Artist Profiles: Grupo Iyawo

Grupo Iyawo was a Puerto Rican musical project with a particular interest in fusion. The group’s musical compositions reflected the influences of the nueva trova, together with elements of folk music and Afro Caribbean sounds. It is for this reason that the group can easily perform rumba, salsa and bata drum beats, combining it with Flamenco airs and South American music.

The group was formed in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, and, thus, its songs are a reflection of the daily experiences in the city streets.

Since the year 2000, Iyawo has been performing throughout Puerto Rico. The musicians have also visited neighboring islands like Cuba and the Dominican Republic as part of their research.

“This project was created from the need to have a mirror that reflected in some way our Antillean identity in the present time” – Rossana Rodriguez

“Through songs we try to rescue those everyday things that define us as a people … it is to contribute a little to find who we are“. – Luis Rodriguez

“There is a solid base created between the guitar and the percussion that seeks to exploit the rhythmic and melodic riches of these instruments, on top of that we add instruments that deepen the colors that we want to highlight in each piece” – Javier Hernandez

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.