GENRE

Global drum patterns.

Caribbean, African and Latin rhythms built on the offbeat, the clave and the dembow, from one-drop reggae to amapiano's log drums.

455 grooves
5 styles
1950–2023
24 landmarks

Landmark records

24 of 24 grooves

1950
Latin
Mambo No. 5 Open Mambo No. 5 in a new tab
Pérez Prado
Big-band mambo: punchy brass stabs over Cuban percussion; recorded in 1949 and released the next year
1962
Latin
Oye Como Va Open Oye Como Va in a new tab
Tito Puente
Cha-cha-chá driven by Puente's timbales and a looping piano montuno; the original that Santana later rocked up
1965
Reggae
Guns of Navarone Open Guns of Navarone in a new tab
The Skatalites
Skatalites ska with Lloyd Knibb on drums: the fast shuffle and off-beat accents that every later Jamaican groove slowed down
1967
Reggae
Rock Steady Open Rock Steady in a new tab
Alton Ellis
The song that named rocksteady: ska cut to a slower, heavier pulse that gives the bass and the off-beat room to breathe
1973
Reggae
Stir It Up Open Stir It Up in a new tab
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Catch a Fire re-recording; Carlton Barrett's laid-back one-drop feel took the Wailers' groove to an international audience
1974
Latin
Quimbara Open Quimbara in a new tab
Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Salsa standard from Celia & Johnny (National Recording Registry); clave-driven congas and timbales behind Celia
1976
Reggae
King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown Open King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown in a new tab
Augustus Pablo & King Tubby
Dub touchstone: King Tubby strips Carlton Barrett's drums and the bass to the bone, using echo and drop-outs as rhythm
1976
Afrobeats
Zombie Open Zombie in a new tab
Fela Kuti & Africa 70
Tony Allen's Afrobeat drumming: interlocking hi-hat, kick and snare driving a long, militant groove
1981
Reggae
Sponji Reggae Open Sponji Reggae in a new tab
Black Uhuru
Sly & Robbie's Taxi sound: Sly Dunbar's crisp, militant rockers drumming pushed roots toward the tighter 80s style
1982
Dancehall
Bam Bam Open Bam Bam in a new tab
Sister Nancy
Voiced on Ansell Collins' Stalag 17 riddim; one of the most sampled Jamaican records and a riddim-culture cornerstone
1985
Dancehall
Under Mi Sleng Teng Open Under Mi Sleng Teng in a new tab
Wayne Smith
Built from a Casio MT-40 preset with King Jammy; one of the first all-digital riddims, it moved dancehall to programmed drums
1990
Dancehall
Dem Bow Open Dem Bow in a new tab
Shabba Ranks
Bobby Digital production on Steely & Clevie's Poco Man Jam riddim; the boom-ch-boom-chick loop that named dembow
1991
Reggaeton
Te Ves Buena Open Te Ves Buena in a new tab
El General
Panamanian reggae en español: Spanish deejaying over dancehall riddims, the bridge that carried the beat to Puerto Rico
1992
Dancehall
Murder She Wrote Open Murder She Wrote in a new tab
Chaka Demus & Pliers
Sly Dunbar on drums for a re-cut of the Bam Bam rhythm; Sly & Robbie's digitized dancehall, re-used for decades
1992
Latin
Como la Flor Open Como la Flor in a new tab
Selena y Los Dinos
Tejano cumbia standard: the loping cumbia pulse carried into US Latin pop
2002
Dancehall
No Letting Go Open No Letting Go in a new tab
Wayne Wonder
Biggest vocal hit on Lenky Marsden's Diwali riddim, whose handclap-led pattern crossed into US and UK pop
2002
Latin
Obsesión Open Obsesión in a new tab
Aventura
Modern bachata with R&B polish; seven weeks at No. 1 in France and the record that took bachata international
2004
Reggaeton
Gasolina Open Gasolina in a new tab
Daddy Yankee
Luny Tunes-assisted Barrio Fino single; first reggaeton song in the US Hot 100 Top 40, taking the dembow loop global
2011
Afrobeats
Oliver Twist Open Oliver Twist in a new tab
D'banj
First Nigerian song to debut on the UK Singles Chart (No. 9); bouncy programmed afropop drums go global
2013
Reggaeton
6 AM Open 6 AM in a new tab
J Balvin feat. Farruko
Medellín breakthrough: a smoother, mid-tempo romantic dembow that set up Colombia's 2010s reggaeton wave
2014
Afrobeats
Ojuelegba Open Ojuelegba in a new tab
Wizkid
Legendury Beatz production; its Drake and Skepta remix carried the swung afrobeats groove into UK and US rap
2020
Reggaeton
Dákiti Open Dákiti in a new tab
Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez
Tainy and Mora's slow-burning, futuristic reggaeton: thumping kicks under wavy synths, a template for the 2020s
2020
Afrobeats
Sponono Open Sponono in a new tab
Kabza De Small
Amapiano log-drum bass and shuffling percussion with Wizkid and Burna Boy guesting; South Africa meets Nigeria
2023
Afrobeats
Water Open Water in a new tab
Tyla
Amapiano-pop crossover that won the first Grammy for Best African Music Performance; the log-drum groove goes global