Amsterdam · Caribbean dance band
Haitian kompa and méringue, calypso and tumba — Caribbean dance music played live by a horn-led band.
VC-01 · Who we are
Who we are
Vanilla Caliente is an Amsterdam band led by bassist Gabriel Timar, playing Haitian méringue and kompa, calypso, tumba and horn-led dance music. Rooted in Caribbean dance traditions and based in Amsterdam, it plays music made to be danced to.
Book it as a four-piece for a club, an eight-to-ten-piece for a festival stage, or a full sixteen-piece horn section for a main stage — the same repertoire and the same drive, scaled to the room and the budget.
Vanilla Caliente live · Amsterdam · photo: Kristiana / Gabriel Timar
VC-02 · Listen
Listen & watch
Two minutes of live footage tells a programmer more than any paragraph. This is the band live — horns up front, percussion driving, the floor full.
VC-03 · The Live Show
The live show
We open warm, build through the set, and land on the songs that fill a floor. The arrangements are tight but they breathe — there is room for a horn solo, a percussion break, a line played back to the room. People who came to listen tend to end up dancing.
Bass and percussion lock in first. By the third song the room has worked out it is allowed to move.
Méringue and kompa lines, calypso brass, solos that lift the set without losing the dancers.
We read the room and follow it. A Vanilla Caliente set builds, holds the floor, and ends on time.
VC-04 · Formats
Three formats, one band
Every format plays the same repertoire with the same drive. The difference is footprint, volume and budget — so the right line-up goes on the right stage.
Vanilla Caliente live · Amsterdam · photo: Kristiana / Gabriel Timar
Compact, groove-first line-up for clubs, bars and smaller rooms. Big sound, small footprint.
Vanilla Caliente live · Amsterdam · photo: Kristiana / Gabriel Timar
Full rhythm section plus horns — the balance of power and mobility for festival stages and theatres.
Vanilla Caliente live · Amsterdam · photo: Kristiana / Gabriel Timar
Expanded horns and layered percussion — the full Caribbean orchestra for main stages and larger events.
Not sure which fits your stage?
Get in touch →Selected festival appearances
Upcoming: AHKSI After Hours Party at Toekomstmuziek, 26 June.
Photo/mention in local press after Zwet Huiskamermuziekfestival.
VC-05 · Press / EPK
Press & EPK
Download the full EPK, technical rider, stage plot and press photos. Bio and logo files are available on request.
Vanilla Caliente is an Amsterdam Caribbean dance band led by bassist Gabriel Timar, playing Haitian kompa and méringue, calypso and tumba. Horn-led and built for the floor, it scales from a four-piece club set to a sixteen-piece festival line-up.
VC-06 · Booking
Booking & enquiries
Tell us the date, the venue and a rough budget, and we’ll come back with availability, a fee and the right line-up for the stage.
Prefer email? Get in touch and we’ll send availability, a fee and the right EPK for the stage.