Mambo Rapidito b/w Un Tabaco Para Elegua

Direct from Havana, Cuba – Daptone Records is proud to present the debut single by Orquesta Akokán. Featuring some of Havana’s most formidable musicians playing with a groove, a tumbao, that hasn’t been heard for decades, Orquesta Akokán is a classic Mambo-inspired force of nature.

“Mambo Rapidito”, a lively up-tempo one-chord vamp in the vein of Prado or Moré, boasts an undeniable energy – ripe for a freshly polished dancefloor!

On the flip, “Un Tabaco para Elegua”, describes a tambor (an afro-cuban religious ceremony) over a slow, bubbling groove – a perfect compliment to sipping distilled sugar cane. The two massive sides offered up were recorded at the pre-revolutionary 1940s era Areito studios in Centro Havana where the spirit of Aragón, Tata Güines and Elena Burke still reverberate through the walls.