Bachata Haiti

While Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island they are divided – the French colonised Haiti while the Spanish the Dominican Republic. Thus French Creole is the Haitian tongue while Spanish is Dominican. And Haiti's extreme poverty leads many of its citizens to flee to the DR, only to be treated brutally. Bachata Haiti is a musical ensemble that highlights the relationship between bachata – a music that is often celebrated as an emblem of Dominican identity – and Haitian migrants. A music of the barrios, bachata is hugely popular among the poor but looked down on by the elite. In recent years some bachata musicians have begun acknowledging their Haitian roots – one such is Joan Soriano, a Haiti-born guitar maestro. Bachata Haiti brings him and other DR-based musicians together to celebrate their shared culture and sing in both Creole and Spanish.

The music is guitar-led, melodic and rhythmic, well sung, fast paced. It's akin to a folk form of son or mambo, and feels like it could be performed on any street corner. The Spanish influence is strong – unsurprising seeing this is made in the DR – while Soriano's sparkling guitar playing has an almost Congolese flavour. With an appealing directness, Bachata Haiti make fresh music while examining the intertwined Haitian-DR relationship.