La Tribu de Abrante formed as a 12-piece orchestra based in Puerto Rico, where their arrangements fuse traditional bomba and plena melodies with salsa, Latin jazz, funk, reggaeton, and urban pop. Hiram Abrante, serving as the ensemble’s founder, lead singer, songwriter, and chief arranger, brought family members Luis Abrante and Jomar Abrante into the lineup; most participants had grown up performing together, and several members hold classical training.
A longtime studio veteran, Hiram Abrante supplied background vocals for Tego Calderón and additional acts over many years before committing full time in 2007 to his concept of merging bomba and plena with contemporary urban styles. The stable configuration of La Tribu de Abrante solidified in 2010; the musicians rehearsed intensively and performed at local fairs, festivals, and weddings for the next five years, sharpening their ensemble precision. Abrante later renewed his partnership with producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist Angelo Torres, with whom he had previously collaborated on Tego Calderón’s 2003 album El Abayarde. Together they recorded the group’s debut single, “Dale Pa’ La Calle,” which White Lion released digitally; its punchy chants, burning horns, and layered danceable rhythms propelled the track onto internet charts and into club rotation, drawing attention from press and radio outlets.
Returning to the studio in late 2015, Abrante worked alongside a roster of co-producers to prepare a follow-up. The second single, “Yo No Se,” appeared in January 2016, and the album Otro Formato de Musica arrived that June. It debuted at number six on the Top Latin Albums chart and number three on the Tropical Albums list, lifting “Dale Pa’ La Calle” into the top 25 of the Tropical Songs chart.
