New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Mexican brother-sister duo Sotomayor are back with their second single from upcoming album "Orígenes" (February 14, 2020). "Menéate pa' mí" sees the group heat things up a notch from their last single ("Quema") with Paulina Sotomayor's vocals somewhere in between rapping and singing over brother Raul's uptempo beat of horn samples and a driving kick drum. Additional production work from Eduardo Cabra (aka Visitante of
Calle 13 fame) solidifies the record in the Latin-meets-electronic style the group is known for. The new single is out now and is available everywhere you stream music.
The electronic music project, Sotomayor, with afro latin influence is mastermind by siblings Raul (music production) and Paulina (vocals). It is a dance music project that fuses rhythms like cumbia, afro beat, dancehall, Peruvian "chicha" and merengue with cutting edge beats.
Sotomayor is due to release their third album Orígenes through the NY based label Wonderwheel Recordings, on February 14th. On Orígenes, Sotomayor performs Latinx electronic music that is as bold, thrilling and alive as any street party, with a strong sense of roots or tradition. Yet it is also music that is defined by the duo's qualities as songwriters, with a clear knack for melody and dynamics that add a sense of rock 'n' roll urgency.
They are aided on the album by co-producer Eduardo Cabra ("Visitante" of the much-missed Puerto Rican rebel rousers Calle 13), who has recently helped push Latin singer/songwriters like
Jorge Drexler, iLe and
Vincent Garcia into making ground-breaking fusions of Latin tradition and modern musical forms, and won two Latin Grammy Producer of the Year awards in the process. The trick appears to have been rung once more. Sotomayor are creating their own unique musical universe, fuelled by the sounds of Latin America's clubs and streets, with a level of songcraft and production know-how that only seems to keep on growing.
The forthcoming album was recorded between Mexico and Puerto Rico, and was produced by the 28 times Grammy Winner Eduardo Cabra aka "Visitante" from the legendary band "Calle 13". In this production Sotomayor explores a new Afro Caribbean vision in the music, much more dance floor focused, and highly influenced by percussion.
So far the new album Orígenes, has received accolades from FADER and The New York Times with their lead single "Quema," out now. "Quema" lets you know what it is straight-away: the "chuck-chucka-chuck" rhythm of the scraper (guira), the rising bass line, the keyboard that appears to be sending out an alarm signal. This is clearly cumbia, but it isn't recognisable for long. A pounding bass line takes over, a beat is set and then Paulina Sotomayor's voice enters, guiding the track. At first she is slow, assured, but then the chorus hits and there's a release, a soulful higher-pitched melody as new synth lines bubble below. Elements of that original cumbia beat return in new ways, adding urgency, rhythm and detail, as the song continues to reinvent itself and play with ideas of what global bass and cumbia should sound like, all the while giving full focus to the song itself, to telling its story.
The cherry on top is the guest appearance of Totin "Arará" Agosto, one of Puerto Rico's most loved singers and composers, and a man pivotal in putting Puerto Rican bomba back on the map. He adds joyful second vocals, seemingly losing himself in the music. His presence is a reminder that the musica callejera (street music) he plays does not have to be so different to club music. This is music to dance to, to revel, to telegraph delight.
Sotomayor are the brother/sister duo of Raul and Paulina Sotomayor. They formed in 2015 after years of activity in Mexico City's emerging indie scene, playing in bands such as Jefes del Desierto and Beat Buffet. Orígenes is their third album following Salvaje (2015) and Conquistador (2017).
