The 'El Tiny' Concerts Coming Up Bring Bachata And Reggaeton Flair

NPR's El Tiny concert series is in full swing, bringing new and old fans incredible music from all over Latin America and the U.S. in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. This week, we've got two more acts to tell you about.

First up is bachata, which Felix Contreras of NPR's Alt.Latino describes as "music made for couples to dance to, up close and personal." It's driven by guitars and strong percussion.

Bachata originated in the Dominican Republic in the 1930s, but was censored by the government for more than 30 years. It was considered the rhythm of the lower class, and was rejected as un-Dominican.

Today, bachata has become a celebration of Dominican culture. And Prince Royce, one of the contemporary artists most known for the style, will soon release an El Tiny video concert.

Royce's style follows in the footsteps of those who helped make bachata popular. I first came to know Prince Royce through my aunt, who tried to teach me how to dance bachata to his 2010 hit "Corazón Sin Cara" and his adaptation of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me."

Since then, Royce has experimented with other sounds, too. In his double album Alter Ego, he keeps with bachata and also explores an R&B and urban sound. If you want to stick to bachata, check out "Carita de Inocente" on the Genesis side of the album and, for a more Latin-urban feel, listen to "Cúrame" (ft. Manuel Turizo) on the Enigma side.

Another "El Tiny" to look forward to comes from the reggaeton artist Sech.

Contreras told Morning Edition's A Martínez that reggaeton was born in Panama, where Sech is from.

"J Balvin, to me, represents what reggaeton has become, while Sech represents what it was and how it remains true to its origins," he said. You can listen to A and Felix's entire conversation here.

You may have heard Sech featured in other songs, like Bad Bunny's "Ignorantes" and Nicky Jam's "Atrévete." While those are great songs, he also has his own hits.

His most recent albums 1 of 1 and 42 have plenty of those. Check out "Me Olvidé" and "Sal y Perrea," which will end up on my most-listened-to playlist.

You can watch the other El Tiny concerts here while waiting for these to drop this week and early next.

This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.