"My decision to become a musician was made (in part) from my experience while living in England," he explains. "I always came face to face with the fact that no one knew anything about Belize, while everyone knew (for example) about Jamaica. I felt that by lending my talents to entertainment and culture, I could be a better ambassador for Belize than if I were to get into politics. Secondly, I felt that music could be a very effective tool to help preserve Garífuna culture - which is to a large extent endangered, because we had reached a point where being Garífuna wasn't "Cool". So… music was one medium that we used to make Garífuna "cool" in the eyes of the young people."

In 1995, he recorded Keimoun (Beat On), probably the most ambitious punta album to date. For the recording, Palacio and Stonetree Records' producer, Ivan Duran, went to Cuba's Generator Studio with Cuban musical director Yadam González. The concept of Keimoun was to record Punta rock from a Cuban perspective, adding a brass section and leaving space for Latin jazz-inspired solos, with touches of Norberto Rodríguez's guitar work to spice up the mix. "Lamiselu" and "Naguara" came from those classic sessions. Palacio's line-up reflects standard punta - with its Garífuna barrel drums, turtle shell percussion, bass and guitar - but limits its reliance on electric keyboards and adds more brass elements. Another Havana-born element on "Keimoun" was the Cuban guitar and brass solos, neither of which is typical of most puntas. The idea is brilliantly executed on "Lamiselu." "Lamiselu" is the Garífuna word for tragedy. "When I composed it," explains Palacio, "I was thinking of the way people in my community express themselves whenever something tragic happens in our community; the way we call on each other, family and friends, and pull together as a community for support, solidarity and comfort."

Click here for an exclusive Afropop interview with Andy Palacio.