ANCESTRAL
A Celebration of the African Diaspora Through Sound
Curated & Created by Mr. Pauer · Fall 2026 · Sony Music Spain / Orianna Records
Listen to the Lead Single
THE CONCEPT
Where Rhythm Becomes Memory
ANCESTRAL is a sonic map of the African diaspora across Latin America and the Caribbean — a journey that reaches back through centuries of cultural migration, spiritual practice, and percussive storytelling to find the living pulse beneath modern electronic music.
Created by Mr. Pauer, a two-time Latin Grammy nominated artist born in Venezuela and rooted in Miami, the album forges a visceral connection between ancestral percussion and contemporary club culture. Real instruments recorded across the diaspora form the rhythmic backbone of this project — not samples, not simulations. Real drums. Real roots. Real stories.
Venezuela
Cumaco · Culo e' Puya · Quitiplá · Paila
Colombia
Alegre · Llamador · Tambora · Cununo · Maracón
Dominican Republic
Tambora · Güira · Congas
Brazil
Surdo · Repenique · Timbau · Caixa
THE ARTIST
Mr. Pauer
Two-time Latin Grammy nominated artist, producer, DJ, and cultural architect — Mr. Pauer has spent over two decades at the crossroads of ancestral tradition and electronic innovation. Born in Venezuela and deeply rooted in Miami's vibrant music scene, his work is defined by a rare ability to honor heritage while pushing into the future.
Nominated for the Latin Grammy in both 2011 and 2025, he stands at the intersection of cultural memory and global club culture, building a body of work that resonates far beyond genre boundaries. With ANCESTRAL, he delivers his most ambitious and personal project to date.
Venezuela
Miami
Afro-Latin
Electronic
2× Latin Grammy Nominated
WHY IT MATTERS
A Movement Already in Motion
Global audiences are responding to rhythm-driven music rooted in African heritage with unprecedented enthusiasm. ANCESTRAL expands that movement into Latin America — where those roots run just as deep, and where the percussion has never stopped speaking.
10
Tracks
10 territories, 10 distinct rhythmic traditions united under one vision
2M+
Monthly Listeners
Combined monthly listeners across all featured collaborators
2×
Grammy Recognition
Multiple Grammy & Latin Grammy recognized artists across the tracklist

A project positioned precisely between deep cultural legacy and the forefront of global electronic music — a space that few artists have ever occupied with this level of intention and craft.
RELEASE & ROLLOUT
A Carefully Orchestrated Journey to Market
Distributed by Sony Music Spain via Orianna Records, ANCESTRAL arrives Fall 2026 through a phased rollout designed to build cultural momentum, earn media attention, and connect deeply with fans across multiple touchpoints.
1
Phase 1 — May 2026
Lead single + music video — establishing the sonic identity and visual world of ANCESTRAL
2
Phase 2 — July 2026
Second single + live & festival activation — bringing the diaspora percussion to stages worldwide
3
Phase 3 — August 2026
Third single release — continuing to build momentum ahead of the full album drop
4
Album Release — September 2026
Full album release + global DSP campaign across Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon, Tidal, Deezer & SoundCloud
Woven throughout the rollout is a Content Ecosystem of micro-broadcasts documenting the creative process, intimate artist collaborations, and the cultural stories embedded in each rhythm. The journey culminates in a short film release in December, capturing the full narrative arc of ANCESTRAL from its ancestral origins to its modern realization.
THE TRACKLIST
10 Territories. 10 Rhythms. One Diaspora.
Each track is a territory. Each collaboration is a living conversation between ancestral voice and contemporary sound. Together, they form a complete portrait of the African diaspora across the Americas.
Everything Starts in Africa feat. Daymé Arocena 🇨🇺
Grammy-nominated voice blending Afro-Cuban spirituality, jazz, and soul, the opening declaration of this sonic journey.
Rikiti feat. Maffio 🇩🇴
Multi-platinum hitmaker bringing Caribbean rhythm into a global sound infectious, undeniable, and rooted in the island's pulse.
Bate Batuque Batuquero feat. Nono 🇧🇷
Afro-Brazilian percussion collides with modern electronic energy in a track that celebrates the sacred and the visceral simultaneously.
Sube la Vibra feat. Tostao 🇨🇴
Latin Grammy winner blending hip-hop consciousness with Afro-Colombian identity culture worn proudly, rhythm felt deeply.
Cacao Azúcar Tambor feat. Betsayda Machado 🇻🇪
A living voice of Afro-Venezuelan tradition and ritual Betsayda carries the memory of the community in every note she sings.
Mango Bajito feat. Jessie Boykins III 🇯🇲🇺🇸
Soul, R&B, and diasporic identity meet sensual rhythm, Jessie brings a lush, intimate perspective to the diaspora's North American chapter.
Ni Loca feat. Letón Pé 🇩🇴 + Gina Chavez 🇺🇸
New-generation Afro-Caribbean voices that blur the line between roots and future sound bold, genre-defiant, and unapologetically themselves.
Peligro feat. Los Rakas 🇵🇦
Grammy-winning duo merging dancehall, hip-hop, and diaspora storytelling Los Rakas bring Panama's street poetry into the conversation.
Malembe feat. Martina Camargo 🇨🇴
Legendary guardian of Afro-Colombian oral tradition, Martina Camargo is a living archive, and her presence on this album is a profound honor.
Se Me Sale Lo Malo feat. Nono 🇧🇷
Emotion transformed into rhythm and release, the album's closing statement, where the weight of history becomes the lightness of liberation.
THE COLLABORATORS
A Constellation of Voices Across the Diaspora
ANCESTRAL brings together an extraordinary roster of artists spanning multiple generations, nationalities, and genres united by shared ancestry and a commitment to honoring it honestly.
From Grammy winners to living legends of oral tradition, the collective reach of these artists spans continents and generations each one bringing an irreplaceable voice to this diaspora-wide conversation.
CULTURAL IMPACT
Roots That Cross Oceans
The African diaspora is not a single story, it is thousands of stories, carried across oceans in the hold of history, and kept alive through music, ceremony, and memory. ANCESTRAL honors that complexity without simplifying it.
The Instruments Speak First
Every percussion instrument on this album was recorded in the field — in the communities where these rhythms were born and continue to live. No studio simulations. No digital approximations. The cumaco from Venezuela's coastal villages, the cununo from Colombia's Pacific coast, the surdo from Brazil's samba circles — each one carries the memory of its people in its resonance.
A Bridge Between Generations
By pairing legendary guardians of oral tradition like Martina Camargo and Betsayda Machado with emerging global artists like Jessie Boykins III and Letón Pé, ANCESTRAL creates a living dialogue between the past and the future proof that rhythm is not a relic, but a living, evolving force that continues to shape culture worldwide.
This Is Where Rhythm Was Born. And Where It Evolves.
ANCESTRAL is not just an album. It is a sonic map of the African diaspora. Real drums. Real roots. Real stories. Each track is a territory. Each rhythm carries memory. Each collaboration builds the future.
Real Drums
Instruments recorded across the Americas with master percussionists adding their artistry alongside Mr. Pauer, who recorded and performed many from his personal collection of drums.
Real Roots
Cultural traditions honored with depth, respect, and artistic courage
Real Stories
Artists who carry the living memory of their communities into the future
For press inquiries, licensing, partnership opportunities, or booking information, reach out to the ANCESTRAL team via Orianna Records / Sony Music Spain.