The island of Puerto Rico has become known for various musical styles that have influenced not just Latin music, but also global musical trends. From the Afro-Caribbean styles that make up the salsa boom of the 1970s, to the “BOOM-chicka-BOOM” of the reggaeton beat that came to dominate the charts, Puerto Rican musicians innovate while never straying far from tradition.

That idea inspired percussionist Hector “Coco” Barez to create the group El Laberinto del Coco, a genre-bending collective built around the folklore and rhythmic styles of bomba. The group’s message is clear from the opening grooves of “Se Vuelve Miel” that Barez’s vision is to dig deep into the African roots of call-and-response with four vocalists and four horn players to remind us throughout its performance of the power of bomba to create community.