Summer is coming to a close, and Yollocalli Arts Reach, the free youth arts education program offered through the National Museum of Mexican Art, is looking back at another hot one in the city with an exhibition. See what mediums, styles, and ideas have been captivating Pilsen kids this season at Jardin Malinalli (2800 S. […]
Tag: reggaeton
Posted inMusic
Chicago duo Conjunto Primitivo concoct an irresistible blend of reggaeton and industrial
In March 2020, when I wrote about underground industrial label Chicago Research and the tight-knit community that surrounded it, I heard that local duo Conjunto Primitivo planned to release their debut full-length through the label. Considering how that month ended, I’m not surprised to see that album coming out only now—and I can’t argue with […]
Posted inMusic
Chicago gets its first big reggaeton festival
Reggaeton is an expression of movement, release, sexuality, storytelling, connection, and fashion. It’s taken over the world of pop music, despite the Puerto Rican government’s many attempts to erase it during the 1990s and 2000s. And Chicago now has a chance to experience this forbidden and infectious sound on an unprecedented scale: brought to you […]
Posted inMusic
Chicago R&B singer Ravyn Lenae makes a play for stardom on Hypnos
In 2015, when Chicago R&B wunderkind Ravyn Lenae was just 16, she self-released a sophisticated, vigorous EP called Moon Shoes, singing about romance and longing with the grace and lucidity of an artist who understood herself. Now 23, Lenae has grown considerably from that already auspicious start. On her new debut full-length, Hypnos (Atlantic), her […]
Posted inMusic Review
Dreamer Isioma yokes their wildly maximalist aesthetic to their pop-star ambition on Goodnight Dreamer
In March 2020, Chicago singer-songwriter Dreamer Isioma released their breakthrough EP, Sensitive, whose slyly funky title track became a slow-burning hit—in a little under two years, it’s racked up nearly 70 million Spotify streams. Isioma is clearly a pop star in the making, and treats the history of recorded music like a grand buffet: they […]
Posted inMusic
Karen Valencia, aka Karennoid of reggaeton DJ collective Agua de Rosas
DJ collective Agua de Rosas spread the gospel of reggaeton, and though they’re based in Milwaukee, they have an evangelist in Chicago too: Karen Valencia, better known as Karennoid. In November, the trio (Valencia, Julio Cordova, and Gabriela “Chanchita” Riveros) played their first Chicago gig at emerging underground dance haunt Podlasie Club. They opened for […]
Posted inMusic
DJ Antonio Cesar keeps finding money to evolve house music
Chicago producer and DJ Antonio Cesar has used tens of thousands of dollars in grants to travel the world, exporting the city’s sounds and importing new influences.
Posted inMusic
Paloma Mami is reggaeton’s newest and youngest star
Paloma Rocío Castillo Astorga, better known as Paloma Mami, was only 18 when she released her debut single, 2018’s “Not Steady.” Lugubrious and resoundingly confident, the song made clear she wasn’t callow: “I don’t change for no dick,” she declares over a soft-edged dancehall beat whose nocturnal aura sets the tone for a night spent […]
Posted inBlogs
Calle 13’s expanding world
Puerto Rico’s Calle 13 leave reggaeton in the dust on their latest album, and they’re bringing their full live lineup–about a dozen players–to Metro on Wednesday for a free show.
Posted inBlogs
The evolving sound of reggaeton
Wisin y Yandel are the latest reggaeton heavyweights to broaden their sound.
