Siete Rayo profile picture

Siete Rayo

Descemer Siete Rayo

About Me


Descemer was born in Havana, Cuba in 1971. He began his music calling by studying classical guitar at Manuel Samuel School of the Arts and Amadeo Roldan School of the Arts, graduating and getting his degree to be a professor in guitar and concertista. For the duration of 1991 until 1999, Descemer worked in the National Center of Music of Concerts in Havana. All through his professional career in Cuba he was a member of several groups such as Estado de Animo in which he played, composed and acted as musical director. His musical collaborations extended into other groups such as Santiago Feliu, Columna B, and Fula. In July 2000, Descemer had the chance to go and do his Artistic Residency, which included not only taking but presenting lectures for the Stanford Jazz Workshop, at Stanford University, in California.This led him to become a part of the faculty at the University of South Africa, in Cape Town, interpreting the mechanics of Cuban music.Proceeding to New York in 1999, he formed the band Yerba Buena, along with other recently arrived musicians. Yerba Buena gained critical acclaim and respect from music taste makers in the US and Europe with the fresh recordings presented in their record President Alien. The cutting edge sounds they performed were influenced by AfroCuban, Jazz, Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, Soul, Boogaloo, and Mambo beats. Yerba Buenas sleeper hit Guajira flooded the market through movies and commercials like Dirty Dancing 2 Havana Nights, Honey Cheaper by the Dozen and a Nation-wide Pepsi TV campaign.In 2004, Descemer Bueno showcased his extraordinary talent again, formally through the group Siete Rayo, becoming their producer, front man, composer and bass player. Siete Rayos sound filled New Yorks hottest clubs with the genuine feel of Cumbia, Reggae, Calypso, and Hip-Hop fusion. Although they did not release a studio album, several songs made it on Cuban Hip Hop compilations, as well as receiving radio play in top markets such as NY, Miami, and Los Angeles.Descemer Buenos artistry was recognized even before signing with Universal Music Latino. He has worked with great artist such as Steve Coleman, , Billy Higgins, Tooty Heath, Rufus Reid, Anjelique Kidjo, Dave Matthews Band, and Yusa (during their European tour in 2003).He has played all over the world in places such as Spain, Germany, Argentina, South Africa, Zimbabwe, France, Mexico, Cuba, and the United States.Descemer Buenos solo album was released on October 4 of this year On this production, he has continued to collaborate with revered musicians such as Earth, Wind and Fire, George Pajon, Jr., songwriter and arranger for the Black Eyed Peas and Orishas.
Descemer Bueno es reconocido como la voz subversiva de la fusión afrocubana, tendencia que está marcando las pautas del futuro de la música latina. El artista, uno de los pioneros del movimiento del hip-hop cubano de la última década, mezcla el antiguo son con los sonidos nuevos del hip-hop creando unas de las más auténticas aportes de nuestros tiempos. Su sonido único, innovador y sofisticado, influenciado grandemente por jazz y hip-hop, acapara inmediatamente la atención de los consumidores.Desde su arribo a los Estados Unidos, luego de deserción de Cuba, el talento Descemer ha sido reconocido por los grandes de la música, críticos y ejecutivos de la industria. Durante su talentosa carrera Bueno ha sido compositor, productor y músico flanqueado siempre por el bajo y la guitarra. Su estilo original lo ha llevado ha ser comparado con otros grandiosos artistas tales como Bob Marley y Manu Chao.Descemer Bueno nació en 1971 en La Habana, Cuba. Su pasión por la música emergió desde muy temprana edad llevándolo a iniciar estudios en música especializándose en el estudio guitarra clásica en las escuelas de arte Manuel Samuel y Amadeo Roldán de donde se graduó convirtiéndose en profesor de guitarra y concertista.Entre los años 1991 al 1999, Descemer trabajó en el Centro Nacional de Música de Conciertos de La Habana. Durante su carrera profesional en Cuba, fue miembro de varios grupos como Estado de Animo con el que hizo alarde de sus dotes de músico, compositor y director musical. Algunas de sus colaboraciones musicales incluyen a otros grupos como lo son Santiago Feliu, Columna B y Fula.En julio del 2000, Descemer tiene la oportunidad de trasladarse a la Universidad de Stanford en California para formalizar su residencia artística en el Stanford Jazz Workshop donde no sólo tomó clases sino que además, realizó servicios docentes. Experiencia que lo lleva a formar parte del personal de la Universidad de Sur África en Cape Town, interpretando la mecánica de la música cubana.En 1999 se radica en la cuidad de Nueva York donde, junto a otros músicos inmigrantes, fundó el grupo Yerba Buena. Logrando con su primera producción discográfica President Alien la aceptación inmediata de la crítica especializa y el respeto del público, tanto de los Estados Unidos como de Europa.Ese sonido único de Yerba Buena, influenciado por ritmos afrocubano, jazz, afrobeat, hip hop, soul, boogaloo y el mambo, lo lleva a entrar por la puerta grande al mercado cinematográfico y comercial. Así lo revela éxitos como Guajira plasmado en las bandas sonoras de filmes como Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights, Honey, Cheaper By the Dozen y la campaña publicitaria nacional para la televisión de Pepsi.En el 2004, Descemer Bueno exhibe nuevamente su extraordinario talento en el grupo Siete Rayos participando como productor, primera voz, compositor y bajista. Con una genuina fusión de cumbia, reggae, calypso, y hip hop el sonido de Siete Rayos llenan los clubes más vanguardistas de La Gran Manzana. Aunque no alcanzaron a sacar un álbum, muchas de sus canciones aparecieron en compilaciones de hip hop cubano, conquistando trascendentales mercados como Miami, Nueva York y Los Ángeles.El extraordinario talento de Bueno, también ha sido reconocido por otros artistas siendo solicitado para trabajar junto a grandes virtuosos como: Steve Coleman, Winton Marsalis, David Sánchez, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Billy Higgins, Tooty Heath, Rufus Reid, Anjelique Kidjo, Dave Matthews Band, y Yusa con los que ha recorrido parte de mundo, visitando países como España, Alemania, Argentina, Sur África, Zimbabwe, Francia, México, Cuba y Estados Unidos.Esta única y excepcional capacidad musical se plasma nuevamente en un acetato que hará historia. Un trabajo seductor con el que Descemer Bueno junto a su grupo Siete Rayos impactarán por sonido alternativo dosificado en una producción de pop que seguramente cautivará a las grandes masas.
Hot House... Descemer Bueno, the innovative, creative force behind Yerba Buenas much-extolled, maiden disc President Alien, is now stepping out on his own with Siete Rayo, a stunning solo debut laden with riveting, hip-hop chestnuts that cement Descemers deserved reputation as a multi-faceted pioneer of Afro-Cuban fusion.Anchored by a singular blend of time-honored grooves from Descemers native Cuba with a dazzling array of pulsating global sounds, the Havana native sings and rhymes effortlessly through an ear-catching batch of wry and witty anecdotes about sex, love, ancestral pride, and even taking "a train not a plane" to Miami. Providing scintillating vocal complement to Descemers rapid-fire rhymes and scratchy vocal stylings is Magilee Alvarez.Siete Rayo was co-written and co-produced by Descemer (pronounced "Deh-SEM-air") and a solid cast of collaborators that includes drummer notable Elie Katz, ace guitarist Ahmed Barroso, former Kumbia Kings standout DJ Kane, and George Pajon Jr., the latter of whom is a guitarist virtuoso and songwriter of the Black Eyed Peas.Pajon co-wrote three of the discs tracks, including Lo Bueno Na Ma (Nothing But The Good), a finger-snapping romantic duet with Descemer and Magilee accented with charanga-style strings and seductive trumpet lines, and Nada Mejor (Nothing Better), a galloping commentary about things not being as bas as they seem puncutated by a Bob Marley-style chant "Dont cry, Ill take care of you."Along with Orishas member Yotuel, Descemer addresses his longing for Cuba on the poignant, hip-hop lament Havana. On the surf-inflected, hip-hop entry El Carro, Descemer pinches the "Ahh, Beep Beep!" from Donna Summers Bad Girls, as he recalls the difficulties of owning a car in Cuba. The fast- chugging, cumbia-reggaton Pa Arriba (On Top) reveals a lovers quarrel about who should be which position during sexual encounters. And unlike his work with Yerba Buena, Descemer includes a moving ballad on about maintaining an optimistic outlook titled Se Feliz.Born in Belén, a poor neighborhood in Havana, Descemer received a degree in classical guitar from the Havanas National School of Art. He later formed two jazz groups, Estado de Ánimo and Columna B, the latter of which toured the U.S. to appreciative audiences in 1998.Two years later, Descemer moved to New York City and eventually joined Yerba Buena. Descemer co-wrote 8 of the 12 songs on President Alien, including Guajira (I Love You Too Much), a sleeper hit that was featured in several movies, as well as in a nationwide Pepsi campaign.Besides cutting his own disc, Descemer has produced a critically-hailed CD by gifted siren Haydée, daughter of Cuban trovador legend Pablo Milanés. In January, Descemer won Spains prestigious Goya award for Best Original Music in Havana Blues.
.. width="425" height="350" ..

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/23/2006
Band Website: descemer.com
Band Members:

The Main Event Bars & Music
Best Latin Singer Descemer Bueno
Afro-Cuban fusion singer Descemer Bueno's calls home to Havana are echoing from Miami stages across the Florida Straits to the seawall along Malecón Boulevard in the Cuban capital, and even onto Madrid's music scene. Bueno, a founder of legendary Latin funk band Yerba Buena and current frontman of Siete Rayo, boasts a brand of funk, jazz, merengue, reggaeton, hip-hop and Afro-Cuban rhythms all his own. It was recognized with a record deal from Universal Latino, as well as Spain's prestigious Goya Award for Best Music Written for a Film in the movie Havana Blues. When Bueno belts out the song "Habana," it sounds like an eerie cry, a yearning for unification in the Cuban diaspora. "If I never go back, it will break my heart," he sings, followed by a reinforcement of all that he is: "I represent the Afro-Cuban generation." Let's hope that cry will lead to a new understanding of Cuba in all its of political and ethnographic makeup.

Descemer Siete Rayo
CD (Universal 883752), Released 2006; Editor's Pick: Descarga The latest entry into the modern Cuban pop/exile explosion. Descemer helped start Yerba Buena, and went on his own way, and the music is loaded with all sorts of stuff, arab lute playing over hip hop beats, coros, women singers, lots of studio technique. Theres rock stuff mixed it, along with funny English sections, horn lines, acoustic guitars, samples of older Cuban music. Ska rhythms show up, pan Caribbean beats, and lots of intelligence. Fastchat rapping, in Spanish. For whatever reason, this record has pretty much disappeared from the market place. Pick it up now before it vanishes, its the sound of the future, and a pretty great future itll be. Highly Recommended. (Peter Watrous, 2006-04-04)
Influences: Black Magic Musicians
Orichas and 7 Rayo

Perhaps the threesome's positive influence will spread with its numerous individual collaborations. Aside from acting gigs, Romero helped produce and raps on albums for Miami-based artist Descemer Bueno and actress/singer Beatriz Luengos. A solo full-length is in the works for González, but Orishas fans can still expect a new album in 2007. Orishas' current release, El Kilo, is yet another tribute to the group's heritage. The album's title refers to a slang term for a cent in Cuba. Romero reveals the true meaning behind it:
Sounds Like:

Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide

Similar in flavor and intent to former collaborators Yerba Buena, Descemer Bueno's solo debut album further explores the new paths that lead to the place where urban and Latino music meet. Descemer's artistic voice on 2006's Siete Rayo is much grittier, earthier than what fans heard of him on Yerba Buena projects. With reggaeton-inflected (but not -dominated) tracks, and instrumental influences that harken to his Havana upbringing and education, Bueno is a true original. There are few artists in the increasingly diverse cast on the hip-hop stage who offer such a fresh perspective on what this music can encompass. Similarly, Cuban music is given a fresh coat of paint and a new perspective in Bueno's compositions. The earthy, rich timbre of his voice, tuneful songwriting, and creative inclusion of folkloric instruments make for an easy yet engaging listen. Somewhat neglected by mainstream media, perhaps because it's so difficult to categorize, Siete Rayo is set up mainly for an underground following. Anyone who comes across this gem of a record will be glad for it, and quickly join the ranks of the dedicated fans. There are few musicians out there who do such honor to their native tradition and offer such brave vision for the urban music community. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide

SoundRoots
Descemer - Siete Rayo (Universal Music Latino) The solo career of Descemer Bueno (of Yerba Buena) should blast off with this feisty beat-laden album. Born in Cuba, Descemer mashes the grooves of his homeland with hip-hop, Ojos-de-Brujo-style vocals, M.I.A.-style beats, and brisk horn blasts. More than any other "Latin Alternative" album of late, Siete Rayo will have a tidal pull on the world music generalist.

Chicago Tribune
RECORDINGS
Siete Rayo Descemer Bueno (Universal Music Latino)
Achy Obejas Published July 7, 2006
Descemer Bueno is one of the more talented musical artists to come out of Cuba in the last 15 years. A co-founder with Andres Levin of Yerba Buena, the neo-funk group that's been shaking things up in global music circles, Bueno was well established as both composer and producer long before then. So you'd think Bueno's first stateside offering would be a killer, full of the strange genre and island-hopping that he's brought to so many other projects. Well, surprise: Bueno's "Siete Rayo," which includes nearly as many songs by others as by him (including goodies from George Pajon Jr., guitarist and songwriter with the Black Eyed Peas), often sounds more like a fascinating demo than a polished showcase for Bueno's outsize talents. Leaning more heavily on cumbia, reggae and reggaeton than on Cuban forms, the songs are frothy, lighthearted events that have, for the most part, been heard before. In the case of "Se Feliz," that's quite literally true: It's the title sap-fest from Bueno's Cuban solo album. Ditto the cliche-ridden "Habana." The chorus from "Cumbia Reggae" seems awfully close to Yerba Buena's "La Gringa" and the line in "El Train" about not wanting to be confused for a Muslim at customs is, well, unfortunate at best. But if you want to pick and choose on the download service of your choice, "Cumbia Reggae" is a blast.

Type of Label: Major

My Blog

The most fascinating...

The most fascinating aspect of this intriguing debut is the ease with which the Cuban-born Descemer moves between shameless pop and daring exploration. With its massive beat, flamenco undertones and r...
Posted by Siete Rayo on Wed, 24 May 2006 07:20:00 PST

Descemer Bueno Filmography

Filmography Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights - ( Song(("Guajira (I Love U 2 Much)")) / 2004 / Released / Ster-Kinekor ) Chasing Papi - ( Song(("Electric Boogaloo")) / 2003 / Released / 20th Century Fox H...
Posted by Siete Rayo on Wed, 24 May 2006 05:03:00 PST

The Mothership landing...

The Mothership landing... Descemer Bueno, Siete Rayo (Universal Latino): Imagine the Mothership landing somewhere near Havana, and you'll have an idea of the power of the incredible funk-son fusion g...
Posted by Siete Rayo on Wed, 24 May 2006 04:57:00 PST