Various

A couple years ago, BBC Radio 1 DJ and tastemaker Gilles Peterson released a whole album of new Cuban music, entitled Havana Cultura. As he said at the time, "The original idea of the album was to try and put some focus on this new generation of dancers and singers and rappers." Peterson's goal was to present another side of Cuban music, one that broke from the image of Buena Vista Social Club and possessed more of a relationship with the present than the past. But on this two-CD set, he does both. One disc presents a group produced by Peterson, featuring many of the artists from the first collection, showcasing a relaxed, jazzy sound rooted in tradition. The other is chock full of carefully curated, beat-driven tracks that represent what is currently popular on the island.