Brooklyn’s Los Hacheros, modern-day torchbearers of the Golden Age of Latin music. Their beat revives folkloric styles like son montuno, guaracha and salsa, and often combines them with Bomba, a fiery rhythm from the mountains of Puerto Rico.
Their debut album Pilon was a well-received introduction to the band and received critical praise from tastemakers including Wax Poetics, Vibe Magazine, and The Washington City Paper, amongst others. Wax Poetics states, “The groove to this music is deep,” while The City Paper boasts, “…its solid arrangements and lively original songs have impressed old-school salseros and young music fans alike.”
“Bambulaye was recorded to be gritty, driving, and infectious, with the goal to get you up and dancing from first listen.” says producer / guitarist Jacob Plasse, also founder of the Daptone-distributed Latin revival label, Chulo Records. “I wanted this record to feel and sound the way it does when we play our final sets at 3am, exhausted in East Harlem dives. Suddenly the band comes to life and all the old dancers are at it like it was 1970 again. In those moments, we feel like we could play all night.”
Los Hacheros revives folkloric styles like son montuno, guaracha and salsa, and often combine them with Bomba, a fiery rhythm from the mountains of Puerto Rico. “Los Hacheros has the magic of group improvisation,” adds bassist William Ash. “We play in a style that is swing oriented and emphasizes the Cuban clave like great ones of old: Arsenio, Reve, Ritmo…” Los Hacheros’ new album, scheduled to release in 2023, captures the same energy the band brings to the bandstand. The music is an interplay of the tres and violin, with the horns and vocals sitting above that, and pushing it all forward is the undeniable fire of this rhythm section. We are all coming from the same place, the magic of the afro-cuban tumbao, and Arsenio and Bény and Lavoe and we are putting that into our music.