NOESTÁSAQUÍ, by Caramelo Haze

NOESTÁSAQUÍ

by Caramelo Haze

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1.	Caramelo Haze 03:15	buy track
2.	Goza El Calor 03:16	buy track
3.	Window Seat 03:22	buy track
4.	Un Rezo 03:15	buy track
5.	Mi Acento 03:17	buy track
6.	El Payaso 03:56	buy track
7.	Vuela 02:44	buy track
8.	Èchate Pa'tras 03:14	buy track
9.	Ven A Mi 03:06	buy track
10.	Something About Goodbye ft. Amalia Mondragón 03:42	buy track

about

Sonic futurism, hallucinatory escape, gut-wrenched yearning... “NOESTASAQUÍ” (you aren’t here) is all of these—a bold neon suite that glows in the lo-fi undertow of sunburst EQ sweeps and roasted 808s courtesy of Caramelo Haze, the newly-formed all-star outfit featuring Beto Martínez, Alex Chavez, Victor “El Guámbito” Cruz, and John Speice. Accomplished producers, songwriters, and multi-instrumentalists, Martínez, Chavez, Cruz, and Speice have collaborated on stage and in the studio for years, yet always in the guise of their own individual projects.

Founding-member of the Grammy Award-winning (and famously Prince- backing) Grupo Fantasma, Martínez also spearheads the critically acclaimed bands Brownout and Money Chicha; award-winning composer and producer, Chavez currently fronts the Chicago-based experimental quintet Dos Santos and boasts recent work with Grammy Award-winning Quetzal and Smithsonian Folkways; Cruz is a member of the traditional and futuristic Colombian musical family of NYC where Bulla en el Barrio, Combo Chimbita, and MAKU Sound System (founding member) gestated—the same lineage of his Austin-based psychedelic power trio Nemegata; master drummer and percussionist, Speice is a member of Grupo Fantasma and offshoots Brownout and Money Chicha (alongside Martínez), and has been a regular house drummer for Adrian Quesada’s (Black Pumas) Electric Deluxe studios and played drums for GZA, Bernie Worrell, and the Greyhounds. These four musicians came together in the summer of 2020, deep in the throes of the pandemic to collaborate after months in isolation. They retreated to Martinez’s “Lechehouse Music” studios in Buda, Texas for a series of marathon recording sessions engineered by Martínez.

With no expectations or pre-written material to speak of, they improvised their way through a sonic landscape where Afro-Colombian folklore met steamy South Texas soul, where psychedelic Americana blended with the soaring highland sounds of Central Mexico. The end result is the electro neo-sōl speculative odyssey, “NOESTASAQUÍ” (you aren’t here). From post-cumbia synth vamps to disco- inflected circum-Caribbean psychedelia, the genius and versatility of these musicians shines on this release, as they embraced total creative freedom. No defined roles, no predetermined concepts, just a sense of adventure and uninhibited experimentation all wrapped up in the sun-baked offing of a caramelo haze.

credits

released June 24, 2022

Caramelo Haze
Victor-Andres Cruz: Backing Vocals, Synths, Caja Vallenata, Llamador, Guacharaca, Cencerro, Programming
Alex Chavez: Vocals, Juno 106
Beto Martinez: Electric Electric Guitars, Bass, Programming

Échate Pa’tras
Victor-Andres Cruz: Vocals, Tiple, Caja Vallenata, Alegre, Maracas, Cencerros
Alex Chavez: Vocals, Piano, Juno 106, Bass
Beto Martinez: Electric Guitars
John Speice: Drums, Guitar, Shekeré, Bongó

Goza El Calor
Victor-Andres Cruz: Vocals, Synths, Alegre, Jam Blocks, Cencerro
Alex Chavez: Vocals, Juno 106
Beto Martinez: Electric Guitars, Baritone Guitar, Bass, Programming
John Speice: Drums

Mi Acento
Victor-Andres Cruz: Vocals, Electric Guitar, Synth, Alegre, Maracones, Capachos
Alex Chavez: Vocals, Bass, Juno 106
Beto Martinez: Baritone Guitar
John Speice: Drums, Caja Vallenata, Percussion

Payaso
Victor-Andres Cruz: Vocals, Synths, Alegre, Llamador, Maracones, Cencerros
Alex Chavez: Vocals, Juno 106
Beto Martinez: Electric Guitars, Bass
John Speice: Drums, Keyboards

Something About Goodbye ft. Amalia Mondragon
Victor-Andres Cruz: Synths, Alegre, Caja Vallenata, Maracones, Esterilla, Tambourine
Alex Chavez: Piano
Beto Martinez: Electric Guitars, Bass
Amalia Mondragón: Vocals
John Speice: Drums

Un Rezo
Victor-Andres Cruz: Vocals, Alegre, Shaker, Claves
Alex Chavez: Backing Vocals, Juno 106 Piano
Beto Martinez: Electric Guitars, Bass
John Speice: Drums, Bongó

Ven a Mí
Victor-Andres Cruz: Vocals, Alegre, Jam Blocks, Cencerros, Maracones
Alex Chavez: Vocals, Juno 106
Beto Martinez: Electric Guitars, Bass
John Speice: Drums

Vuela
Victor-Andres Cruz: Vocals, Alegre, Tambourines, Shaker
Alex Chavez: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Juno 106
Beto Martinez: Electric Guitars, Bass
John Speice: Drums

Window Seat
Victor-Andres Cruz: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Alegre, Tambourine, Triangle
Alex Chavez: Vocals, Piano, Juno 106
Beto Martinez: Electric Guitars, Bass
John Speice: Drums

Recorded by Beto Martinez at Lechehouse Music, Buda, TX

Mixed by Beto Martinez and Caramelo Haze

Produced by Beto Martinez and Caramelo Haze

Mastered by Pete Lyman, Infrasonic Mastering

Caramelo Haze is:
Alex Chavez
Beto Martinez
Victor-Andres Cruz
John Speice

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about

Caramelo Haze Austin, Texas

A speculative electro neo-sōl odyssey. Debut album NOESTÁSAQUÍ out now on Nacional Records.

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