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If you say '90 miles' to any Cuban, they'll know exactly what it means. It's the stretch of water between Key West, which is the southernmost tip of the continental United States, and Cuba. And for any Cuban who cannot go back, it represents not just a physical distance, but a spiritual one. That's why in most of the songs there is the word 'distancia.' The idea was to take the nostalgia and the sounds that we started with on 'Mi tierra,' which was meant to sound like it was made in a past era, and do the opposite. We moved forward to 2007, with the technological equipment we have today, and gave it a very vibrant sound.

Gloria Estefan#15

MusicCultureHeritageInnovationNostalgia

About this quote

What does it mean?
She uses the concept of 90 miles to explore nostalgia while updating musical sound.
In plain terms
She mixes old cultural memories with modern technology in music.
What can you take from it?
Update old traditions with new tools to keep them alive.

Where it applies

  • music production
  • cultural work
  • storytelling

Putting it to work

  • blend vintage and modern styles
  • research cultural roots

Questions to consider

  • How do you balance old and new?
  • What does home sound like to you?

Another view

Modernizing tradition risks losing original context or purity.

More from Gloria Estefan

  1. It took us two years to write, produce and arange the new album [90 Millas]. Aside from that, I wrote the two children's books based on Noelle, my bulldog, and…

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  2. My father rarely spoke of life before [he left Cuba]. About prison, he jsut said, 'That man is a genius at PR.' Castro would come to the jail in the middle of …

    Permalink to quote #16
  3. Emilio and I like projects to breathe and grow. We started with a concept -- write songs, make demos, then let the guest stars listen to them and then afffect …

    Permalink to quote #13

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