Profile

About me

Hello everyone, my real name is Mikael aka Miko, and I am a conguero originally from Chicago, Illinois.
I started playing congas in 2007. After Celia Cruz died, I saw it on yahoo. I read the article about how she was the "aretha franklin" of latin music and I started to research more about her; that lead to listening to her music. I was struck by the musicality of afro-latin music, especially of the congas.

All my life i listened to rap music and r &b, and never knew about this latin genre of music. I got an old conga for $75 and a dvd by Kamani on how to play congas. That is how my journey began. My playing style is traditional afro-cuban style (heel-toe method), and my influences in playing style is more or less latin, with some Haitian and African rhythms in there as well.

I play for Hearts Of Darkness Afrobeat in Kansas City Missouri, where I currently reside. I am by no means a master percussionist yet, but eventually, I will get there, and I am looking forward to gaining knowledge from all of you here on this site!  http://www.facebook.com/heartsofdarkness