Are today's urbano artists getting too big for this Earth or just getting big heads? When commercial urbana music aspires to represent “the future,” it often resembles the clichéd fantasies of elite reggaetoneros playing with technological toys on the moon. Glossy images of party-rocking in alien spaceships or banging anime cyborg babies don't seem to resonate with the mediopicky Dominican producer, whose adventurous music recognizes that a compelling vision of civilization must mean more than flying cars to the one percent.
DJ since 2015, Pablo Alcántara alchemizes sci-fi worlds rich in trippy, chaotic Caribeño experimentation through the alt-perreo scene of Santo Domingo. of September the price of yuca (the price of yucca) is presented as a podcast from 80 years in the future, led by two creepy-sounding AI hosts, Hickory and Malory, who offer track-by-track commentary on warehouse-ready mixes. The album navigates a fascinating musical topography – cumbia, punk, merengue, hyperpop, Latin trap, new wave, metal, reggaeton, R&B, dembow and disco – all laced with satire. Early on, our hosts claim that mediopicky's wacky ideas are already inspiring the next generations of urbana music. That might be an exaggeration, but I hope they're right. The work of mediopicky reflects the raw experiences of the alternative Latin diaspora – speaking directly a los darks.
In the album's 12 real songs, mediopicky offers a subversive insight into the contemporary urban scene, demonstrating the immense potential of Latin beats by seamlessly transforming them into various genres. Drawing from nu-metal favorites like Slipknot and System of a Down, the angry title track opens the album with an attack on capitalism and inequality: Sure, you'd like to buy a house one day — but you've gotMcDonald's money?” As AI host Hickory notes, the cumbia percussion on this track comes from Argentina's '90s cumbia villera, a punk-inspired subgenre that captured the apathetic outlook of marginalized communities that they confront poverty and political unrest.Above static electric guitar, “el precio de la yuca” embodies the ethos of the album: urbana music as renewable energy, a form of resistance to wealth, celebrity and commercialization.
A standout moment is “Amoniaco,” a clever parody of Bad Bunny's 2023 hit “MONACO.” Mimicking the subwoofer's Latin rhythm and el Conejo's distinctive vocal inflections, he satirizes the mediocrity of the lavish narratives often found in urbano music, chanting, “Tu namás habla porcería/El ego tuyo no me anima/Tú solo hablas” just talk/ Your ego doesn't inspire me/You're only talking about yourself”). The production then shifts towards moody '80s new wave reminiscent of the Cure, replacing the swagger with atmospheric disconnect. mediopicky suggests that while today's superstars may fade, class struggles will remain relevant. When modern moments in Latin music become time capsules, what will we put inside them?
from our partners at https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/mediopicky-el-precio-de-la-yuca-bexaco-y-rico