# Elkin & Nelson — Jibaro

Elkin & Nelson’s Jibaro (1974) is No. 1 in our Balearic ranking. The full verdict, and where to hear it.

- **Released:** 1974
- **On one list:** Balearic
- **Updated:** 2026-08-31
- **Artist:** [Elkin & Nelson](https://waxonia.com/artist/elkin-and-nelson/)
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/track/elkin-and-nelson--jibaro/

## What we say

### No. 1 in [Balearic](https://waxonia.com/genre/balearic/)

Colombian brothers recording in Spain, rediscovered by Alfredo a decade later, and remixed for the London crowd in 1988. The definitive Balearic record precisely because nothing about it was meant for a club.

## Analysis

9 sections, the first drop of 3 at 0:08, 2% of the way in.

- **Tempo:** 107.7 BPM — holds throughout
- **Key:** A minor
- **Dynamic range:** 3 dB — compressed hard — very little between the quiet and the loud
- **Length:** 7:31

- `0:00` A · **intro**, instrumental — opens the record below its own average energy — playing: drums, other
- `1:06` B · **steady** (bar 29), instrumental — holding a level — the groove, neither rising nor falling — playing: drums, vocals, other
- `2:46` B · **breakdown** (bar 74), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning — playing: drums, other
- `2:59` B · **steady** (bar 80), instrumental — holding a level — the groove, neither rising nor falling — playing: drums, other
- `3:26` B · **peak** (bar 92), sung — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: drums, vocals, other
- `4:12` C · **peak** (bar 113), sung — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: drums, vocals, other
- `5:14` D · **breakdown** (bar 141), sung — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning — playing: vocals
- `5:26` E · **peak** (bar 146), sung — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: drums, vocals, other
- `6:00` C · **outro** (bar 161), sung — the closing fall — playing: drums, vocals, other

**Drops** at 0:08 (bar 3), 5:30 (bar 148), 6:00 (bar 162). A drop is a moment, not a stretch.

**What is playing.** Separated into parts by a source-separation model, so each lane is the instrument it names.

- **drums:** the drum kit, separated from the mix
- **bass:** the bass part, separated from the mix
- **vocals:** the voice, separated from the mix
- **other:** everything else — synths, guitars, keys, strings

Measured from the YouTube master on 2026-08-29. Section labels describe how the energy
moves, not musical form. Anything we were not confident enough to state is omitted
rather than hedged.

## Listen

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Elkin%20%26%20Nelson%20Jibaro) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=r9oh7nK7tkY)

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.