Alt.Latino's best new music round-up: Wyatt Flores, Danny Ocean and Grupo Frontera
FELIX CONTRERAS, HOST:
Just a quick warning - this episode contains explicit language.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MAS QUE NADA")
ANAMARIA SAYRE, HOST:
(Vocalizing).
CONTRERAS: OK, name that tune. Seriously.
SAYRE: I actually don't know. Why is it in my head?
CONTRERAS: That is a song called "Mas que nada."
SAYRE: Seriously?
CONTRERAS: Yeah. And it's from Sérgio Mendes and his band, Brasil '66. I don't remember who wrote it, though. It's one of those songs that's iconic from that era that really introduced pop bossa nova to the U.S.
SAYRE: OK, but why is it in my head? Why did I walk in here singing it? Where would I - why? Where did it come from (laughter)?
CONTRERAS: Maybe a dream.
SAYRE: Ooh. What do you think that means?
CONTRERAS: Oh, my God. I'm having deja vu. I am remembering this moment of you singing that song, but it coming from your dream.
SAYRE: Wow. We're getting really...
CONTRERAS: Yeah.
SAYRE: ...Witchy this week, Felix. I like it.
CONTRERAS: I'm kind of scaring myself. Wow. Well, maybe it's because we've been listening to so much music for this week's new music show that it just...
SAYRE: Could be.
CONTRERAS: Osmosis.
SAYRE: Osmosis of the brain, the heart, the mind, the soul and the strings (laughter).
CONTRERAS: From NPR Music, you're listening to ALT.LATINO, the esoteric version.
SAYRE: Ooh. (Vocalizing). I want to, like, ding a chime or something.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHIME)
CONTRERAS: From NPR music, this is ALT.LATINO. I'm Felix Contreras.
SAYRE: And I'm Anamaria Sayre. Let the chisme begin.
CONTRERAS: And the chisme is new music this week. We've got a ton of stuff. I still get stuff in the mail, believe it or not. I get physical CDs. I do.
SAYRE: Why don't I get physical CDs?
CONTRERAS: I don't know, because you're the younger...
SAYRE: Is there some...
CONTRERAS: ...Generation.
SAYRE: ...Kind of mailing list I've got to get on?
CONTRERAS: It's the younger generation. You guys are all...
SAYRE: I...
CONTRERAS: ...Digital downloads.
SAYRE: ...Love getting mail. I think it's the novelty of it. Like, oh, my God, I got mail.
CONTRERAS: OK, publicists. You've heard that. Send her...
SAYRE: Everyone...
CONTRERAS: ...CDs.
SAYRE: Should I publicly announce my address, Felix?
CONTRERAS: They know where to find you because they know where to find me, and they send me stuff all the time. However, this record that I'm going to start out with this week is something that I found on my own. This is a drummer-composer named Luis Muñoz. He is a jazz musician, but he's also adept at so many different types of music. He's originally from Costa Rica. He lived in Santa Barbara, Calif., for many, many years after going to school there at UC Santa Barbara. He's put out a number of really great records. And there was one called "Luz" that he released in 2013 that featured Magos Herrera that really cemented everything for me from this musician. He's got a great new record out right now called "Glimmering Path." I'm going to play a track called "Crescent Moon." Check it out.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CRESCENT MOON")
LOIS MAHALIA: (Singing) In the horizon lies a glimmering path. Unbroken silence. Diamond evening-stars. Sublime, mysterious and uncharted.
SAYRE: Felix, this dude is ridonkulous (ph). I had no clue who this was, I will say (laughter). And I listened to the whole record and wow, I was really delightfully surprised by this whole record. I mean, the versatility of what he does here. Like, yes, there's obviously a throughline of jazz happening, but track to track, like, "Crescent Moon," that track you just played, there's almost like a little bit of a synthetic contemporary futuristic element to it that I was really surprised to hear him play with.
And then you have, like, almost like a 2000s pop-rock energy on "Three Seasons" with more of jazz horns. It's really interesting to listen to. I hear so much in it. Also, from Costa Rica, which is, like, you don't hear a ton of artists like this coming out of Costa Rica.
CONTRERAS: Yeah. I'm really glad you heard all that stuff 'cause the first time I put this album on, literally the vinyl - he sent me a couple of copies, and I put it on, and it really is a high-water mark for him for all of the reasons that you stated. It's just so forward-looking, and it's just - it's him. It really is him. He's just so talented that way.
SAYRE: It's also really interesting to me because on "Lords Of War," the vocals that this artist does - her name is Lois Mahalia. She's a Guyanese singer, and she does almost, like, a lot of those Afro Cuban jazz tracks you play me, Felix, that have, like, a tinge of the, like, the Santería vocals on them. She does that...
CONTRERAS: Yeah, she does.
SAYRE: ...Kind of for a second, and then she goes into these really, like, traditional jazz vocals. It's really. I mean, she is so versatile, too. It was a really cool record.
CONTRERAS: Yeah, yeah. I like that a lot. The album's called "Glimmering Path," the track is called "Crescent Moon" and the musician is Luis Muñoz. OK, what do you got?
SAYRE: Let's see. What do I got? Oh, I'm so excited about this one, Felix. So you probably know her. She's a staple icon in the Spanish hip-hop scene. Her name is Mala Rodríguez. And this song is a single she just released called "Casi nada."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CASI NADA")
MALA RODRIGUEZ: (Singing) Lo que digan de nosotro'. A mí poco o na' me importa. Si está bien o mal. ¿A mí qué más me da? Ya estoy muy lejo'. Lo que digan de nosotro'. A mí poco o na' me importa. Si está bien o mal. ¿A mí qué más me da? Ya estoy muy lejo'.
(Rapping) No culpe' al destino de toa' tus mierda'. Haz lo que toca y da lo que tenga'. Reza, estamo' comiendo, caminando a tienta'. Con to' y con eso, intentando ver lo bueno que hay. Siempre con un sueño detrás de la oreja. Consulto oreja, asocia'os en la almohada. Como parida por las hada'. Un tiro da'o, un tatquín en el costa'o, vicios nocturno'. Concursos de tetas mojada'.
SAYRE: This is one of those tracks that I just want to be, like, bathed in the energy of what's happening here. I was incredibly surprised, impressed, excited to hear this track from her. I mean, traditionally, this is not at all really something that she plays in. She's been around since 1999. She's a Sevilla-based rapper. I'm sure you know all about her, Felix. But really to hear her come back in this way - yes. Put your hand down. I'll let you...
CONTRERAS: I have something to talk (laughter)...
SAYRE: ...Go in just a second.
CONTRERAS: ...Something to say. I'm raising my hand.
SAYRE: No. Let me finish talking about this...
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
SAYRE: ...'Cause I love the song so much. It's so cool 'cause it's really this, like - I don't know what is happening, but I keep talking about Residente and "313" and that track off his new album. And then all of a sudden, you get Mala doing this same kind of reflective, soft - like, sometimes all you need is a really beautiful piano and just a really great rapper, and the work is done.
CONTRERAS: I saw her in 2008 at South by Southwest.
SAYRE: OK.
CONTRERAS: OK (laughter). Seriously, she's always been in the back of my mind. As we go through all of these newer Spanish artists, I always...
SAYRE: Totally.
CONTRERAS: ...Go back to Mala Rodriguez because she's set all this precedent. She laid the groundwork for all of this stuff, really. And her performances back then were really dynamic. And so that - it's really nice to see her and hear her come out with this - such a strong statement right now to reestablish, like, you know, hey. I've been doing this for a minute. This is how it's done. I really, really like this track.
SAYRE: And that's the thing. People believe - you know, Rosalía is not the first person who mixed flamenco and hip-hop. And also, a lot of what exists in the space of female rap and trap and hip-hop artists in Latin America right now - I mean, think of, like, the scene in Argentina. A lot of this has to be inspired by Mala. She was the first. She was the first female to win best urban album and best urban song at the Latin Grammys and, to this day, is the only one to have ever won that Grammy.
CONTRERAS: Wow.
SAYRE: Yeah. So she's not only a pioneer, but she's kind of still - she's still got the record. She's still on top. And this song specifically, I was like, wow. This is something special.
CONTRERAS: Speaking of South by Southwest, I want to play a new track by another artist who I saw for the first time at South by Southwest. God, I can't remember what year. It was pre-pandemic. You know, they all sort of, like, kind of meld together. And honestly - and I can't remember it. I can't make a distinction between one year or another, but I know it was pre-pandemic. A vocalist named Alih Jey. She's Dominican, but she lives in Southern California. She was performing there and knocked me out. She's got a new single out right now. And it's a remake of a Sonny & Cher tune from 1966. The name of the track is "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)."
The title is not so tragic. It's really a reference to childhood games and people playing games and kind of play-shooting each other. But it's about the - developing an interest between this little boy and this little girl. It's kind of a cute song when Sonny & Cher recorded it. Nancy Sinatra recorded it. Here is Alih Jey's version, "Mi baby me mató."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BANG BANG (MI BABY ME MATÓ)")
ALIH JEY: (Singing) Recuerdo cuando estábamos chiquititos. Carrera en caballitos de palitos. Como en las películas de antes vivíamos. Otoño tras otoño, fuimos creciendo, yo lo hice mío. Se reía como ayer. ¿No te acuerdas del juego aquel?Bang, bang. He shot me down. Bang, bang. I hit the ground. Bang, bang. That awful sound. Bang, bang. My baby shot-- Bang, bang. Caí otra vez. Bang, bang. Qué horrible fue. Bang, bang. Me disparó. Bang, bang.
SAYRE: Felix.
CONTRERAS: Right?
SAYRE: This track is way too cool. I'm going to have to start bringing (laughter)...
CONTRERAS: Too cool for me (laughter)?
SAYRE: I'm going to have to start bringing in, like, deep jazz cuts...
CONTRERAS: Oh, my God.
SAYRE: ...Just to feel unique here.
CONTRERAS: You're just - oh. You're just...
SAYRE: You're coming for my brand (laughter).
CONTRERAS: You dissed me (laughter) in the nicest way. Oh, my (laughter) God. She does a great job of this cover. She really does. And she's very creative. Alih Jey is very creative, and she's put out a number of singles. She's constantly putting out a lot of music in a lot of different styles. But in order to really appreciate what she does with this, let me play the original Sonny & Cher tune, OK?
SAYRE: Ooh.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BANG BANG (MY BABY SHOT ME DOWN)")
SONNY AND CHER: (Singing) I was 5, and he was 6. We rode on horses made of sticks. He wore black, and I wore white. He would always win the fight. Bang, bang. He shot me down. Bang, bang. I hit the ground. Bang, bang - that awful sound. Bang, bang. My baby shot me down.
SAYRE: Somehow - like, obviously, thematically, they both have this kind of, like - I don't know - Bondy (ph), like - whatever you want to call it - energy to it to kind of go with the theme. But she somehow dialed it up. She made it kind of, like, more cool, sultry. She hits the (imitating drum beat)...
CONTRERAS: Yeah.
SAYRE: And that - somehow, I would never associate those two things together, but it works.
CONTRERAS: In a very big way. Yeah. She did a very good job of redoing this. It's an iconic song. Listening back - this is 1966. Listening to - with the sensibilities now, it's almost a little too much, you know, the violence and what could be interpreted as misogyny. There's a lot of crazy stuff in this song. It's almost too delicate to listen to. But if you put it in a different context, I think it still works. And certainly, the way Alih Jey did it, it just - it really brings out the power of the emotion of, you know, these two allegedly little kids. But they're, like, teenagers, right?
SAYRE: It's not sounding very little kid to me.
CONTRERAS: No. It's, like...
SAYRE: But...
CONTRERAS: It's teenager, whatever, right? Alih Jey, "Bang Bang (Mi baby me mató)." Big fan of hers. OK. What do you got?
SAYRE: OK. Here we go. This one - oh, God, Felix, there's so much to be said here. So Grupo Frontera...
CONTRERAS: Oh.
SAYRE: ...Just came out with their now second album. It's called "Jugando a que no pasa nada." I did talk a bit about it on New Music Friday last week when it came out, but there's so much to be said about this record. Obviously, we have a lot to talk about with this, Felix. So this is a track off the album called "Me hizo un favor."
(SOUNDBITE OF GRUPO FRONTERA'S "ME HIZO UN FAVOR")
GRUPO FRONTERA: (Singing) En tu historia eres la víctima, pero la cosa cambia si yo hablo. Me mandó al infierno, pero hace rato que ya dormía con el diablo. Me dijeron que querías volver, pero tranquila, ya no es necesario. Yo pensé que, si se iba, iba a morirme, pero todo lo contrario. Me hizo un favor. Cuando se fue de aquí. Porque tengo más desde que no te tengo. A darte las gracias vengo. Me hizo un favor. Cuando se fue de aquí. Le pedí a Dios que de lo malo me alejara. Y ya no volví a ver tu cara. Me hizo un favor. Te debo una.
SAYRE: You don't like it.
CONTRERAS: OK. Where are the trumpets, trombones, the tubas, the taroles? Is this the sound of regional Mexican sort of expanding its palate? What is this?
SAYRE: OK. Here's my take. So, one, I think they're actually staying impressively traditional on this record. A lot of the songs are straight-ahead what they do - Norteño with a capital N. They do some tracks with Christian Nodal that have already been big singles, so they're doing all that stuff, but you have to remember, you cannot think about Grupo Frontera without thinking about producer Edgar Barrera. They are thought partners. They have been together since the beginning. I mean, Grupo Frontera broke out onto the scene in 2022 with their massive cover of "No Se Va," the Morat song, let's remember, which is insane. Morat is now on this album, which is, I think, equally insane, if not more insane...
CONTRERAS: Oh, my God.
SAYRE: ...Because whoever thought that they would be on a regional Mexican album? But the point is, is Edgar - you know, he's from the valley, too, in Texas. He's always been interested in doing things with artists that are different from what you would expect from them.
So when thinking about Grupo Frontera, I mean, everything they've always been has been, yes, regional Mexican, but then also a little bit more. It's like, oh, let's make it norteño; let's make it tejano; let's make it cumbia, but let's, like, do something a little electronic or let's somehow kind of throw a dembow under it or, you know, let's make it a little Caribbean or let's make it a little, you know, trappy or whatever it might be, and I think that this record is kind of the perfect balancing act of all of those things.
Like, you get your traditional sound, but Edgar and then the boys in the band, like, they're never going to do that without throwing a little something else in there for you. Sometimes it's more overt; sometimes it's less - depends on the track. This one I chose specifically, because they're doing, like, the pop, dream pop, bedroom pop thing that's all popular right now, but still with, like - the pacing of it, to me, feels like the...
CONTRERAS: It's the vocals.
SAYRE: Yes.
CONTRERAS: It's the way they sing. It's the way the vocals - the lead vocal - is carrying that melody, and it's just - you could drop that vocal over some tubas and...
SAYRE: A hundred percent.
CONTRERAS: Yeah, everything.
SAYRE: It still moves like a cumbia or like a norteño song.
CONTRERAS: Yeah. I spot-checked some of the music that was on the rest of the record. There's a lot of fascinating stuff there, man.
SAYRE: Right?
CONTRERAS: Yeah.
SAYRE: I'm telling you, it's kind of next level, like, some of what they do. I mean, I immediately - when I heard "Desquite," the Nikki Nicole track, I immediately sent it to you. I was like, Felix, what is happening here?
CONTRERAS: And so just so that people know, like, I heard Andean music; I heard traces of Santería; I heard, like, jazz almost. It's like this one track has all these different elements in it. Go find the record; listen to the track. It's just incredible. What they're doing - like you said, it's next level. These guys are - Grupo Frontera, man, they're killing it.
SAYRE: Speaking of other artists who are killing it, what's your next pick, Felix?
CONTRERAS: Remember a few weeks ago, we did the Latinos who sing country?
SAYRE: No, I don't remember.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: My kids do that all the time - remember, Dad? Like, no, I don't remember. If you recall, we did a show - Latinos who sing country - a couple weeks ago, and in the playlist that we put together, I found a bunch of artists that were out there making music, and I just fell for this guy named Wyatt Flores.
SAYRE: Aww.
CONTRERAS: Man, he just knocked me out - 20-something years old, Oklahoma native, just straight-ahead country. He's got a new EP out. I've been listening to it on my drive to work, believe it or not.
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: That's when you know. When you make it into Tio's private collection...
CONTRERAS: (Laughter) In the car.
SAYRE: ...And you're not Grateful Dead, that's, like...
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: I've been listening in the car, man, and it's really just a fantastic record. This is a song called "Half Life."
WYATT FLORES: (Singing) Hot rubber on the asphalt, fire through the pines; half a cup of coffee and a pack of smokes to the Oklahoma line. Thinking 'bout Grandpa, thinking 'bout home. What the hell I'm going to say? Why your baby ran away without even a phone call? I was caught in the moment, livin' a half life. I'm only waitin' to come down. Half a believer, heart of a doubter; I only hope I make you proud. Between here and there and everything I got - livin' the half life. Dogs runnin' down the driveway...
SAYRE: Felix, you know, I've kind of been a - like, a secret country fan for a lot of years, and I've just recently been, like, allowing myself to really...
CONTRERAS: Liberated?
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: To really emerge into my true self. And I think our country episode helped that. I just love - you know on a country song, when the guitar comes in and the whole thing just opens up and it's like, aww, and then you just feel it right in your heart? Like, that's what I felt with him. It was so cute. I looked up a photo of him, and he's so adorable, and the song just, like, works so perfectly with that.
CONTRERAS: He's making a big splash out there. I mean, he played the Grand Ole Opry earlier this year for the first time. They don't let just anybody walk in the front door of that place. And he is on a big, extensive national tour all over the place, playing big rooms. And he's so young. He's writing the music of, like, a 65-year-old man or woman - right? - like, someone with a lot of experience, a lot of, like, heartache or whatever he wants - life experience. That's where he comes from. That's the magic of where he is right now. So, yeah, Wyatt Flores, man. I'm a fan - a fan.
SAYRE: We'll be right back to this episode of all-new music.
CONTRERAS: You're listening to ALT.LATINO, and we're back with a bunch of new music. What's up? What do you got next?
SAYRE: OK, so speaking of personal favorites and people who make it to the car, anyone know...
CONTRERAS: You don't have a car.
SAYRE: Well, (laughter) my hypothetical car, my imaginary car. Anyone who knows me knows that I - let's forget the car - bike - makes it to my bike. I bike around and dance around and walk around listening to Danny Ocean all the time (laughter).
CONTRERAS: Yes, you do.
SAYRE: I really do. And he just released a record, which - it's basically Christmas for me, is what that means.
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: And the second it dropped, I was like, oh, my God. I have to listen to the new Danny album. And Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, who's an NPR producer, who's been on the show, is, I think, an equal, maybe more, a Danny fan, so we were immediately like, oh, my God, what do you think of the new Danny record?
This is his third album. Again, like I was saying with Grupo Frontera, I think he found that balance, that perfect balance. He does his reggaeton romántico, kind of, like, the really smooth, slow-moving stuff. And then he balances with electronic. And this was like that, and then some more. So I'm playing one of the more nuanced tracks on the record. It's called "Cero condiciones."
CONTRERAS: Zero conditions.
SAYRE: Yeah.
CONTRERAS: See how I'm bilingual that way?
SAYRE: That was incredible, Felix. Thank you for the live translation. Make sure to file the translation bonus on your timesheet (laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CERO CONDICIONES")
DANNY OCEAN: (Singing) ¿Quién eres tú pa' criticarme? Dime, ¿quién eres tú pa' criticarme? Hey, ¿quién eres tú pa' decidir lo que debo decir, como quiero vivir? ¿Ah? Me dices que son buenas intenciones. Entonces, ¿por qué pones condiciones? ¿Quién coño eres tú pa' controlarme? ¿Quién eres tú pa' criticarme? Quiero ser quien a mí me dé la gana. Ir, decir y hacer lo que a mí me dé la gana. Lo que se siente bien, está bien. Lo que se siente mal, está mal. Es así de sencillo (sencillo), déjame ser, ya... El que quiera salir, pues que salga del clóset.
SAYRE: What do you think, Felix?
CONTRERAS: I think that there is a direct tie between Danny Ocean and Wyatt Flores and these young men, like, really discovering their identity, like, who they are and what they're doing and really polishing, being so good at their craft, so good that it just stands out in every way. That's what I think. This is a good record.
SAYRE: A Wyatt Flores-Danny Ocean connection. That's really fascinating.
CONTRERAS: I stand by it. And like I said, it's just in terms of, like, they're both these very talented young musicians who are - they're nailing it what it is that they do.
SAYRE: Well, and you know what's interesting for me with that, Felix, is, like, when I think of Danny, he's such fun music. He's danceable music. Like, I'm always dancing to Danny. He's got that vibe. He's got that energy. But really, he's part of this Venezuelan diaspora I've talked about a few times, you know, these young artists who came from Venezuela, who left. He was raised in Caracas and left to Miami. And really are using their mediums, their music, their records, their careers to kind of unpack and navigate and understand that identity and how they want to speak about it.
And they all do it in different ways. But his is both, I'm going to dance and be joyful and make fun music that people can dance to, and also sometimes you find him reflecting on, you know, what that experience was like and where he's at with that and the love that he has for his country, for other people. I mean, it's really interesting. So, in that sense, obviously, Wyatt is Mexican American guy who grew up in Oklahoma, so I'm sure has his own identity experiences to unpack through that music. But I think that's a huge part of all of this for them, you know?
CONTRERAS: That's what makes this gig so fun.
SAYRE: I know...
CONTRERAS: Honestly...
SAYRE: ...Right?
CONTRERAS: ...It's just...
SAYRE: There's always a layer.
CONTRERAS: There's a layer of stuff, but it's also just the joy and the power and the energy of these young artists doing stuff.
SAYRE: Like, this is their answer to that experience.
CONTRERAS: Yeah, yeah. And who would have thought that Danny Ocean and Wyatt Flores would have some connection, but in our minds?
SAYRE: In our - only here on ALT.LATINO, Felix...
CONTRERAS: Me, too (laughter).
SAYRE: ...Do those two artists make sense next to each other.
CONTRERAS: We're going to move on to another young artist who is doing amazing stuff as well. Her name is Fabiola Méndez. She is from Puerto Rico. She plays the cuatro, which is indigenous to Puerto Rico. She has a great new album out called "Flora campesina." She's Berklee School of Music educated. She's the first one to use the Puerto Rican cuatro as her major instrument, so she's taking this thing to new levels. But at the same time, taking it back in time and going really deep in the tradition. And she's writing songs that are also part of the tradition, like a new tradition. This is a track called "Lamento en Celinés."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LAMENTO EN CELINÉS")
FABIOLA MÉNDEZ: (Singing) ¿Dónde están los que bailaban y podían dar el salto a la luz? ¿Dónde están las que miraban al sol en el horizonte? Ay, lo-lay, lo-lay, le-lo, le-lo, le-la. ¿Dónde está el que escuchaba? ¿Dónde están los que cantaban deshojándose a pocos sin temor?
CONTRERAS: You know, the other day I was listening to - actually, I was reading on Facebook because old people like me are the only ones on Facebook anymore. But I was reading on Facebook this guy...
SAYRE: Felix, you don't even have to clarify that.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: God. You are just going at me this week (laughter).
SAYRE: I don't know why.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: Oh, my God.
SAYRE: I'm hungry. I think that's what it is, Felix.
CONTRERAS: Man...
SAYRE: Don't take it personally.
CONTRERAS: I've got to watch out for you. Your claws are out today. As I was saying, I was reading this guy. He was saying - he was bad-mouthing modern music, contemporary music. Nobody plays instruments anymore. It's all electronic and blah, blah, blah, and you're using the voice stuff and all this. We just played a bunch of music here today - all younger musicians doing amazing things. This is another example of a young musician who is so far away from playing anything electronic, you can't even imagine, right? But just completely absorbed and moving this music forward, like I said, while looking back.
SAYRE: There's just so many artists right now who are so invested in preserving, you know, Indigenous instrumentation and music and tradition. I mean, I just saw La Perla the other night, Felix, you know, the trio, the Colombian - I know, they're, like, made for you.
CONTRERAS: Yeah.
SAYRE: And I was sitting there, and I was like, this is incredible that their whole process, their whole project, everything that they do, it's preservation. It's really like, no, listen, this is important, and we need to carry on performing this live in real time and making it new. There's something totally different about that.
CONTRERAS: It's a joy, honestly. I'm so into it. I just love all this stuff.
SAYRE: OK. So speaking of people who are doing something really traditional, I've brought in artists who are so far in the other spectrum - also young artists from Argentina doing the most experimental, weird, goofy stuff out there. Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, they are a duo out of Argentina. They both had their own independent projects for years, and they've come together and they're just the epitome of everything that is weird and interesting and fun and different about the Argentinian music and specifically rap scene right now. So I brought you the song off their new album, "Baño Maria." This is their debut album together. And the track is called "El único." It's so - Felix, you have to play the whole thing until we get to the punchline because there's a punchline to this song. It's hilarious.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EL ÚNICO")
CA7RIEL AND PACO AMOROSO: (Singing) Yo acá pensando que era el único. Pero algo me dice que ya no, bebé. Yo acá pensando que era el único. Pero algo me dice que ya no, bebé. Lo llamo a Ca7riel y le digo, esta loca me tiene jodido. Y Cato me dice, también tengo una jugando conmigo. El culo grande, los ojos bellos, el pelo lacio, tatuaje en el cuello, las piernas larga', y cuando la beso. Pará, pará, pará, pará, pará. ¿Tatuaje en el cuello? Sí. ¿El pelo negro? Sí. ¿De silicona? Si. ¿Se vieron anoche? Sí, f***. We've been f***ing the same girl. Tú por la noche, yo por el día, ¿quién lo diría?
SAYRE: What do you think? (Laughter) This is so characteristically Ca7riel & Paco. Like, they are everything that is weird. They did a debut listening party for this album at Lollapalooza in Argentina, and they were both just sitting in a bathtub together on stage (laughter).
CONTRERAS: I'm trying to find, like, an age-appropriate equivalent to the comedy of the lyrics or the comedy of the storytelling. And I don't think...
SAYRE: I don't think there's - no, they don't have a - they don't have a comp, I don't think, you know? They are so unique. And just to clarify for anyone listening who doesn't understand, they're talking about how they've both been hooking up with the same girl, and they discover that over the course of the song, which is just...
CONTRERAS: They discover it at the end of the song.
SAYRE: At the end of the song, they're like, wait, tattoo on her neck? Yeah (laughter).
I love it. But the beauty of this, too is, like, they very much are musicians in their own right. I mean, Ca7riel, he's part guitarist, part rapper. He's been in two different bands before as a guitarist. He grew up playing metal covers. And then he switched to rapping solo, and now he and Paco have come together. So they're, like, really true musicians. They understand the craft. They've studied it, and now they're like, this is what we want to do. We want to innovate in this electronic space. They are huge in Argentina because they represent what is this youth movement of people who just want weird, exciting, wacky stuff.
CONTRERAS: I'm a fan.
(LAUGHTER)
CONTRERAS: I'll listen to more of their stuff. This was good. What a nice collection today.
SAYRE: What a weird collection (laughter).
CONTRERAS: Weird collection, yeah.
SAYRE: Had to close us out on a high note - a weird note.
CONTRERAS: I'll call it a weird note.
SAYRE: Got to keep things interesting.
CONTRERAS: Yeah. Yeah. You have been listening to ALT.LATINO from NPR Music. Our editor is Hazel Cills.
SAYRE: Our audio producer is Joaquin Cotler.
CONTRERAS: Executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed.
SAYRE: And the person who keeps things all together is Grace Chung.
CONTRERAS: Our jefe-in-chief is Keith Jenkins, VP of music and visuals at NPR. I'm Felix Contreras.
SAYRE: And I'm Anamaria Sayre. Thank you so much for listening.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EL ÚNICO")
CA7RIEL AND PACO AMOROSO: (Singing) Yo acá pensando que era el único. Pero algo me dice que ya no, bebé.
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