Guaracha

Guaracha on vinyl: fast songs with wit

In short: The guaracha is a fast Cuban song style with roots in the nineteenth century, when it was sung in Havana’s popular theatre – with witty, often mocking lyrics. Later groups such as the Sonora Matancera took it up, and it spread to Mexico, Colombia and the whole Caribbean. The Vinyl Room currently has 16 guaracha records.

What is guaracha?

The sonoras: La Sonora Matancera, founded in Matanzas and made famous in Havana, is represented with “Ahí Viene La Sonora Matancera”, Sonora Santanera from Mexico with their self-titled album.

Guaracha elsewhere: Aníbal Velásquez from Colombia with “La Araña”, Lucho Macedo from Peru with “Preparen Candela Vol. 2” and Conjunto Crema. Under this style tag we also have Alonso Wilson from Panama.

What to look for

Our guaracha records range from the fifties to today; label, catalogue number and year of release help you tell which edition you have – it’s noted with each copy.

From our stock

First pressings

New in

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FAQ

What is a guaracha? A fast Cuban song style with witty, often mocking lyrics.

Where does the guaracha come from? From Cuba; its roots lie in the popular theatre of the nineteenth century.

Who played guaracha? Among others La Sonora Matancera and Sonora Santanera.

Which guaracha records do you have? Here, for example, “Ahí Viene La Sonora Matancera” and Aníbal Velásquez’s “La Araña”.