Here’s How Cuba’s First DJs Turned Economic Turmoil Into an Underground House and Techno Movement

In part one of SUB.Culture Cuba, we learned how a group of pioneering electroacoustic artists experimented with combining modern gear and traditional styles to shape a new era of music on the island in the 1960s. In part two, we hear personal stories from the younger generation of DJs who came up in the early 90s, channeling the economic turmoil brought on by the collapse of the Soviet Union and impending embargo, into a groundbreaking, underground movement of house and techno.

Inspired by the freeform, hedonistic vibe of alternative music styles, like grunge and rock, DJs like D’joy de Cuba, Wichy de Vedado, and DJ Jigüe, offer firsthand accounts into how house and techno slowly but surely emerged as the new artist community turning heads and moving feet. After European DJs and producers, like Berlin’s DJ Hell, came to the island and gifted them techno cassette mixtapes and equipment, this new school of Cuban artists channeled their rebellious attitudes and newfound inspiration into a fresh era of music, parties, and clubs that are still going strong today.

Stream part three of SUB.Culture – Cuba only on @go90: