Tag: Helado Negro

Posted in Album of the Month, New Albums, podcast, Spin it or Bin It

Podcast Ep. 43 | Helado Negro | Phasor

Posted on by misterstory

EP.66 | Jill Scott | To Whom This May Concern – This Is Not Happening – An Album Of The Month Podcast

Welcome to Episode 66 of This Is Not Happening. An Album of the Month podcast. In Part 1, we do a deep drive review of our Album of the Month. This month David brings Neo-Soul back into focus with Jill Scott and her comeback album 'To Whom This May Concern.In Part 2, we play Spin It or Bin It, we pick a theme and all pick songs that represent that theme. This month the theme is 'Neo-Soul, and it's a belter.  —— Part 1 | Album of the Month | Jill Scott | To Who This May Concern ——Jill Scott's debut was released in 2000, it played a big part in some of our lives. But most of us lost touch after this release. It's 26 years later and Jill has been through some shit.This album is big, it's a lot. There is a lot to take in digest and consider. It works big time for some of us … not so much for others. Have a listen, let's get into this!Listen to the original album here.Tiny Desk concerts are getting better and better, here is Jill's.Watch some videos, interviews and performances here.                  —————- Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | New Music —————- The theme is Neo-Soul, the task is pick a track that fits the theme, the objective, get more 'spins' than your friends. We each pick for tracks for a 16 track play list  (that is fire).We then each pick select 1 track and ask the simple question 'Spin It Or Bin It'?Guy chose 'Heard it all Before' by Sunshine Anderson.Nolan chose 'Serve this Royalty' by Cody Chesnutt.David chose 'Don't Mess with My Man' by Lucy Pearl.Joey chose 'Untitled (How Does It Feel) by D'Angelo.We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look – https://thisisnothappening.net/
  1. EP.66 | Jill Scott | To Whom This May Concern
  2. EP. 65 | Zach Bryan | With Heaven On Top
  3. EP. 64 | Rosalia | LUX
  4. EP. 63 | Our Top 10 Albums of 2025
  5. EP. 62 | Juniper | Joy Crookes

Welcome to Episode 43 of This is Not Happening. An Album of the Month Podcast where in Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play ‘Spin it or Bin it’.  This is where we pick a theme and each select a song that represents that theme. We judge each others selections by asking the question ‘Spin It or Bin It’?

This month, in Part 1, we embrace the truly beautiful, hynotic new album by Helado Negro, called ‘Phasor’.  Joey (that’s me) is running ‘tings this month, at least one of the crew loves this album but the other two … I’m not so sure.  In Part 2, the Spin it or Bin it theme is ‘New Music’ where we all chose a track from the last 2 months and ask the others ‘Spin It or Bin It’?

Part 1 | Helado Negro | Phasor

This is right up my street. It’s calming, beautiful, intriguing little gem of an album. It’s instantly accessible and a rewarding listen but it is also a gift that keeps on giving. There is a surprsing complexity to the album if you want there to be. But the big questions is ‘what on earth do we call it?’ Guy suggests ‘Cosmic Pop’ and I think he’s right. 

  • Listen to the album here.
  • Watch some videos here.
  • Buy some stuff here.
  • Follow him on Instagram here.

Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | ‘New Music (Jan, Feb, March ’24)

The theme is nice and simple and always a fun one – new music. Pick a track, any track from the past 2-3 months. Our chosen 4 tracks can be found on a play list here. In order to chose a track we each shortlist 4 tracks each, a combined 16 track playlist can be found here.

Posted in Album of the Month, Music chat, New Albums

AOTM | Phasor | Halado Negro

Posted on by misterstory

Here is Helado Negro introducing his own album …

For anyone who knows me and my musical tastes well, this choice for Album of The Month (AOTM) will be no surprise. Not that Helado Negro is an artist that I shout from the roof tops about but because it’s so ‘me’. Is it in an early morning album? Is it a late night album? Is there a difference? For me there is, I go to bed early so ‘Late Night Albums kind of become ‘Early Morning Albums’ by default. Many of my favourite albums and AOTM choices have been characteristically crepuscular. And Phasor is no different.

Roberto Carlos Lange, aka Helado Negro is a 44 year old American-Latinx artist who has been recording music under this name for 15 years. Lange heralds from Ecuadorian heritage, born in Florida but found his way to New York, Brooklyn to be precise.

Lange studied Computer Art and Sound design, his first creative outputs being experimental installations and by my understanding, followed the sound design, experimentation route and started to make his own music.

2017 Tiny Desk Performance.

Phasor is Helado Negro’s 8th full studio album, quite an output in 15 years given how many collaborations and side projects he’s also been involved with. It’s the 3rd of his album’s that I’ve got to know in detail and is my favourite by some way. It’s the kind of album that I challenge anyone not to like. It’s buoyant and bubbly but in the most muted and understated, almost restrained kind of way. Nothing is ever turned up or overstated, everything sits within a level of comfort and accessible presentation. The drum track on ‘Wish you could be here’ is a great example, it’s a big old beat, in different hands it could make this track a banger but it’s pulled back and almost caged. This is a similar story on every track, there is something that could be bigger, more focal but it’s always dialled back a little so that nothing else is overshadowed.

It’s a very tight album, it’s only 9 tracks, only 35 minutes but it does a lot in it’s short stay. Lyrics are sung in Spanish and English. There is an equal balance of electronic sounds and acoustic instrumentation. They are melded perfectly. There is jazz. There is quite a lot of jazz. There is not too much jazz. Don’t worry.

Here are a bunch of words that describe this album … stringing them together perhaps diminishes their effect as a review so here they are in all their naked glory;
Contemplative. Simple. Quiet. Slow. Environmental. Faint. Clouds. Intimate. Rise. Artistic. Silhouette. Fragments. Rare. Precious.

It’s a vibe. It’s a reflective chill vibe. I love every track. I could make a decent argument for every track being a ‘standout track’. At this point in time, I wouldn’t change a thing. At this point in time, I can’t see this not being in my 2024 top 10. Surely, it’s so ‘Joey’. It’s so good. It’s go so much percussion. It’s got so much tuned percussion.