJ in several venues in Havana and contributes to some of the island’s most important electronic festivals, including Primavera, Rotilla and Proelectrónica. As a music producer, he seeks to provoke abstract changes in sound to achieve a more acute feeling. 

“This is all new to me. I’ve always done things on my own. Not once did I imagine that I would record for the first time with these beasts!” says Kike, reflecting on the experience of working with some of Havana’s highest caliber musicians. 


03 La Vida No Vale Nada - Kike Wolf

Sub bass, dirty drums, spheres and soulful voice cuts are the core of Saint Petersburg-based producer Gleb Voev (Raumskaya)’s sound. He is one of the creators of Beryoza Russian Ghetto Community project— “Our childhood memories incarnated in bass music and pop melodies from the past,” he explains. 

“Daymé has a beautiful, powerful voice and a big, romantic heart,” comments Gleb. “I think we created a soundtrack for life filled with emotions and kindness— it’s a song about love as the music in my life.”


04 U Knew Before Feat. Daymé Arocena- Raumskaya

Chillum Trio is the solo project of Hungarian producer Géza Szekeres. Drawing from a wide range of influences—soul, jazz, afro beat, hip hop, bossa, dub and electronica—, Géza’s vision is to marry the dusty sound of the 60s and 70s’s with modern electronic vibes. 

In Cuba, Géza collaborated with Coki and Yeni from the rumba group Aguiri-Yo. “My devotion to West African music led me on a search for Cuba’s African roots,” he explains. “When Coki and Yeni came to the studio, they sang an amazing song dedicated to Yemaya— the Yoruba goddess of the sea. Yeni’s awareness of Coki’s presence just blew me away and their vocals matched my music seamlessly.” 


05 Yemaya Feat. Coqui & Yeni - Chillum Trio

Moisés Poblete (noi5er)’s favorite instrument is the synthesizer, but he’s also skilled with drums, the guitar, keyboards, and percussion. After a degree in Sound Engineering Execution, he went on to produce and record various artists in his native Chile while simultaneously pursuing personal sound projects. 

 On the experience of working with Cuban musicians on his track “Me lleva La Habana”, Moisés reflects: 
“It was crucial to add a lot of percussion and it needed to be perfectly executed, with lots of energy and groove. Adel—the percussionist that played the congas, shakers and timbaletas—understood this straight away. I also needed a powerful voice, rhythmic and with lots of soul. Daymé, with her undeniable vocal virtuosity, added character and personality to the song.”


06 Me Ileva La Habana Feat. Daymé Arocena  - noi5er

South African producer Dale Awethu (Seu Seppie) describes his sound as a blend of dancehall and Latin rhythms. “Anything that gets a booty-shake out of listeners,” he explains. Raised in Cape Town, he discovered his love for Latin music when his travels took him to Brazil in 2007. 

During his stint in Havana’s Abdala Studios, Dale recorded with Yassell Sotomayor, the lead voice from Los Niches. “El Niche is a born songwriter with an excellent ear for groove and catchy phrases,” says Dale. “On ‘Traigo’—a track which was made for summer—he came in and added his boisterous vocals, taking the song to the next level.”


07 Traigo Feat. El Niche - Seu Seppie

Emerging from South London is producer Rukaiya Russell, a music lover from the days of TDK and Sony Walkman. Influenced by 1970s soul, funk, dance, house and garage music, Rukaiya’s travels around the world also exposed her to a variety of sounds, including zouk, salsa, merengue and hiplife.  

Reflecting on the experience of working with Los Niches & Charly Mucha Rima on her uplifting “Ritmo sensorial”, Rukaiya says: “They immediately caught the vibe and went with it. I had seen them perform and loved their energy on stage and their hooks. That's exactly what they bring to the track.”  


08 Ritmo Sensorial Feat. Los Niches & Charly Mucha Rima - Rukaiya Russell

Sergio García (Teipah) is a Chilean producer with a passion for urban beats. A few years ago, he formed a group called Doblejotas, which is part of his home city of Ovalle’s underground music project, Zoonoise. Sergio is currently experimenting by transforming instrumental beats with native South American sounds. 

El B, from the underground rap duo Los Aldeanos, was Sergio’s co-writer of choice for the hip hop track he wanted to record. “It was in Cuba that I realized everything that I could do,” he says. “I came up with the instrumentals where I combined jazz with hip hop and a bit of Cuban filín. When I showed it to El B, it was spontaneous— it all fit with what he had been doing for a while.”

09 Mañana  Feat. El B - Teipah

Sjoerd Kerkstra (Kerkstra) is an accomplished musician and producer from the Netherlands. When asked about his musical influences, he lists an eclectic bunch that includes the likes of Dmitri Shostakovich, Maurice Ravel, Steve Reich, Charlie Rouse, Milton Nascimento, Jai Paul, Machinedrum and Q-Tip. 

Sjoerd recorded a freestyle piece by underground hip hop artist Etián Brebaje Man. “Etián took me on an unforgettable walking tour of Old Havana, which involved graffiti artists; a hip hop studio in an extremely small concrete room at the end of a rickety ladder; rap duets with random bike taxi drivers and freestyles while walking,” he recalls. “In the meantime we discussed life, music, Cuba, family and the Orishas in a combination of Spanish and English.”

10 Soy Cubano Feat. Etián Brebaje Man - Kerkstra

Although he hails from the northern German city of Bremen, Jan Elsner (DJ MonoKey) was immersed in Latin music from an early age through his parents’ band. When he was only 18 and after spending several months volunteering to preserve wildlife in Costa Rica, he decided to start his own company to transform his passion for mixing and electronic music into a career. 

DJ MonoKey co-wrote “Volar en lo profundo” with Cuban rapper Barbaro “El Urbano” Vargas. “The idea of the song arose through intense conversations and crazy parties in Havana,” recalls Jan. “We had an incredible flow of creativity. Barbaro is not only one of the best rappers—he’s also a real poet.”

12 Volar en lo profundo Feat Barbaro - DJ MonoKey

An active member of the Swiss rap scene since he was a teenager, Merlin Cornu has released no less than one hundred tracks. A few years ago, he turned his attention to electronic music and, along his Bern-based group, Maximizerz, won the “Best Innovative Track” award at the 2013 Street Parade. 
Merlin blended Daymé Arocena’s powerful vocals into his track “Sandunga”. “When I met Daymé for the first time, she was singing over a deep blues track,” remembers Merlin. “Within seconds, I became a fan of this incredible person.  To me, she represents the spirit of Cuba: warm-hearted, joyful, and spreading good vibes.”


11 Sandunga Feat. Daymé Arocena — Merlin Cornu

Bass

Clap 4x4

Clap 6x8

Guaguanco 1

Guaguanco 2

Columbia

Yambu 1

Yambu 2

Yambu 3

Havana Cultura is a global initiative for the promotion of contemporary Cuban culture.

It is made possible by Cuban rum maker Havana Club International S.A. 

Havana Cultura

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