FELIX CONTRERAS, HOST:
From NPR Music and my back porch, this is ALT.LATINO. I'm Felix Contreras. This week, we're going to preview the upcoming Latin Alternative Music Conference. It's an annual event that's now in its 22nd year, and last year they didn't miss a beat and went virtual. In fact, it was one of the first, big virtual events during the pandemic lockdown. This year is also virtual. And that's not a bad thing. From May 4 to May 7, there is a jam-packed schedule. There are panel discussions for musicians and industry types, things like how to monetize your music in other areas besides streaming or CD sales and mental health tips for musicians. There will also be several one-on-one interviews with major artists in both the alternative and pop worlds. In fact, on opening day, I'm interviewing Ana Tijoux, and finally, there are the showcases. Now, normally they are held in venues throughout New York City, which is where the conference normally takes place. But of course, this year, you can have your pick of artists every night from the comfort of your home. And I have to say that I've seen some major artists get their start at an LAMC showcase, and you can, too, by visiting their website at latinalternative.com. That's latinalternative.com to register. There are almost 30 bands scheduled. And I couldn't do all that listening by myself, so, once again, I ask Anamaria Sayre to join me on the show this week. Ana, welcome back to ALT.LATINO.
ANAMARIA SAYRE, BYLINE: Thanks for having me.
CONTRERAS: OK, let's start off with one of your picks. Who do you have?
SAYRE: First up, I have this artist. I think her name is pronounced Maye (ph) - could be My-a (ph). I don't know. She's a new discovery for me. Her music's great, nonetheless. She's a Venezuelan singer-songwriter. So she was born in Venezuela, raised in Miami, living now in LA - so really hitting all the hotspots. She could be considered songwriting royalty, actually, because her dad is Fernando Osorio, who is kind of a famous singer-songwriter who has written tracks for people like Celia Cruz and Marc Anthony. So she's not exactly coming out of nowhere. But she does this really great mix of classic and modern with this kind of retro elegance to her sound is kind of how I would describe it. The instrumentation has this kind of hazy, syrupy, sweet quality that pairs really nicely with these airy vocals that she has. But it's not too out there, you know? It's grounded in something really solid, something really innovative. This song that I'm playing now, "Tú," is a tribute to old boleros, so she really is kind of bringing in that classic sound. And when I first heard it, I kind of wasn't paying attention. I found myself accidentally dancing.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
SAYRE: So that's when I knew that this had to be the track that I picked. So this is "Tú" by Maye.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TÚ")
MAYE: (Singing) Todo lo que viene yo lo pido. En cada momento infinito, busco lo que escondes. Tú me dices dónde. Todo lo que pasa es relativo. Pero cada vez que estoy contigo, el tiempo se detiene y desaparece. Y tú me das todo lo demás. Yo quiero estar donde tú estás. Amor, eres tú, sólo tú. Y tú me das todo lo demás. Yo quiero estar donde tú estás. Amor, eres tú, ninguno como tú. Todo lo que dice, un solo beso hace que se rinda el universo, como hacen los dioses al caer la noche. ¿Para qué correr si no hay apuro, si es que cada vez que estamos juntos, el tiempo se detiene y desaparece? Y tú me das todo lo demás. Yo quiero estar donde tú estás. Amor, eres tú, sólo tú. Y tú me das todo lo demás. Yo quiero estar donde tú estás. Amor, eres tú, ninguno como tú. Ya no me hace falta nada más, si lo más difícil de encontrar, lo encontré contigo. (Vocalizing) Ya no me hace falta nada más, si lo más difícil de encontrar lo encontré contigo y nadie más.
SAYRE: OK, Felix. What do you have for us?
CONTRERAS: I have my neighbors making some noise over here over my shoulder.
(LAUGHTER)
SAYRE: Aren't they always?
CONTRERAS: I also have a group called - and again, this is a show of discovery. I don't know anything about these guys. I don't even know how to say their name. It's Dawer x Damper - D A W E R, the letter X, and then Damper. I don't know anything about them. And, you know, I don't want to know anything about them right now while we do the show because - I didn't even look for any of the information because, you know, I want to take their Afro-futuristic sound and approach at face value, not give it any kind of context. And it really knocked me out. I really enjoyed what I heard. I'll learn where they're from and their story later. But for now, let's listen to this track. It's called "Ex-cuchame" in a vacuum, in an information vacuum, and dig it for what it is. This is Dawer x Damper or Dawer x Damper, "Ex-cuchame."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EX-CUCHAME")
DAWER X DAMPER: (Singing) Yeah, yea, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (Vocalizing) Escúchame, sé que no hay tiempo de ahora explicarte. Sólo contéstame. Si con el tiempo has podido olvidarme, sé que tú piensas en mí, y te digo que no he podido superarte. Sé que aún estás aquí, y sobra decirte que quiero quedarme, y sobra decirte que quiero quedarme, y sobra decirte que quiero quedarme, y sobra decirte que quiero quedarme, yeah. Y sobra decirte - deja ver la luz que hay en tu camino. No soy como tú, pero en tu destino hay un deja vu y una copa de vino, una caja encerrada - quizá soy yo. Pa ti soy un fake y debo aceptar que a mí, sé bien que me quedó grande y así, joderme y dejarte ir. Acepto no crecí lo suficiente. A ti que, a ti que casi que aprendo a amarte, a ti que, a ti que solo fue ilusionarte, a ti que, pa' ti mis versos fueron un arte, a ti que, a ti que, a ti que, a ti que, a ti que, a ti que casi que aprendo a amarte, a ti que, a ti que solo fue ilusionarte, a ti que, pa' ti mis versos fueron un arte, a ti que, a ti que no supe valorarte. Escúchame, sé que no hay tiempo de ahora explicarte. Solo contéstame, si. Con el tiempo has podido olvidarme, sé que tú piensas en mí, y te digo que no he podido superarte. Sé que aún estás aquí, y sobra decirte que quiero quedarme, y sobra decirte que quiero quedarme, y sobra decirte que quiero quedarme, y sobra decirte que quiero quedarme, yeah, y sobra decirte que quiero quedarme, yeah, y sobra decirte - (vocalizing).
CONTRERAS: You are listening to ALT.LATINO, and we are previewing the 2021 Latin Alternative Music Conference showcases. Ana's tucked away in her apartment in Chicago, and I'm sitting out in my backyard here in Silver Spring, Md. You can hear my neighbors talking, birds chirping. Let's keep going. Ana, what do you have next?
SAYRE: All right. So this next one is a really fun pick. She's a young, fresh talent coming out of Spain. Her name is Paula Cendejas. She actually got her start doing covers of famous hits. So her first cover was "Despacito." And then she started working with big-time time producer Alizzz. So she's released a number of singles since then, most notably is this gorgeous, slow-tempo collab that I'm going to play for you with ALT.LATINO cariño, C. Tangana. It's called "Como Habla Una Mujer." So far, the singles she's released have had a really clear voice to them. I think she's crafting kind of this really unique pop sound, so I'm really excited to see how she reps that at LAMC. I don't know. I could see it going a few different ways. But here she is - a little bit of a preview, "Como Habla Una Mujer" by Paula Cendejas.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COMO HABLA UNA MUJER")
PAULA CENDEJAS: (Singing) No tengo tiempo para explicar lo que es evidente. Lo tienes enfrente. Si no eres capaz de entender la forma de hablar de mi piel, lo que digo callada con cada mirada, si no estás a la altura, mejor déjalo y bájate. No quieres entender cómo habla una mujer. No sé qué haces aquí. Ya es hora decirte adiós. Demasiado fue todo el tiempo que pasamos sin que tú supieras entender cómo habla una mujer, oh-oh-oh. No sé qué...
C TANGANA: (Singing) Mami, yo no sé echar las cartas. Cuando tú quieras dices qué es lo que te falta. Esta paciencia se me gasta. Estoy harto de interpretar lo que te pasa. Y yo no soy adivino. Si pienso que no, no es lo que te digo. No sé porque tú te armas tanto lío. Estoy harto de adivinar lo que te pasa. Mami, ve recta. Deja la indirecta, todo el día pensando en por qué la suelta. Esa mierda me molesta. Este hombre necesita un poco de paz, ¿y qué te cuesta? Y yo no soy adivino. Si pienso que no, no es lo que te digo. No sé por qué tú te armas tanto lío. Estoy harto de adivinar lo que te pasa.
CENDEJAS: (Singing) No tengo tiempo para explicar lo que es evidente. Lo tienes enfrente. Si no eres capaz de entender la forma de hablar de mi piel, lo que digo callada con cada mirada, si no estás a la altura, mejor déjalo y bájate. No quieres entender cómo habla una mujer.
CENDEJAS: (Singing) No sé qué haces aquí. Ya es hora de decirte adiós. Demasiado fue todo el tiempo que pasamos sin que tú supieras entender cómo habla una mujer.
PAULA CENDEJAS AND C TANGANA: (Singing) No sé que haces aquí. Ya es hora de decirte adiós. Demasiado fue todo el tiempo que pasamos sin que tú supieras entender...
CENDEJAS: (Singing) Como habla una mujer.
SAYRE: I love that opening where she, like, comes in kind of slow. And you're like, what's going on? Sounds a little bit like she's got, like, that old sound a little bit. And then she hits it with the beat, you know?
CONTRERAS: It's a very, very nice production. I really like that. It's surprising, but it still fits. Everything about it still fits. Paula Cendejas with C. Tangana. And the track is called "Como Habla Una Mujer." And we're featuring that this week on the Latin Alternative Music Conference preview - the LAMC preview. We're going to continue with more music - more music from Spain, believe it or not. I chose a band called Love of Lesbian. And they have a new record out. So I've been seeing information coming my way about some of this new stuff. And, you know, they are a pop rock band from Spain and one of those overnight sensations 20 years in the making. They've been around for a long time, very popular in Spain. But they're finally making waves here in the U.S. And I think this new record is really going to make a big difference for them. Their sound reminds me of some of the best rock in Español, let's say, from the late '90s on into the 2000s. And this track, though, is in the tradition of the best power ballads from rock bands in any language. This is called "Cosmos (Antisistema Solar)" from the new album "Viaje Épico Hacia La Nada" - "The Grand Journey To Nowhere."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COSMOS (ANTISISTEMA SOLAR)")
LOVE OF LESBIAN: (Singing) Me dormí en el metro y me salté una estación. Y al entrar a un túnel fui al espacio exterior, y tú en la ciudad, mientras tú en la ciudad. Gajes del oficio astromántico, temo las alturas sin tu elevación. Me puedes llamar Antisistema Solar. Voy a finalizar lo que nunca empecé. De tu materia oscura un verso arrancaré. Hoy vivo en tiempo muerto, en un ciberespacio entre los dos. Qué importa ya si una canción que hable de ti encierre a todo un cosmos. Si no me ves, no hay realidad, qué irónico. Es cápsula de un tiempo que no será, no, jamás será. Crema protectora, factor un millón, son tus rayos gamma mi desolación. Me llamarás Antisistema Solar. Cuidado con mi cuerpo, ahora es conductor, y siento cuando vibras o tu alta tensión. Si por un solo día fuera yo el segundo en pedir perdón. Qué importa ya si una canción que hable de ti encierre a todo un cosmos. Si no me ves, no hay realidad, qué irónico. Es cápsula de un tiempo que no será, no, jamás será. Hay veces que una canción que habla de ti le gusta a todo el mundo, menos a mí. Sé la razón. La entenderás. El daño es tan rotundo, ellos quieren más. Se lo vas a dar, se lo darás. Si me firmamiento, puedo ver qué niño soy. Ojalá lo que cante ahora al fin te parta en dos. Soy un loco que habla solo de ti. En serio, solo me hablo de ti, y vuelta a empezar, en vicio orbital. Vuelta a empezar, mientras tanto, ¿quién soy? ¿Quién soy? ¿Quién soy? Hay días que una canción que habla de ti, le, gusta a todo el mundo, menos a mí. Sé la razón. La entenderás. El daño es tan rotundo, ellos quieren más. Se lo vas a dar, se lo darás.
CONTRERAS: OK. That was my pick. You're up. What's next?
SAYRE: OK, here we go. This is my last pick - very excited about this one. His name is Sebastián .Otero. He kind of has this deceptive simplicity about him. He has this really nice, sweet, airy falsetto that really carries across his tracks. He likes to throw in a lot of kind of eclectic beats and instrumentation. And I think it really ties together nicely in how he presents it.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
SAYRE: I think specifically in this track that I picked, "Miel Y Mantequilla," it's, like, right up my alley in terms of what I love. He really does a good job of that. But he also - if you listen to his other stuff, he's kind of played with - kind of in the hip-hop realm a little bit. He did a recent pretty high-profile collab with Cabra. So I don't know if he's fully figured out, you know, where he fits in, what his sound is. But I think what he has figured out is the importance for him of kind of making social and political commentary in terms of his music and how he presents himself. He's Puerto Rican. He's very interested in being a voice for political and social ideological struggles in Puerto Rico. So I think that's a commitment he showed that he's really, really intent on maintaining. So I'm really kind of excited to see how he presents himself, what he does in that realm of things and how that influences the way that he creates himself and creates a sound going forward. So this is "Miel Y Mantequilla" by Sebastián .Otero.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MIEL Y MANTEQUILLA")
SEBASTIÁN OTERO: (Singing) Miel y mantequilla en el sartén, yo un cafecito y tú un poquito de té, papaya y guineo así es, comiéndote a mordiscos todo el mes. Miel y mantequilla en el sartén, yo un cafecito y tú un poquito de té, papaya y guineo así es, comiéndome a mordiscos todo el mes. Eres mi "Flaming June," mi gran parador de sueños, un sueño valseador, un sueño despierto. Me levanto primero. La colmena de abejas te cela. Eres el mejor panal. No me enseñaron en la escuela a cocinar. Pero da igual porque la receta de abuela es la mano de Dios. Saltemos de una al fogón a fuego lento tú y yo. Este emplegoste es tentador como la séptima mayor en un acorde. Ponle nombre a este desorden. Mañana tempranito lo hacemos canción. Miel y mantequilla en el sartén, yo un cafecito y tú un poquito de té, papaya y guineo así es, comiéndome a mordiscos todo el mes. Habla. (Vocalizing) Besitos pa' ti. Miel y mantequilla en el sartén, yo un cafecito y tú un poquito de té, papaya y guineo así es, comiéndome a mordiscos todo el mes. Miel y mantequilla en el sartén, yo un cafecito y tú un poquito de té, papaya y guineo así es, comiéndome a mordiscos todo el mes.
SAYRE: The fun thing about his stuff is - to me, I'm like, if I have to listen to more than 30 seconds to, like, hear all the best snippets and, like, get the vibe, then I'm like, oh, you're doing something interesting. Like, he'll throw something in a minute and 30 in, and I'm like, oh.
CONTRERAS: That's a very nice track. I really liked that a lot. That's a good pick. OK, one more artist we want to call attention to at the LAMC is Vanessa Zamora. Now, she is originally from Baja California and is currently living in Los Angeles. Now, she's an ALT.LATINO favorite, but we haven't heard much from her for a while. So it's going to be very cool to check her out and see what she's into these days. This is called "Ayer" by Vanessa Zamora.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AYER")
VANESSA ZAMORA: (Singing) Ayer pensaba que podríamos escapar para no tenernos que ocultar si es que sientes lo mismo que yo, ah, ah. Ayer rompimos todo, todo lo real, un momento de perfecta libertad, si es que sientes lo mismo que yo, ah, ah. Ooh, has vuelto, y no estás sola. Despierto y no te tengo porque estás con ella, porque estás con ella, porque estás con ella. Ooh, despierto y no te tengo aquí. Ahora me pregunto, ¿por qué estás con ella? ¿Por qué estás con ella? ¿Por qué estás con ella? Ooh. Tal vez el tiempo y el espacio se caerán. Lo prohibido ya se siente tan normal. Y sé que sientes lo mismo que yo, ah, ah. Ooh, has vuelto, y no estás sola. Despierto y no te tengo porque estás con ella, porque estás con ella, porque estás con ella. Ooh, despierto y no te tengo aquí. Ahora me pregunto, ¿por qué estás con ella? ¿Por qué estás con ella? ¿Por qué estás con ella? Ooh.
CONTRERAS: OK, I'm going to close out the show with a track from a way-cool duo from San José, Argentina. It's a group that borders between acoustic jazz and Latin folk music and is completely bilingual. They are called Cande y Paulo, and they have a new album coming later this summer. And right now, they have a few songs on streaming platforms here in the U.S. And I got to say, I immediately became a big fan as soon as I heard them, and I think you will, too. In fact, keep in touch with ALT.LATINO and NPR Music because Cande and Paulo will have a Tiny Desk home concert very soon. This is called "Treaty." It's by Cande y Paulo.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TREATY")
CANDE Y PAULO: (Singing) I've seen you change the water into wine. I've seen you change it back to water, too. I sit at your table every night. I try, but I just don't get high with you. I wish there was a treaty we could sign. I do not care who takes this bloody hill. I'm angry and I'm tired all the time. I wish there was a treaty. I wish there was treaty between your love and mine. Oh, they're dancing in the street. It's jubilee. We sold ourselves for love, but now we're free. I'm so sorry for the ghost I made you be. Only one of us was real, and that was me. I haven't said a word since you been gone that any liar couldn't say as well. I just can't believe the static coming on. You were my ground, my safe and sound. You were my aerial. Oh, the fields are crying out. It's jubilee. We sold ourselves for love, but now we're free. I'm so sorry for the ghost I made you be. Only one of us was real, and that was me. I heard the snake was baffled by his sin. He shed his scale to find the snake within. But born again is born without a skin. The poison enters into everything. And I wish there was a treaty we could sign. I do not care who takes this bloody hill. I'm angry, and I'm tired all the time. I wish there was a treaty. I wish there was a treaty between your love and mine, between your love and mine.
CONTRERAS: Anamaria Sayre, thank you so much for bringing in your picks for this Latin Alternative Music Conference preview.
SAYRE: Always a good time. Thanks for having me.
CONTRERAS: And a reminder that you can register for this free event at latinalternative.com. The conference is from May 4 through May 7 - lots of panels, interviews and, of course, music. You have been listening to ALT.LATINO from NPR Music. I'm Felix Contreras. As always, thanks for listening, and be safe out there, folks. Vax up, and keep your distance.
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