What is going to Caribbean waters and Puerto Rican percussion sound like within the years to come back? Hija de la isla RaiNao‘s Tiny Desk is right here to indicate us. “Soy hija — especialmente, hija del Mar Caribe y de la hermosa tierra que me había nacer, Puerto Rico,” the artist defined, introducing herself: “I’m a daughter — above all, a daughter of the Caribbean Sea and of the gorgeous land the place I used to be born, Puerto Rico.”
In her recordings, RaiNao leans into reggaeton and digital beats, sounds considered extensively because the spine of the present technology of music in Latin America — generally begrudgingly, although more and more with reverence within the age of Unhealthy Bunny. RaiNao’s Tiny Desk efficiency presents a unique, equally important model of Puerto Rico’s track backbone. Constructed on guiros, timbales and maracas, it is a wealthy homage to an island that beats to bomba, plena and salsa alongside reggaeton.
What RaiNao does in plain sight on the Desk is seamlessly fuse completely different worlds atop conventional percussion. A standard drum package is absent from the set, but nods to jazz and R&B are robust. She shines via because the tantalizing, easy-listening thread — notably within the saxophone accents peppered all through — and her uniqueness places a reputation, face and sound to new waves of Puerto Rican creation. Her music presents an necessary reality: Being a daughter of the island, in its most genuine sense, requires being fiercely, unapologetically you.
SET LIST
- “Celular”
- “Limbo”
- “track4”
- “dandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltas”
MUSICIANS
- RaiNao: vocals, tenor sax, maracas
- Frido Vargas: guitar, music director, timbal, background vocals
- Emilio Mendez Ramirez: keys
- Giovanni Ortiz: bass
- LuisFra Colon: tenor sax, güiro, flute
- Jahaziel Garcia: trumpet
- Joey Oyola: trombone
- Nubia Marina Garcia: percussion
- Naisa Suané: percussion
- Deborah Amanda: background vocals
- Veronica Rolon: güiro, background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Anamaria Sayre
- Director/Editor: Kara Body
- Audio Engineer/Combine: Josephine Nyounai
- Host/Collection Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Kara Body, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Alanté Serene
- Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
- Manufacturing Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Alina Edwards
- Photographer: Bronson Arcuri
- Tiny Desk Workforce: Ashley Pointer, Josh Newell
- Collection Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Copy Editor: Daoud Tyler-Ameen
- Government Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Government Director: Sonali Mehta
- Collection Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
