Ramón M. Gómez-Aponte

In 1992, Ramón had his first encounter with Bomba at a performance by Cimiento Puertorriqueño. The following year, he began studying with Modesto Cepeda, who invited him to join Cimiento. Around that same time, he befriended several musicians who were the originators of the Bomba dances held on marquees. Ramón referred to these individuals as the “Generation of '93” because they were the ones who sparked a cultural revolution that continues to impact Puerto Rican music.

In 1995, he joined Paracumbé and helped during the recording and release of the album "Tambó." By 1998, he was collaborating with Bombazo de Puerto Rico, led by the Emmanuelli brothers. That same year, he designed the first prototype of "La Máquina"—a drum set featuring Puerto Rican drums. In 2001, in collaboration with filmmaker Paloma Suau, he presented a proposal for a Bomba documentary to Banco Popular. This project evolved into the Christmas special "Raíces." Also in 2001, Ramón worked on restoring the recording of southern Bomba music, "Bomba Vieja," from the General Archive. In 2002, he founded Sambumbia, a Bomba quartet comprised of Coco Barés, Edwin Paris, and Víctor Emmanuelli.

In 2003, he made two field recordings with Don Félix Alduén's group, which included Iván Dávila and Juan Nadal. That same year, he participated in an industrial design exhibition where the second prototype of La Máquina was presented. In 2004, he decided to retire from performing to formally study arrangement and composition. Since 2015, he has been studying music engineering and production and completed the third prototype of La Máquina. More recently, he has collaborated on several musical projects at Casa de la Plena in La Goyco.