How Grammynominated Reggaetón Producer Tainy Found His Own Rhythm
33-year-old Puerto Rican-Dominican producer Marco "Tiny" Macis has been around since people started making reggaeton music. And not only did he grow up listening to the Caribbean folk genre that drew listeners far beyond the Spanish-speaking world, but the award-winning Mix Master indelibly transformed him into a pop sound with elements of pop, alternative rock and of EDM.
From his early work with legendary duo Luny Tunes to Un Verano Sin Ti, the Grammy-winning record he helped record in 2022 with longtime collaborator Bad Bunny, Tiny has left footprints across the story to find the history of reggaeton, which is why he made the decision to make his first album "Data", which was released on June 29.
“Watching our genre not just evolve but explode is inspiring,” Taney says, showing off her satin purple haircut during a video call from her home studio in Miami. "But from the start I worked hard to change the way things are done."
Creating one-of-a-kind boutique pieces inspired by her travels - from her native Puerto Rico to the mountains of Japan - Tiny has fulfilled her cosmopolitan dream with Data. He also brought back several of his former employees to voice them, including Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, Rauw Alejandro and Julieta Venegas, as well as an impressive group of newcomers to Latin music. (EDM wonders if Skrillex and Four Tet also appear.)
The idea seemed rather ambitious at first: Reggaeton itself thrived in a dense and bustling ecosystem teeming with great voices and big personalities, and its revival created a very competitive playground for artists and producers. When preeminent genre ambassador Bad Bunny made history as Spotify's most streamed artist of the year in 2020, then again a year later, and a year later, the star charismatic was hard to follow.
But the sonic aspects of "Data" show that Reggaeton's dominant crossover is certainly not the cornerstone of the genre. In this interview, Tiny talks about his journey in the music industry, how his love for Japanese animation influenced Data, and what it means to lead a community of artists and explore new directions in reggaeton. .
You've been producing professionally since the age of 15 - your first track was the classic 2005 Looney Tunes compilation, Mas Flow 2. What made you finally start your own business after so many years? ?
It has always been a dream since I had the opportunity to work with Luny Tunes in Puerto Rico. I saw it with my idols when I was a kid. Since then, it has improved even further. Mine is much better. At the same time, I have the right team and the right relationship with the artists behind me. I couldn't do everything myself. I feel like it's time to record something like this.
On this disc I gathered many legends of trap and reggaeton! There's Daddy Yankee, who would be retired but not quite, then Bad Bunny, Chincho Corleone, Arcangel, J Balvin and Ozuna. They are all big names, but how did you choose the new talents you want to represent on this album?
The inclusion of sex in this album is awesome. Reggaeton only recently fell asleep on women! But you made sure to include Puerto Rican women like Maria Zardoya, Young Miko, Kanye Garcia…
She has this feminine strength, but at the same time, her incredible talent. To make them appear where I come from, I had to put them in the spotlight.
They have worked with Bad Bunny since the release of the single "I Like It" in 2018 and recently helped form "Un Verano Sin Ti", which became Boricua's masterpiece . How has your relationship with him changed since you started working together?
Numbers and status aside, Benito is just someone who gives me space to be creative and be myself. I think that's a special thing you can do for a product because at certain points in my career, I feel compelled to replicate what I've done successfully, but there's not much I can do. We're from the same generation, although I'm a bit older and ours listen to so many different genres of music. We are interested in different types of art. I think it will help us to understand each other.
You've always taken risks, which is why you came together at the Grammys. Were you afraid of making an overly experimental reggaeton record?
I I understand that for most of my career 99% of what people hear from me is reggaeton, maybe with different transitions or something, but that's my rule. I wanted to do something that interested me, something progressive and new, that would show me more and where I wanted to go. We hope these ideas will spark new subgenres in contemporary music!
Speaking of subgenres, let's talk about reggaeton's relationship to electronic dance music. I think of how DJ Nelson was inspired by Chicago House and how stars like Don Omar and Tony Dize experimented with electro-R&B elements in 2000. With Data you can transform disco, house and lounge twice as fast. Why did you choose to work in EDM?
When I was growing up, dance and techno played a big role in my life: I heard it in movies or on the radio in Puerto Rico. I knew that if I wanted to be a producer, I would have to deal with different genres and musical scenes: Germany, Detroit, all that great Latin house in Miami. Seeing Daft Punk perform live with the DJs was truly inspiring...seeing Skrillex try his hand at dubstep...and seeing how Aphex Twin and deadmau5 can dive into different spaces and develop their sound got me thinking about how to use reggaeton in different styles and sounds. .
A good example is Volver, your collaboration with rave enthusiast Rauv Alejandro and acclaimed producers Skrillex and Four Tet. How did it happen?
On the Lo Siento Bb album cover and video: / we meet "Sena", a pink-haired cyborg that you programmed with songs in "Data" to download to your hard drive. The download of the last track of the album ends, and we hear how it comes to life. What gave birth to this concept?
I was inspired by one of my favorite movies, Ghost in the Shell from 1995. I wanted a version of this [cyborg] where the music comes to life. Music helps people have a good time or cry. Music sometimes shapes who we are. Giving music to cyborgs could help them feel what we feel. I'm trying to figure out how to put on a live show with Cena and get the audience to follow his journey.
You can tell me if I'm out of line, but I wonder why Latinos love Japanese anime...especially the post-apocalyptic stories we grew up with, like Akira or Neon Genesis Evangelion. We see characters picking up the pieces and reinventing themselves after a disaster or a nuclear war. It seems many of us grow up with a survival instinct that emerges from adversity and spawns creativity and innovation. Why did you decide to use animation in your work?
It's true, I didn't think about it at the time, but [these are] subjects that I didn't understand better until I was older. Series like Evangelion always move me a lot because the story of a little boy facing such big problems was very touching. But before I started making music, I also loved drawing. I am inspired by the imagination of Japanese artists and their attention to detail and precision. It's a different art form than the one I work in, but this approach inspires me. So I asked Shell Art Director Hiromasa Ogura of Ghost in the Shell Art to design my album cover. It's an honor to have someone so respected in the industry and to also give us the opportunity to do something original.
Japan was a great inspiration for this. How did you spend your time there?
For me The original idea was to make the entire player work here! But it was difficult because not everyone went to Japan to sit in the studio and write songs. Some people came to Miami to record and others sent me digital tracks while I was in Tokyo. We took landscape photos with a view of the city and all the lights. Then I went to Kyoto because I wanted to experience a contrast: to sit in a quiet house for a few days and look at the mountains and the garden. I wanted to go with my inspiration to complete this project.
What would you recommend to a young person who wants to be productive and doesn't know where to start?
You know, I never studied music, but I started at home. I opened up and learned to appreciate what my family and then my classmates do. It is important to be open to learning something new. And there are lots of programs you can download now: I started with Fruity Loops and moved on to Ableton Live and Logic. You know, I still come back to Fruity Loops sometimes. ... I'm a fanatical producer and there are sounds that I like! What helps you bring your ideas to fruition faster is what you stick with. It is a special time for productive work.
