Bachatón (also known as bachateo) is a

fusion genre A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...

of reggaeton from

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

and bachata from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

. Bachaton combines

bachata Bachata may refer to: * Bachata (music), a genre of Latin American music **Traditional bachata, a subgenre of bachata music * Bachata (dance), a dance style from the Dominican Republic * Bachatón, a hybrid bachata/reggaeton music style * "Bachata ...

melodies and

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...

style beats, lyrics, rapping, and

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobil ...

ing. The word "bachatón" is a combination of "bachata" and "reggaeton". "Bachatón" was coined and widely accepted in 2005. It is a subgenre of

and

Background

Bachatón is a mix of bachata and reggaetón. The histories of the two genres are described below.

Bachata

Bachata Bachata may refer to: * Bachata (music), a genre of Latin American music **Traditional bachata, a subgenre of bachata music * Bachata (dance), a dance style from the Dominican Republic * Bachatón, a hybrid bachata/reggaeton music style * "Bachata ...

is a genre of

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

that originated in the

in the early parts of the 20th century and spread to other parts of Latin America and Mediterranean Europe. It became popular in the countryside and the rural neighborhoods of the

. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, the original term used to name the genre was ''amargue'' ("bitterness" or "bitter music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term ''bachata'' became popular. The form of

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

, also developed with the music.Pacini Hernandez, Deborah
"Brief history of Bachata"
, ''Bachata, A social history of a Dominican popular music'', 1995, Temple University Press. Retrieved on 2008-12-04 The earliest bachata was originally developed in the Dominican Republic around the early part of the 20th century, with mixed Cuban boleros and, which originated from Son. with African elements, combined with traditional Latin/Caribbean rhythms. During much of its history, bachata music was denigrated by Latino/Caribbean society and associated with rural backwardness and delinquency. The typical bachata group consists of five instruments: lead

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar,

bongos Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...

and

güira The güira () is a percussion instrument from the Dominican Republic used as a percussion instrument in merengue music, merengue, bachata (music), bachata, and to a lesser extent, other genres such as cumbia. It is made of a metal sheet (commonly ...

. The rhythm guitar is also known as a ''segunda'' and serves the purpose of adding

syncopation In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

to the music. Bachata groups mainly play a simple style of

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

(lead guitar instrumentation using

arpeggiated A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...

repetitive chords is a distinctive characteristic of bachata), but when they change to merengue based bachata, the

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

ist will switch from bongo to a tambora drum. In the 1960s and 1970s,

maracas A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas (from Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were ...

were used instead of güira. The change in the 1980s from maracas to the more versatile güira was made as bachata was becoming more dance oriented.

Reggaetón

Reggaetón Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...

is an urban form of music which has its roots in Latin and Caribbean music.
. Raquel Z. Rivera. 2009. ''Reggaeton''. "Part I. Mapping Reggaeton". From Música Negra to Reggaeton Latino: Wayne Marshall. "Part II. The Panamanian Connection". Placing Panama in the Reggaeton Narrative: Editor's Notes / Wayne Marshall. Duke University Press, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Its sound derives from the

Reggae en Español In Panama, dancehall reggae sung in Spanish language by artists of Latin American origin is known as ''Reggae en Español'' (in English, Spanish reggae). It originated in the late 1980s in Panama. ''Reggae en Español'' goes by several names; ...

from

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

. The genre was invented, shaped and made known in

where it got its name;AskMen.com – "5 Things You Didn't Know About Reggaeton"
/ref> most of its current artists are also from Puerto Rico. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European, Asian and African audiences. Reggaeton blends

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

n musical influences of

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The R ...

, with those of

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

, such as

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

, bomba,

Latin hip hop Latin hip hop (also known as Latin rap) is hip hop music that is recorded by artists in the United States of Hispanic and Latino descent, along with Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean, North America, Central America, South America, and ...

, and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...

. Vocals include

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music ( arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or ...

, typically in Spanish. Lyrics tend to be derived from hip hop rather than from dancehall. Like hip hop, reggaeton has caused some controversy, albeit less, due to alleged exploitation of women.BBC News – "Puerto Rico shakes to a new beat"
/ref> While it takes influences from hip hop and Jamaican dancehall, reggaeton is not precisely the

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latin American version of either of these genres; reggaeton has its own specific beat and rhythm,Pistas de Reggaeton Famosas / Official Reggaeton Beats
/ref> whereas Latin hip hop is simply hip hop recorded by artists of Latino descent. The specific "

riddim Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the ...

" that characterizes reggaeton is referred to as "Dem Bow". The name is taken from the dancehall song by

Shabba Ranks Shabba Ranks (born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon; 17 January 1966) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home cou ...

that first popularized the beat in the early 1990s which appears on his album ''

Just Reality ''Just Reality'' is the second solo studio album by Jamaican dancehall/ reggae recording artist Shabba Ranks. It was released in 1990 via VP Records, and produced by Bobby "Digital" Dixon. This album did not receive as many good reviews as its p ...

''.

History

2000–2003: The arrival of Dominican styles of music

The appearance of Dominican styles of music such as bachata and merengue in reggaetón coincided with the arrival in

of the Dominican-born production team of

Luny Tunes Luny Tunes are a reggaeton production duo consisting of Francisco Saldaña (Luny) and Víctor Cabrera (Tunes) who have been known for creating unique musical rhythms for some of the most popular reggaeton artists since the early 2000s. Biograp ...

—although they are not solely credited for this development.Raquel Z. Rivera, Wayne Marshall and Deborah Pacini Hernandez. "Reggaeton"

Duke University Press Duke University Press is an academic publisher and university press affiliated with Duke University. It was founded in 1921 by William T. Laprade as The Trinity College Press. (Duke University was initially called Trinity College). In 1926 ...

. 2009. pg. 143- In 2000, they received an opportunity to work in the reggaeton studio of

DJ Nelson Nelson Díaz Martinez (born on April 7, 1972 in San Juan, Puerto Rico), known professionally as DJ Nelson is a Puerto Rican DJ and record producer who played a significant role in the development and popularization of reggaeton. He first made a na ...

. They began to produce a string of successful releases for reggaeton artists including

Ivy Queen Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez (born March 4, 1972), known professionally as Ivy Queen, is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. She is considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre, commonly referred to as the Qu ...

Tego Calderón Tegui Calderón Rosario (born February 1, 1972) is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer and actor. He began his musical career in 1996 (as Tego Tec) and was supported by the famous Puerto Rican rapper Eddie Dee, who invited him on his second studio albu ...

and

Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, and actor. Known as the " King of Reggaetón" by music critics and fans alike, he is the artist who coined ...

. "Pa' Que Retozen", one of the first songs to combine bachata and reggaeton appeared on Tego Calderón's highly acclaimed ''

El Abayarde ''El Abayarde'' is the debut album by the Puerto Rican rapper Tego Calderón. It included the singles "Pa' Que Retozen", "Guasa Guasa" and "Al Natural". It was released in 2002 through White Lion Records selling over 50,000 copies its first wee ...

'' (2002). It features the unmistakable guitar sounds of Dominican bachata—although, it was not produced by Luny Tunes but by DJ Joe. Luny Tunes however, on their debut studio album, '' Mas Flow'' (2003) included a hit by Calderón, "Métele Sazón". It exhibited bachata's signature guitar arpeggios as well as merengue's characteristic piano riffs.

2004–Present: "Bachatón"

After the success of these songs, other artists began to incorporate bachata with reggaeton. Artists such as Ivy Queen began releasing singles that featured bachata's signature guitar sound and slower romantic rhythm as well as bachata's exaggerate emotional singing style. This is reflected in the hits "

Te He Querido, Te He Llorado "Te He Querido, Te He Llorado" (English: "I Have Loved You, I Have Cried For You") is a song by Puerto Rican reggaetón recording artist Ivy Queen, from her fifth studio album, '' Flashback'' (2005). It was written by Queen, Francisco Saldaña a ...

" and "La Mala". Daddy Yankee's "

Lo Que Paso, Paso Lo may refer to any of the following: Arts and entertainment * ''Lo!'', the third published nonfiction work of the author Charles Fort * L.O., a fictional character in the Playhouse Disney show Happy Monster Band * ''Lo'' (film), a 2009 indepe ...

" and

Don Omar William Omar Landrón Rivera (born February 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Don Omar, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. On September 1, 2017, he announced that he would retire after a ...

's " Dile" also reflect this. A further use of bachata occurred in 2005 when producers began remixing existing reggaeton with bachata's characteristic guitar sounds marketing it as ''bachatón'' defining it as "bachata, Puerto Rican style".

In popular music

Más Maíz Mas, Más or MAS may refer to: Film and TV * Más y Menos, fictional superhero characters, from the Teen Titans animated television series * "Más" (''Breaking Bad''), a season three episode of ''Breaking Bad'' Songs * ''Más'' (album), by Span ...

" — N.O.R.E. featuring

Nina Sky Nina Sky is an American musical duo consisting of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino. Their debut single " Move Ya Body", released from their self-titled debut album in 2004, was a success, reaching number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

Lumidee Lumidee Cedeño (born October 13, 1984) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. She quickly rose to fame in 2003 with the release of her song " Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)", which peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

Chingo Bling Pedro Herrera III (born August 23, 1979 in Houston, Texas), better known by his stage name Chingo Bling, is an American rapper, producer, and comedian of Mexican descent. Early life and education Chingo attended Peddie School, a private college ...

Lil Rob Roberto L. Flores (born September 21, 1975), better known by his stage name Lil Rob, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. Biography Flores was born in San Diego and raised in La Colonia de Eden Gardens, a Mexican American neighborhood i ...

, Big Mato and La Negra of LDA *" Mayor Que Yo" —

featuring

Baby Ranks David Luciano Acosta, known professionally as Baby Ranks, is a Puerto Rican and Dominican reggaeton artist. He has co-billing on the Luny Tunes album ''Mas Flow 2'', and sings on multiple tracks including the single " Mayor Que Yo" ("Older than M ...

Wisin & Yandel Wisin & Yandel is a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in the late 1990s and have been together since, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the onl ...

and

Hector "El Father" In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

Ella y Yo "Ella y Yo" ( en, "Her and I") is Aventura's third single from their fourth studio album ''God's Project'' and features reggaeton singer Don Omar. The song is also in Don Omar's compilation album, '' Da Hitman Presents Reggaetón Latino''. Music ...

" — Aventura featuring

*" Ven Bailalo" —

Angel & Khriz Angel & Khriz are a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo, consisting of Angel Rivera Guzmán (Angel) and Christian Colón Rolon (Khriz). Their high-impact performance on this first-time-out recording led to their sponsorship by Héctor el Father. Through ...

*" Avísame" —

Baby Rasta & Gringo Baby Rasta & Gringo is a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo formed in 1988 in Las Monjas, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. Originally known as "the Eazy Boyz", they've released five studio albums since 1994 but have had various collaborations prior to 1998. Mos ...

Brugal Brugal is the name and brand of a variety of rums from the Dominican Republic produced by Brugal & Co., C. por A. Brugal and the other Dominican rums, Barceló (rum), Barceló and Bermúdez (rum), Bermúdez, are collectively known as the three B's ...

" —

*" Pobre Diabla" —

*" Dile" —

*" Dime" —

*" La Mala" —

" —

*" Según Tú" —

*" Sentimientos" —

*"Si No Eres Tu" — Mickey Perfecto featuring

*" Tienes A Otra" — N.O.R.E. featuring

and Big Mato *" Bachatiando" — Miguelito *" Pa' Que Retozen" —

*" Métele Sazón" —

*" Una volta ancora" — Fred De Palma featuring

Ana Mena Ana Mena Rojas (born 25 February 1997) is a Spanish singer and actress. She began her career in 2009 in the TV series ''Marisol, la película'' (2009). In 2010, she participated in Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney ...

* " Dove e quando" — Benji & Fede * "Nadie Muere de Amor" - Darkiel ft Amenazzy Boy Wonder * "Se Menea" -

featuring Nio Garcia * "Rumbatón" -

* "Mayor Que Usted" -

Natti Natasha Natalia Alexandra Gutiérrez Batista (born December 10, 1986), better known by her stage name Natti Natasha, is a Dominican singer. She was signed to Don Omar's label Orfanato Music Group. Her debut EP, ''All About Me'', was released on March ...

featuring

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bachaton Bachata Reggaeton Latin American music Dominican Republic music Urbano music genres