RACQUEL BERRIOS OF BUSCABULLA

Kes-Lah-Keh Racquel and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology. Firstly congratulations on your debut record Regresa. Every album tells a tale and what it is that Regresa is saying to the world?

Regresa is the story of our bittersweet journey back home to Puerto Rico. The Island has changed a lot, an economic crisis, hurricanes, Earthquakes and now a pandemic has made its future quite uncertain, but its the only place we want to be right now.

There is a wide array of instrumentation, cultures and genres throughout your work, featuring both modern, traditional and fusion. Is there a definitive point where your use of electronic equipment, New York / Puerto Rican backgrounds and traditional music overlap or do you tend to see them as very distinct and each represented accordingly in your work?

Indeed its all one big chaotic overlap, I always see it as one foot in digital the other in analog. The same goes for endemic musical influences vs outside influences in our work, there is definitely a wild balance in our sound.

Recorded in its entirety from your home studio, what challenges did you experience in creating Regresa and conversely what were some of the greatest liberties you have enjoyed by taking such an autocratic approach?

The biggest challenge of recording at home was doing it in isolation. It can warp your perspective of what you are doing because of the proximity to the work, sometimes its nice to have a third party weigh on the work from a distant perspective. And the greatest liberty is the time flexibility and being incredibly comfortable and not self conscious when recording and trying new things.

As a duo where does the interplay and dynamism between you and Luis lie in terms of the writing and the subject matter that you explore in your pieces?

I usually plant the conceptual seed and do initial writing and composition on piano or with raw demos using GarageBand and sampling. Then Luis surveys the songs and picks his favorites and we start perfecting the writing and then go into the studio to track and produce. Luis then does a lot of premixing and mixing.

You have teased us with a film trailer of Regresa which features snippets of your story and ultimate return to your home land. It is a powerful experience to return to ones roots and it must have been an extremely moving experience to leave what you know and return to a place that embodies mind, soul and spirit?

Yes it is. It has been a very meaningful journey for us but also very complex. It took sometime to adjust to our new life. Bu ultimately it is important for us to tell this story considering what our home Puerto Rico has gone through after the hurricanes, earthquakes, protests and now a pandemic.

The feature mentions how your mother was born in Brooklyn and seeing your own daughter in the feature immersed in the making of the album triggers the question of how you felt of your own mother and what she went through raising you in the two worlds of New York / Puerto Rico and to that of yourself doing it in reverse and how this contributed in (small or large) part to the album or tracks within the album?

My mom was born in the Bronx and came to Puerto Rico at 13 so she was here in Puerto Rico for my upbringing. But my family's history goes way back and lies between both places so yes there is some of that in the record. Mostly there is a lot of duality and complexity of emotions because of that.

As co-founders of the non-profit PRIMA (Puerto Rican Independent Musician and Artists) Fund, whose ongoing mission it is to sustain the independent music community in Puerto Rico through micro grants, showcases and opportunities, what have been some of the inspiring and surprising recipients of PRIMA that you have witnessed and subsequently what have they gone on to do in terms of adding to the musical tapestry of Puerto Rico and the community?

We have helped a gamut of artists from well known to unknown because after the hurricane everyone needed help. Some of them used grant money to pay rent or buy food, while other were able to finish their records or videos. Each artist that keeps making music becomes a contribution in our minds.

Having worked with some amazing musicians, producers and artists during your time, has there been any words of wisdom spoken to you that really resonated with you and in turn altered the way you approach your craft?

I think Roberto Lange of Helado Negro told us once to not make anything too precious, otherwise you take the fun out of it, its better to have a healthy distance to the work, I really think it makes it better that way.

With a sound that is bigger than what it appears and the fullness of each piece, on a technical level, how do you approach live performance and replicating on stage what has been skillfully crafted in the studio?

I think the trick is in not trying to do the same thing, its actually cool to make it slightly different live. It makes it more fun for us and gives the song new life. We like to put an extra dose of energy in our live sessions.

Lastly, given the music that you make, the origins of this album and the transition you have undertaken, what does music give you that nothing else does?

Well, its incredibly fun and therapeutic I guess. I like what it brings out in me, its very cathartic and eye opening, like being on a psychedelic drug.