Los Van Van

plus DJs Dr Jim, Javier La Rosa and DJ Rich
Saturday 20 March
The Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road,
London, NW1 8EH
8.30pm – late. £25 in advance /£30 on the door
Tel: 0844 482 8008 / www.roundhouse.org.uk
 www.roundhouse.org.uk
  

When Los Van Van appeared last March at what is becoming north London’s citadel of salsa they tore it up:
“…the gig had the feelgood flamboyance of an old-school soul revue, the infectious energy of a rave, and a rap-like team of singers … In short, they make joyous dance music.” Sunday Times Culture Magazine

“… the very best music that Cuba has to offer, delivered with an explosive level of enthusiasm and sheer joy that was a privilege to witness.” Morning Star

**** Evening Standard

“As one imperturbable groove flowed effortlessly into the next, the tried-and-tested formula worked its magic, sweeping the audience into its rhythmic embrace…” The Times
Cuba's biggest, funkiest dance orchestra returns direct from Havana to the Roundhouse following 2009’s storming sold out show. That now legendary gig celebrated the band’s astonishing 40th anniversary as Cuba’s most potent and influential band. But with or without birthday festivities this visit, almost exactly a year on, will thrill and excite as only Van Van can. This time, after they have visited their brand of dancefloor mayhem on Camden’s Roundhouse, they embark on a 70 date US tour due to the relaxing of US/Cuba relations ushered in by the Obama administration. The band’s founder, Juan Formell, remembers their last US gig in ’99 in Miami when riot police had to be deployed to keep anti-Castro demonstrators from harassing concert-goers. "Miami has changed a lot ... there is a new, younger generation that thinks differently," Formell said. "I was in Miami recently and nobody treated me poorly. On the contrary, people wanted to have pictures taken with me, they asked for autographs."

Formed in 1969 in Havana, Cuba, this 20-piece orchestra plays an irresistible brand of dance groove they created called 'songo' - a solid and invigorating fusion of rich Caribbean rhythms, Afro-Cuban drumming, salsa & rock/pop elements. This new sound became the rage of Havana and one of the most influential Cuban rhythms since the cha-cha-cha.

Featuring a fearsome collection of virtuoso musicians, their live shows are all about the relationship between the band and the dancefloor, with call-and-response Afro-Cuban conga, sharp horns and violin riffs, vocal improvisations drifting in and out between their solid groove. A dance groove that has made generations of people shake everything they’ve got to their unmistakable beat.

Cuba is a powerhouse in the development of popular music, and Los Van Van, the world's premier Latin dance band, continues to rock the Cuban soul and ram dancefloors worldwide.
"The best dance band in Cuba!" New York Times

The undisputed king of Cuban dance orchestras and one of the most influential forces ever in Afro-Cuban music" Los Angeles Times"

For more information please contact:
Gerry Lyseight – gerry@glpr.co.uk / 020 7095 8146 / www.gerrylyseight.co.uk

www.comono.co.uk

Los Van Van's concert at the Roundhouse is presented by Como No the UK's main promoter of Latin Music and the people behind the annual La Linea festival coming in April.

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