Helado Negro in Concert

With his bright and serene body of work, New York-based Ecuadorian crooner/beatmaker Helado Negro takes his fan base on a translucent dream pop-filled journey during live performances. Often flanked by two dancers dressed in silver tinsel, Helado Negro showcases his enticing and blissfully atmospheric music with great artistry. His work spans five albums and four EPs, praised by Rolling Stone, NPR, and Pitchfork. Fully in command of his craft, he actively channels a sense of empowerment to the Latinx community, embracing South American roots with his signature ambient electronic approach. He recently caught the attention of New Mexico’s Balkan folk troupe Beirut, who enlisted the eclectic star on a world tour coming up in early 2019. 

Helado Negro Background

Right in the hurricane’s eye of Southern Florida’s lush tropics, ethereal pop singer Roberto Carlos Lange was born in 1980 to immigrant parents. Now Brooklyn-based and going by the moniker Helado Negro (meaning “Black Ice Cream”), the Ecuadorian-descended musician has become one of the most genre-melting singers and producers of the Latin alternative circuit since his emergence with 2009’s ‘Awe Owe.’ Taking from the rich and varied musical flavors of his background, and mixing them with glowing, graceful electronic flourishes, Lange has forged a unique style all his own. He skillfully straddles his Latinx heritage and his American identity in his music, channeled into his sinuous beatmaking prowess. His bicultural take has sparked a whole new movement that appeals to U.S.-based Latinxs who embrace a “Young Latin and Proud” stance: a slogan that doubles as a dream-pop single off his fifth album, ‘Private Energy.’ His ‘Island Universe Story’ LP series is just as enticing, a cheeky take on his philosophical outbursts. It features layered synths and Afro-Latin percussions percolating against the ethereal vocals that float along like wisps of smoke.