Dominican Republic

A 15-minute instrumental journey across the Dominican Republic in one continuous arc, from the nocturnal merengue and bachata of Santo Domingo to the Afro-Dominican palo drumming of La Romana. No vocals; pure instrumental storytelling.

Each track is composed from the music of its place: the merengue and bachata industry of the capital, glowing in the Zona Colonial after dark; the raw accordion-driven perico ripiao of Santiago de los Caballeros, deep in the Cibao heartland where merengue was born; the bittersweet bachata of Puerto Plata, fingerpicked against the amber coast at sunset; and the Afro-Dominican palo drums and Haitian-Dominican fusion of the La Romana sugar-cane country, carrying the memory of the batey at dusk.