Reyes, Frankie: Boleros Valses Y Mas (Vinyl LP)
Stones Throw
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Vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2016 release, the Stones Throw debut from Frankie Reyes, the alias of Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker who also records as GB (Gifted & Blessed). Comprised mostly of popular Latin standards from the mid-twentieth century, the source material was reworked by Reyes under an approach he's dubbed technoindigenous studies which explores his Puerto Rican heritage through modern electronics. The inspiration for Boleros Valses y Mas formed when Los Angeles radio collective Dublab invited Gabriel to participate in an event themed specifically around Latin American modernism. I thought about how I might capture the essence of this theme using my instrument of choice, the synthesizer. What came to mind was to cover some of the classic Latin American compositions that I grew up hearing around me and have grown to love as I've gotten older, most of them in the bolero style but a few in the waltz, son, and even mariachi style. By using audio-to-MIDI and sheet music-to-MIDI processing Gabriel has recontextualized these popular tracks easily overheard while visiting any of Los Angeles' predominantly Latino neighborhoods with a single Oberheim synthesizer. By removing the lyrics, the emphasis remains on the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic aspects of these classics, many still sung by Latin American artists today. Alma Corazon y Vida, Noche de Ronda, Flor de Azalea, Alma Adentro, La Flor de la Canela, La Bikina, Que Sabes Tu, Lamento Borincano, La Puerta, Aquel Senor, Espinita, La Comparsa
Vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2016 release, the Stones Throw debut from Frankie Reyes, the alias of Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker who also records as GB (Gifted & Blessed). Comprised mostly of popular Latin standards from the mid-twentieth century, the source material was reworked by Reyes under an approach he's dubbed technoindigenous studies which explores his Puerto Rican heritage through modern electronics. The inspiration for Boleros Valses y Mas formed when Los Angeles radio collective Dublab invited Gabriel to participate in an event themed specifically around Latin American modernism. I thought about how I might capture the essence of this theme using my instrument of choice, the synthesizer. What came to mind was to cover some of the classic Latin American compositions that I grew up hearing around me and have grown to love as I've gotten older, most of them in the bolero style but a few in the waltz, son, and even mariachi style. By using audio-to-MIDI and sheet music-to-MIDI processing Gabriel has recontextualized these popular tracks easily overheard while visiting any of Los Angeles' predominantly Latino neighborhoods with a single Oberheim synthesizer. By removing the lyrics, the emphasis remains on the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic aspects of these classics, many still sung by Latin American artists today. Alma Corazon y Vida, Noche de Ronda, Flor de Azalea, Alma Adentro, La Flor de la Canela, La Bikina, Que Sabes Tu, Lamento Borincano, La Puerta, Aquel Senor, Espinita, La Comparsa