SAN JUAN-VIA BROOKLYN POLYMATHS BALÚN
STREAM NEW ALBUM PRISMA TROPICAL
STREAM NEW ALBUM PRISMA TROPICAL
ANNOUNCE FIRST-EVER U.S. TOUR DATES
INCLUDING ALBUM RELEASE SHOW ON AUGUST 8
AT BABY'S ALL RIGHT IN BROOKLYN
PRISMA TROPICAL OUT THIS FRIDAY
VIA GOOD CHILD MUSIC
"This band has chops!... Balún's style is so textured and musically diverse that
it had to come up with its own genre to describe its sound; they call it 'dreambow.'
It's where shoegaze-pop meets pan-Caribbean identity, with elements of Puerto Rican music and references to the Jamaican dancehall roots of reggaeton." - NPR's World Café
"Even though the band has moved from the island's DIY scene to Brooklyn,
they've kept their Caribbean roots, combining dreamy electro-pop with elements of dembow
and Puerto Rican folk, and sticking to singing in their native language." - BrooklynVegan
they've kept their Caribbean roots, combining dreamy electro-pop with elements of dembow
and Puerto Rican folk, and sticking to singing in their native language." - BrooklynVegan
"This outing is built on interconnectivity, on dispersing unexpected energies
into a spectrum that works as one collective entity --
a Prisma Tropical of musical moments forged into a singular, peculiar place." - Remezcla
into a spectrum that works as one collective entity --
a Prisma Tropical of musical moments forged into a singular, peculiar place." - Remezcla
San Juan-via-Brooklyn quartet Balún are thrilled to share the full stream of their highly anticipated sophomore album Prisma Tropical, which arrives this Friday, July 20 via Good Child Music. The stream debuted via NPR Music, who raved, "The music on Prisma Tropical is the sound of a band maturing and finding its voice with such a strong creative force that it's akin to the birth of a star in astronomy." Listen to Prisma Tropical ahead of its release HERE. Be sure to tune in when they perform live on the air for WNYC's Soundcheck this Thursday.
Balún will also celebrate the album's release with a performance at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, NYon August 8. Shortly afterward, they'll embark on their first-ever national tour, which finds them performing in cities like Chicago, New Haven, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Los Angeles. The full slate of upcoming performances can be found below.
Prisma Tropical garnered advance praise from NPR, Noisey -- who deemed the album one of the 20 most anticipated Hispanic-American records of 2018 -- BrooklynVegan, Remezcla and more, and the tally continues to grow.
The band had a particularly noteworthy run at SXSW this year, receiving praise from NPR Music's Alt.Latino in their SXSW 2018 Preview, an interview with KCRW's José Galván for their "Pan Caliente" show, and a coveted slot in The New York Times' "17 Acts That Stood Out" at SXSW. The band was also one of eighteen acts to have a full set live-streamed from official SXSW social media accounts. Their recent track "El Espanto" was also named "Today's Top Tune" on KCRW shortly after its release.
Balún's long awaited sophomore album Prisma Tropical focuses an incredibly wide field of genres and influences into a revelatory sound that evokes both of the band's homes and the distance between them. Since their early days as part of the DIY music scene in San Juan, Balún has built a reputation for genre-fluidity. As film school and conservatory students playing every available bill and selling home-burned CDRs to electronic, hardcore, and punk crowds, Balún amassed an eclectic following on the island. A debut record on Chicago's Brilliante label and American touring followed, but for core members Angélica Negrón, Noraliz Ruiz and José Olivares, the pull of New York and new musical directions proved too strong.
Prisma Tropical is a fitting melange of each member's seemingly disparate influences. Heavy doses of tiple, bomba barrel drum, and dembow work alongside loops and layers of shimmering synths to accomplish something explicitly of the island, yet fluent in the language of global pop. Other moments incorporate the sounds of grime, jungle and IDM for a more northern Atlantic perspective. Those familiar with Balún's earlier work might be surprised by the pervasiveness of those two particular elements given the band's early lo-fi, electronic ethos. Incorporating new elements with the same dexterity as they always have, the band's deep understanding of reggaeton's Jamaican dancehall roots has transformed their shoegaze pop into "dreambow."
As evident on Prisma Tropical, Balún has blossomed from college students making music on freeware and toy instruments into world-class musicians merging their far-flung disciplines under one banner. Vocalist and songwriter Negrón is a classically trained and NY Philharmonic-commissioned composer; bassist Ruiz is a PhD ethno-musicologist and Puerto Rican folk music expert, and Olivares is a technology educator and pioneering beat maker. With the more recent addition of old friend and seasoned punk guitarist Raul Reymundi, and under the guidance of percussionist and producer Lawson White (Jamie XX / Gil Scott-Heron, Chromeo, Ben Folds, David Lang), Balún has forged a focused identity on Prisma Tropical that touches nearly every corner of music.
Balún's upcoming performances:
8/8 - Baby's All Right - Brooklyn, NY
8/18 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL
8/22 - Cafe Nine - New Haven, CT
8/23 - Phila MoCA - Philadelphia, PA
9/5 - Fun House - Seattle, WA
9/6 - Bootleg Theater - Los Angeles, CA
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