Conga

Conga, in its genre sense, is the carnival music of Cuba's comparsas: massed street ensembles of conga drums (tumbadoras), bocú, llamadores and requinto, layered with campanas, frying pans, Chinese cornet (corneta china) and unison choral chants. Centred on Santiago de Cuba, home of the celebrated conga de Los Hoyos, and on Havana's neighbourhood comparsas, it drives the arrolladera, the forward-rolling crowd dance that follows the band through the street. Its galloping two-four and massed percussion distinguish it from salon rumba and son, to which it is a street-level counterpart.