anger
consumes his thoughts only to commit acts he’ll forever regret.
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so many worlds
stay underground, deep, deep underground where no one can find ‘em till decades pass & new generations find inspiration. After delivering a few singles and two EPs (Bairopolis and Frío Tropical) across 2020 and 2021, Ana Machotook a brief break in early 2022 before delivering their latest project, Realismo Mágico, a short but beautiful one that fuses sounds such as hip hop, reggaetón, dream pop, bolero and more. Realismo Mágico starts with “Drogas En La Playa”, a blend of dream pop and hip-hop elements that continues to display the musician’s experimental nature in a love-fueled song. Afterwards, “Clásico” is a collaboration with Enyel C that fuses hip hop and reggaetón to deliver another love track. Then “Caribbean Style” features Robertito Chong in a tune that mixes dancehall, afrobeat and hip hop vibes in an upbeat and fun number that isn’t afraid to deliver observations regarding Puerto Rico’s current relationship with colonization and gentrification. Next, “Amiga” is a beautiful bolero that finds Ana reflecting on their relationship with a friend who possibly passed away or left as part of Puerto Rico’s continuous migration. Later, “¿Qué Pasó?” is a blend of autotune, tropical and reggaetón vibes that once again shows Ana’s storytelling skills. Subsequently, “Llueve” serves as a beautiful blend of pop and bolero that explores love and how much one is willing to do for a partner. Finally, “Pero Gané” mixes R&B, synthpop and dance music as a great closer that continues to demonstrate Ana’s disposition to experiment. In brief, Ana Macho’s Realismo Mágico is another fantastic project that shows the musician’s willingness to experiment with different sounds to deliver a project rooted in familiar subject matter.
now more than ever
people lean on the indies for self-discovery. it’s an interesting dynamic where the indies become mainstream coming into a world they probably never really aspired to explore. After delivering singles across the years starting off in 2016, salsa group Onda Moderna finally released their debut EP LMQTA (La Moda Que Te Acomoda) in 2022, a project that displays many of their influences while staying true to their salsa roots. LMQTA starts with “Mujer”, a heavily danceable salsa number that fuses elements of pop and rock. Afterwards, “A mitá” is a song that displays the group’s many Latin influences from bomba and cumbia to salsa and merengue. Later, “Amor de Embuste” displays elements of R&B fused with world music as the group continues exploring the subject of love. Next, “Subo Al Cielo” fuses elements of salsa, reggae, funk, and jazz to create another unique arrangement. Subsequently, “La Cosqui” is a collaboration with José Luis and Joshua Marcell that delivers yet another very danceable salsa number that’ll have generations moving their feet. Finally, the project delivers “Feibú – Merengue Version”, a merengue song that takes a look at how people often use social media. Generally, Onda Moderna’s LMQTA is a great display of how the group mixes their salsa roots with many other genres to deliver unique arrangements that’ll have listeners moving their feet across the dance floor.
every now & then
it’s nice to see a glitch that changes the medium, that changes the field in its entirety making minds think differently. After delivering a few singles these past few years and an EP with 1997, Alan The Kid has continued to stay as an active member of the scene with his recent project Nunca Olvidarme, a fantastic sophomore effort where Alan The Kid presents his ability to create a vibe that can be shared across late night activities. Nunca Olvidarme starts with “mistakes”, a song that finds Alan The Kid already exploring a different sound when compared to those found in previous projects as he goes on a bit more of an atmospheric synthpop wave. Subsequently, “treinta de febrero” serves as an exploration of the previous vibe with a bit of ethereal R&B. Then “puzzi guxxi” is a collaboration with Nasshi that finds both musicians exploring a very bouncy mix of trap and R&B as they continue to with the late-night vibe presented across the project thus far. Next, “residente en el 6 4 1” continues the aforementioned ambiance, but this time around Alan shows more of his rapping skills on the beat. Afterwards, “INTERLUDE” features Al Norte in a track that furthers the atmosphere presented in previous tracks but mostly across his vocals and lyrical choice. Finally, the project delivers “NoNoNo”, a fantastic closure that demonstrates Alan The Kid’s ability to encapsulate an entire sound in one song while displaying a bit of everything in his skillset. As a whole, Alan The Kid’s Nunca Olvidarme is the type of project that’ll serve as a vibe for late night activities be they in the club, dancefloor, bed, motel or whatever space deemed perfect for a bit of dancing before having sex with ambiance creating soundscapes made up of ethereal and psychedelic trap and R&B.
zany videos
cover the web as the zany 90’s turn into the zany aughts & zany thoughts become zany acts recorded on film & digital to be shared across a platform that’ll change the game forever. After delivering various singles across the past two years, IVVS continues to explore different sounds with his sophomore project, SODA, an album that feels like a trip across the darkest times and into the lightest ones. SODA starts with “QUE EL CAMBIO ASUSTA PERO ES NECESARIO”, an interesting instrumental intro that sets up the upcoming journey. After that “TEST ME” serves as another delivery of electronic ambient music that finds the musician delivering some atmospheric vocals. Then “THE TRIAD” feels like another electronic ambient exploration, but this time one that takes us into sci-fi dream worlds reminiscent of Wong Kar Wai and Wachoswki siblings cinema. Next “SGT I’M SOARIN’ LA” continues the vibe provided in previous tracks, but this time around with more traditional instruments as IVVS takes us into even dreamier soundscapes. The second half of the project begins with “I CAN”, which provides an uneasy feeling of drowning in one’s darkest thoughts, memories and/or dreams in the same way films like Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream can get into one’s mind. Afterwards, “HEAVEN IF WE TRY” serves as one of the lighter and more upbeat tunes in the album thus far as IVVS provides another dreamy soundscape, but one that could be envisioned in a heaven-like setting. Subsequently, “TESLA” functions as a perfect follow-up to the previous song as it continues to deliver a similar feeling before delving into an even more elevated heavenly sensation in an experience where one can feel a bit of the influence of Frank Ocean’s Blonde. Finally, “KODAK” finishes the experience in another slow, but emotional tune that summarizes the adventure IVVS has taken us through this entire time.
Overall, IVVS’s SODA is a project that finds the musician displaying his ability to create many atmospheric and dreamy scenes while taking the listener through an emotionally fueled journey. we underestimate being wrong.
learning can be a magnificent experience if done properly. After starting with some singles here and there in 2021, djeii delivered a debut full-length project 19, an experimental album that shows the many sounds the young musician’s willing to explore to stand out in the ever growing Puerto Rican music scene. 19 starts with “serotonin syndrome”, an electronic exploration of autotune, drone and glitch music that feels like a presentation of surrealist dream. Afterwards, “tngo miedo q me veas” takes listeners out of the previous experience and into one that seems a bit more upbeat with its display of house and drum & bass influences, but one that’s still surreal in presentation. Then “(estoy) haciendo lo mejor q puedo” serves as a display of acoustic guitar and synthpop influences while maintaining the futuristic vibe displayed across the project so far. Next the project delves into “escapismo”, another synthpop tune that will send listeners to throwback worlds of the 1980s or futuristic sci-fi realms with its industrial fusion. After that, “algn sálveme d mi” is a song that once again displays the musician’s guitar music influences as he mixes said sound with emo vibes and autotune vocals. The second half of 19 begins with “nunca pasa nada”, a mix of dream and synthpop that continues to display djeii’s vocals and ambient building production. Subsequently, “por no decirte lo q siento” is laid back blend of synths, emo, and R&B that might make fans of Yung Lean and Frank Ocean happy. Later, “tomorrow is my birthday” is a combination of ambient and noise that feels like an experience inside the musician’s thoughts or dreams. Next, “i hope u have a nice life” is a short foray into blending indie rock with autotune vocals and a bit hardcore. Finally, the project delivers “the world will end on july 10”, an interesting ending to an already fascinating project; a track that certainly delivers on providing the feeling and ambiance of its title.
Overall, djeii’s 19 is an experimental project that displays many of the musician’s influences and willingness to explore, but also one that could serve as the soundtrack to a Gen Z coming of age movie. at times,
it’s nice to see/hear/meet someone with much more wit. it’s a humbling experience. they go wild
as they see the numbers go up cause they’ve just gathered a bunch of ca$h & they act like they’re grateful cause they’ve just scammed a bunch of kids. their wicked ways will forever be
imprinted in the history books, but, sadly, the people often forget. they constantly wonder
asking away about life’s many mysteries from something as little as today’s class to the relationship between man & god. they always ask. they always wonder. we just help them in whatever way we can answering whatever we can and/or directing them towards potential answers. as we wander
across these metro streets i can’t help but feel a balance between our culture & the little globalization that slowly creeps in via restaurants, music & other subcultures. take a look
at el verano del ‘19 & you’ll find a sense of victory. even with a vast amount of info at the tip of the finger
we still fall for the promises of politicians; a tragedy. upon entering college,
the children of uptight parents suddenly find a sense of freedom that seemed foreign. an upset child
whines, & whines & whines, but she doesn’t get her way in the process of growth. unusual concepts
enter the ether as internet floodgates open for all. i look at them
& all i see are uninterested faces, uninterested minds & i try to think of ways that they can feel appreciated, ways that they can be captured but the limited resources only allow for so much so i think of old school games like simon says, pictionary & the mime & when i least expect it i learn of the ways in which the old school can still satisfy the new school. As some of the most active members coming out of the REALDEADBOYS collective, it was only natural for Antmoney and Someone New to get together for a complete project, something they accomplish in their latest EP Historias Bajo La Influencia, one that displays their fantastic chemistry. Historias Bajo La Influencia starts with “Amor Y Odio”, a blend of glitch, phonk and melody that explores the two themes in the song’s title. Afterwards, “Floto” is a psychedelic and drug-driven tale of love and heartache. Then “Cell” serves as a display of R&B and melodic trap influences in a love-driven tune that shows a lot of mainstream potential. Finally, “Jefe” is another presentation of Antmoney and Someone New’s willingness to experiment with their sound.
In conclusion, Historias Bajo La Influencia is a collaboration that shows Antmoney and Someone New’s great chemistry across a string of different experimental and drug-fueled sounds. After starting his career with some singles across 2022, young singer Marcus OM joined forces with RedMedito release their first collaborative project Hobby I in what seems to be their first publication as Otra Monotonía, a project that sums up what they’ve been doing so far in one package. Hobby I starts with “Intro”, a reggaetón track featuring Carlos OM that mixes the traditional sound with some entrancing synths. Afterwards, “Desatada” is another reggaetón record that asks listeners to dance “hasta abajo”. Then “Tranquilos” is a song that finds the group experimenting with the traditional reggaetón formula with some interesting samples. Next “Propuesta” serves as a love and sex-driven tune that plays around with a bit of R&B. After that “Trabajo” is a song that explores the balance between love and work. Later, “Volveras” is another love-driven record. Finally, “Cantalo” is a closer that shows some of the group’s electronic influences as they fuse them with their traditional reggaetón.
As a whole, Otra Monotonía’s Hobby I is a collection of tracks that presents the group’s reggaetón roots and the experimentation they’re willing to do for now. ugly are
the many words shared to hurt people for ego boosts. |
AuthorFernando E. E. Correa González is the author behind over 30 self-published poetry books. He has been published by literary magazines & journals [Id]entidad, El Vicio del Tintero, Sábanas Magazine, Smaeralit, The Occulum, Tonguas and Hound Magazine. Other than writing, Correa is also the host of FENCast, a podcast dedicated to documenting the Puerto Rican independent art scene. Aside from this, he experiments with filmmaking, photography, drawing, painting, multimedia and transmedia. He currently lives in his native Puerto Rico. Archives
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