The most popular form of traditional music is called Pasillo, often considered the national style of music. It’s also brought in the use of a lot of European music as well, such as the waltz. However, each village and town added its own flair and styles to it. In its waltz form, it’s generally is accompanied by guitars, mandolins, other string instruments, as well as the rondin and other types of flutes, like the rondador (a type of panflute). There is also a dance that’s associated with this as well.
The Pasacalle is a form of dance, related to the genre known as passacaglia, characterized by an ostinato bass line (one that generally repeats the motif at the same pitch). Yarabi is another type of traditional music that is characterized as being sentimental and is one of the more popular styles in Ecuador. There are two types of Afro-Ecuadorian music. The first type is called marimba because of its reliance and usage of the marimba in their music (one of my favorite instruments). The other type is called bomba, a fast-paced style using guitars, the guira, and sometimes bongo drums.
I found a few popular musicians from Ecuador on Spotify. One that I found was Daniela Guzmán. She’s a pop musician who’s quite popular. I like some of her music. The first track on her self-titled album is probably the best in my opinion.
Another musician I found is called Fabrikante who mixes beat box with a cappella vocal harmonies. I'm actually not quite sure if it's a group or if it's just one guy who re-records his own voice over multiple layers. It’s kind of cool and innovative, which is probably why I like it. I can definitely tell some African influences here in places. The album I was listening to is called “Memoria y Profecía de Doña Petita Pontón.” This video is a little weird though.
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