As the Boricua independent art scene continues to experiment and evolve, more artists, writers and musicians continue to find ways to reinvent the scene. FAUNARIKÉN serves as one such project as the people involved mix poetry and spoken word delivery with elements from various forms of music to create an introspective album that celebrates Puerto Rico but also asks listeners to think about how we protect and take care of the island, its environments, people, and culture. FAUNARIKÉN starts with “GATOS DE SAN JUAN”, a jazzy and groovy track that displays the vocalist’s spoken word and rapping mix delivery in a reflection regarding San Juan and its people. Then “IGÜANA DE MONA”, a spoken word poem that reflects on how we must protect our island before bringing some horns and percussion into the mix to create some atmosphere that teleports listeners to Puerto Rico’s fauna. Afterwards, “BUEY DE JAYUYA” serves as a form of introspection regarding the exploitation of the Puerto Rican people while others get rich through corruption and other means. Next “PLUMAJES DEL YUNQUE” finds the artists playing around with many percussion and horn instruments as they ask listeners to contemplate about our natural resources and those who inhabit them. The first half of the album closes with “DORADO DEL COQUÍ”, a piece that finds the musicians reflecting on the many aspects that make us happy to be Boricuas without forgetting some elements that make it difficult to survive in the island before going into its jazzy instrumental section. The second part of the self-titled project kicks off with “ESPADA DE FAJARDO”, a homage to Fajardo through some jazz rap production. Subsequently, “GAVIOTAS DE CABO ROJO” takes listeners to Cabo Rojo through many visuals before delving into jazz sounds inspired by bebop. Next “MANATÍ DE MANGLAR” asks us to meditate on the damage we commit to the animal on the title, which serves just as a mere example of what we do to animals across the island through our use of machinery. Then “BURUQUENA DE LOÍZA” serves as another reflection of our fauna before delving into some funk and Latin influenced jazz sounds. Finally, the project closes with “REINITA DE PALMAR”, a jazz rap production that encapsulates many of the themes present across the album while making listeners bob their heads, dance, ponder or travel across their thoughts thanks to the funky production and psychedelic elements found throughout the track.
Overall, FAUNARIKÉN’s debut album is a fun and thought-provoking piece that will make people dance, but also ponder about who we are as a people and country, and how we take care of the home we cherish so much.
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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
December 2022
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