bachata

bachata is a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and rural marginal neighborhoods of the dominican republic. its subjects are usually romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. in fact, the original term used to name the genre used to be “amargue” (“bitterness,” or “bitter music”), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term bachata became popular.

bachata grew out of – and is still closely related to – the pan latin-american romantic style called bolero. over time, it has been influenced by merengue – a fast paced danceable music also native to the dominican republic – and by a variety of latin american guitar styles.

the music itself is played in 4/4. the most recognizable aspect of bachata instrumentation is the use of an amplified guitar (either electric or acoustic) whose sound has been doctored with a fl-ng-r, reverb, echo, or a combination of the three. the use of arpeggiated chords as the basis for the melody is almost standard. an additional guitar, usually mixed at a lower volume, may be used to provide a basic backbeat, although an electric b-ss guitar may be used instead. the use of bongo drums as to provide both syncopation and occasional percusive accents is also a feature of bachata; bongo solos during chorus breaks in bachata songs are rather common.

bachata is a popular guitar music from the dominican republic.

aventura – solo por un beso
aventura – los infieles
when a merengue band slows down, it’s playing bachata, the other music of the dominican republic. marked by the bright sound of cleanly plucked guitar, bachata moves at the same pace as latin america’s other romantic ballad form, the bolero. but bachata is very different. a music of the undercl-ss, bachata was banned from mainstream radio for decades because of its tough, streetwise subject matter. singers openly discussed crime and prost-tution in their songs, and though their alb-ms were top sellers, bachata records never appeared on official charts. in the 1990s, mainstream musicians began to experiment with the style, and bachata was rehabilitated.
alex bueno, andy andy, anthony santos, aventura, edilio paredes, eladio romero santos, frank reyes, leonardo paniagua, monchy & alexandra, juan manuel, victor victor, los toros band, xtreme, marcy place, raulin rodriguez, bachata heightz
flat -ss
yo willie, look at that -ss, bachata.
a spanish word pertaining to over 30’s desperate and dateless b-lls or singles nights for people past there prime.
sometimes used to describe where music has gone to die.
bachata festival sydney