Cuban duo Las Panteras reinterpret a classic with “Yiri Yiri Bom”, recasting Beny Moré’s anthem through a reggae framework on the closing track of their debut EP Orunmila.

Based in Perpignan, Las Panteras is the first collaborative project from Havana-born vocalists Eliene Castillo and Martha Galarraga. Castillo trained at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory and has performed with Chucho Valdés and Silvio Rodríguez, as well as co-leading the jazz vocal group Sexto Sentido. Galarraga descends from a lineage of Afro-Cuban ritual musicians tied to the Yoruba traditions of Santería, and gained international recognition through her long-standing collaboration with pianist Omar Sosa.

Built on a mid-tempo one-drop rhythm, “Yiri Yiri Bom” reworks Moré’s lyrics over syncopated organ stabs, electric guitar skanks, and a loping bassline. Galarraga and Castillo trade call-and-response refrains in tight harmony, while Cuban percussion elements like bembé drums and hand-played congas inflect the reggae core with ritual cadence.

References to sugarcane, coffee, and carnival echo the symbolic landscape of the original, while the duo’s phrasing transforms the refrain into a mantra, equal parts invocation and homage.

“Yiri Yiri Bom” leads Orunmila, released on 6 June via KaRu Prod. The EP also features “La Vendedora” and “Hasta Cuando”, with further collaborations and summer live dates anticipated across Europe.

Listen to the single and stream the EP in full HERE