Sergent Garcia

He may be the man behind salsamuffin, an obvious and yet innovative blend of reggae and salsa – two of the most important musical styles to come out of the Caribbean.

And OK, so he did usher in a number of other similar blends along the way (reggaeton in particular) which are now setting Latin America on fire from one end to the other. But there’s no getting away from the fact that Bruno “Sergent” Garcia’s catalogue does much more than stick to a formula – magic and original though it may be.

Bruno still has a tendency to want to shatter anything resembling convention or habit – a legacy from his years playing guitar with the cult punk rock group Ludwig Von 88. His first four albums all met with international success. The self-produced Viva el Sargento was followed by the album that established him – Un Poquito Quemao, with its large ensemble band, so reminiscent of Fania’s finest hour. Next came the more refined Sin Fronteras, just ahead of La Semilla Escondida, a back-to-basics album in search of his Jamaican and Cuban roots.