EL NUEVO SONIDO

You might not think that a genre born in the tropics would thrive in a nation better defined by arid deserts and snow-capped peaks, but the evolution of Chilean reggaeton has proven otherwise. Groups like Croni-K began seeding the Puerto Rican sound in Chilean soil in the 2000s, and neoperreo acts like Tomasa Del Real, Lizz, and Paul Marmota have continued to nurture its development. The national sound is often defined by its experimentalism, while a few Chilean reggaetoneros have channeled trap and trap and pop influences into global hits, like “Gata Only,” by FloyyMenor and Cris MJ. For the past few years, SINAKA—aka Quilpué rapper and singer Matías Muñoz—has borrowed from the sound of 2000s and early-2010s perreo, crafting an infectious, memorable take on the sound that moves forward while looking back.

SINAKA got started in his hometown’s rap scene at a young age, battle rapping in parks and plazas around town, and only became interested in making reggaeton relatively recently. You might not guess that from his music, in which he lays irresistible vocal hooks over sleek synths and diamond-tipped snares like a veteran. On his most recent album, EL NUEVO SONIDO, he perfects the formula he began developing on previous projects, like the more melodic and somewhat romantic MOJA or the more hedonistic and chaotic Kema, fusing and focusing the two sides of his work without tempering his flippant, uncompromising spirit.

SINAKA’s take on the genre is more straightforward than that of contemporaries and collaborators such as Easykid, Kidd Voodoo, or Ivo Wan Kenobi, whose approach tends to be more eclectic and unconventional. While many recent hit albums in Chilean rap and reggaeton have played with post-Whole Lotta Red rage beats and hypnotic breaks, EL NUEVO SONIDO is indebted first and foremost to reggaeton’s Puerto Rican roots; SINAKA shouts out the genre’s pioneers in the intro and nods to legends like Héctor “El Father” on the SAIKO-featuring “SUBE EL BAJO.” His aesthetic places him closer to Don Omar’s futuristic iDon album or the highlights on Plan B’s Love and Sex than to plenty of the mellower, poppier sound of mainstream reggaeton in the mid-2020s.

In great part, that’s thanks to producers Neetram and Flackoloyal—the beat switches and menacing bass on tracks like “UNDERGROUND” or “AZOTE,” featuring Puerto Rican rapper Endo, recall the more adventurous productions of Musicólogo & Menes, or Tainy’s work in the 2000s. What ties it all together, however, is SINAKA as a performer. His lyrics are overtly and unabashedly sexual—on “QUEMAROPA,” he promises to “make all your sexual fantasies come true,” and another song, featuring longtime collaborator Kennat, is called simply “SEXO.” But his background as a battle rapper is evident in his wordplay, like rhyming “Apple Watch” with “Nicki Minaj” on tracks like highlight “SCRATCH,” and his ability to pack hook after hook into each track lets him get away with even the most obvious lines (“Let’s give a moment to sex, sex, sex”).

SINAKA is far from the only one intending to bring back a more retro reggaeton sound; comparisons could also be drawn to the impressive debut mixtape by Mexican collective La Obsesión, or duo Sayuri and Sopholov’s great singles run. But EL NUEVO SONIDO has more to offer than just a nostalgic rehash of reggaetón viejito: The album’s 30 minutes of bangers are dynamic enough to hold your attention, led by a performer with classic instincts and a few tricks up his sleeve. Not necessarily a “nuevo sonido,” perhaps—but it’s certainly a breath of fresh air.