Moombahton
Moombahton | |
---|---|
Stylistic origins | Reggaeton, House music (primarily Dutch house or electro house) |
Cultural origins | March 2010 Washington, D.C.[1] |
Moombahton is a fusion genre of house music and reggaeton that was created by American DJ and producer Dave Nada[2] (born David Villeagas) in Washington, D.C., in the fall of 2010.[3] Musically, moombahton is essentially Dutch house or electro house at the tempo of reggaeton (usually 108-115 beats per minute) with reggaeton influenced drum and percussion elements. Other features include "thick basslines, dramatic buildups, a two-step pulse, and quick drum fills."[4]
Origins
Dave Nada agreed to play a "school-skipping party" for his younger cousin in the fall of 2009. When he arrived he realized the attendees were dancing to reggaeton and bachata, while he was planning on playing house and club music.[5] He solved this predicament by slowing down the Afrojack remix of the Silvio Ecomo & DJ Chuckie song "Moombah" from 128BPM to 108BPM. The name of the fusion genre itself comes from the portmanteau of "moombah" and "reggaeton."
Between fall 2009 and spring 2010, Nada perfected his vision of the new sub-genre in the recording studio to create a five track extended play of newly-developed moombahton tracks that was released in March 2010 with the promotional assistance and support of DJ Ayres and DJ Tittsworth at T & A Records[6]
Although Dave Nada has been properly credited with the naming of the genre and beginning the movement known as Moombahton, the concept of combining reggae/dancehall/reggaeton percussion with electronic elements dates back much farther . Examples of artists which fused Latin and electronic dance music prior to moombahton include unwatch, El General, Masters at Work, Diplo, Bro Safari, Munchi, DJ Blass, CTLGD, Whaatafck, Luny Tunes, Jowell & Randy, & DJ Scuff. Sam Kleefisch has stated "There was some electronic influence in both reggaeton and dancehall pre-moombahton, I would say some people who could definitely lay some claim to being legitimately ‘pre-moombahton’."
Moombahton has also been incorporated into existing styles of music, creating fusion genres such as Moombahsoul and Moombahcore, a genre fusing the tempo and percussion of moombahton with the aggressive, distorted sounds of modern dubstep.
Recent developments
Recently, moombahton has seen glances of mainstream success with successful electronic dance music duo Knife Party including 'Sleaze' (Previously entitled 'Until They Kick Us Out'), a moombahton track featuring vocals from MistaJam on their latest release, Rage Valley; and Diplo's Express Yourself EP, comprised entirely of moombahton productions.
On the 4th of January 2012, Beatport had made an official 'end of year' chart dedicated to Moombahton. In February 2012, Dillon Francis became the first moombahton artist to achieve the number one spot atop the Beatport Top 5 Releases Chart, with the release of his EP Something, Something Awesome.
There are an array of YouTube promotional sites dedicated to the genre such as MoombaBlasta, AllThingsMoombahton, MoombaPlus and many more
References
- ^ Yenigun, Sami (March 18, 2011). "Moombahton: Born In D.C., Bred Worldwide". NPR. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ Fischer, Jonathan L. (December 24, 2010). "Our Year in Moombahton: How a local DJ created a genre, and why D.C.'s ascendant dance scene couldn't contain it". Washington City Paper. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (March 5, 2010). "Dave Nada, Creator of Moombahton". The Fader. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ Fischer, Jonathan L. (December 24, 2010). "Our Year in Moombahton: How a local DJ created a genre, and why D.C.'s ascendant dance scene couldn't contain it". Washington City Paper. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ Patel, Puja. "Hot New Sound: Moombahton Goes Boom!". Spin. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ "Dave Nada - Moombahton". T&A Records. Retrieved November 17, 2011.