The history of bachata is the history of the Dominican Republic. The pervasive heartache at the core of the genre was born out of the brutality of the decades-long dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, known pejoratively as "The Goat." His reign over the Republic was one of the most brutal of the twentieth century, wherein torture and kidnapping were common everyday events for citizens. So pervasive was his control, that all forms of non-state approved music were banned under threat of imprisonment and torture. Upon Trujillo's assassination in 1961, bachata burst onto the scene, pioneered by the intrepid José Manuel Calderón, the de facto "Father of Bachata."
There are currently eight forms of bachata, loosely designated by thematic differences. The forms of bachata include bachata-bolero (the traditional form of bachata), cabaret bachata (popular in brothels and cabarets alike), sexual double entendre bachata (popular in the dance halls of the 1980s), tecno-bachata (a middle-of-the-way hybrid of bachata), frontier bachata (which uses electric guitars), romantic bachata (which uses softer, gentler voices), vallenato and bachata (a mixture of Colombian vallenatos and bachata) and the New York School (pioneered by José Manuel Calderón and Aventura).
The key features of bachata--traditional bachata--involve the themes of heartbreak and loss fused with the musical traditions of South American bolero. This fusion has been likened to the sound of American blues in so far as its pathos and subject matter. Though traditional bachata is primarily a guitar-based genre, its variants can be as uptempo and rhythmic as reggae or dance music. The reoccurring, constant feature of bachata is the subject matter--bitter heartbreak, loss and melancholy.
Bachata is as deeply rooted to the Dominican Republic as jazz is to the United States. The variations of bachata, however, do blend with other musical styles from a variety of countries. Among the most prevalent fusions is the New York School of bachata, which is centered in the Dominican dominated neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. Likewise, the lyricism and melancholy pathos of Colombian vallenato lends itself perfectly to blending with bachata in unprecedented ways.
The popular misconception is that bachata is a low-class or insignificant style of Latino music. On the contrary, though bachata did indeed spawn from the slums and brothels of Santo Domingo, it has evolved into a varied, rich genre in and of itself. The spectrum of the bachata sound covers all forms of music from the modern dance club to the sultry balladry of a lone bachatero with his guitar. It has transcended its roots to become a genuine form of world music.