January 23 & 24

Terminal 1

Ana Roxanne and DJ Python (Brian Piñeyro) met in New York City in the winter of 2020. They’d respectively put out critically acclaimed albums but due to extenuating global circumstances, the real-world implications of those records were yet to be seen. Ana’s debut LP, Because of a Flower, released in fall 2020, trades in both ethereality and directness, stretching timeless pop and R&B forms into shimmering ambient magic. The second album from Queens-based deep reggaeton innovator DJ Python, Mas Amable, also subverts easy temporality. Released in spring 2020, Mas Amable floats in liminal space—not quite a dance record, downtempo record, nor ambient record—unfurling at a wistful pace, naturally suited for a strange period when each day felt the same yet wildly different.

For Brian and Ana, studio experimentation was the instinctive extension of a friendship finding its feet. Their songs took shape through the duo’s early drives through the outskirts of NYC, eating in Filipino neighborhoods, and periods of shared laughter or ponderance. The result of this bonding are dreamy, densely layered drum programming and atmosphere, redolent of Seefeel and Boards of Canada, washed against jungle and oddball ambient landscapes. The writing process was entirely collaborative.

The duo’s self-titled album does not resemble the previous work of either artist. Instead, built block by block over two years, Natural Wonder Beauty Concept marks a uniquely explorative step forward for both its founders. It’s the longest DJ Python has ever worked on a record, and the shortest period Ana has ever dedicated to a project.

@naturalwonderbeautyconcept