The 1995 dystopic cyberpunk epic “Ghost in the Shell” follows Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg with a technologically augmented human brain. Influential Japanese artist Hiromasa Ogura was behind the art direction for the cult classic – he also designed the cover art for producer Tainy’s full-length debut album “Data.” The anime is one of the Puerto Rican hitmaker’s favorites for its dark, moody aesthetics and for its message of individuality in a high-tech world.
Leading up to “Data’s” release on Thursday, Tainy posted a series of stills that outlined the concept behind the 20-song album that features over 20 artists. Here’s just the tip of that iceberg: Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, Arca, Four Tet, Skrillex, J Balvin, Feid, Myke Towers, the Marias, Ozuna and Ratatat’s E.Vax.
In his words: “In our world, human interaction is disappearing. Organic connections, nature, and our form of communication are being replaced by technology. With technology at my grasp, I’ve decided to create an android named Sena. I’ll give them life through songs, encrypted by ‘Data.'”
Much like a film, Tainy’s full-length debut has several easter eggs hidden throughout his loaded catalog. Track 15, Julieta Venegas and Bad Bunny’s chart-topping 2021 collab “Lo Siento BB:/,” was released with a music video that gave fans the first look at pink-haired Sena. Similar nods were also made in the music video for 2022 single “Sci-Fi,” which featured reggaeton star Rauw Alejandro.
The record was completed over a span of three years, but the idea to craft a collection that featured a long list of his most beloved companions had been a life-long dream for Tainy, aka Marcos Efraín Masís Fernández, who is often credited as an architect of the new wave of reggaeton, which for years has spread all over Latin America and the U.S. to define the genre at large.
He began crafting hits as a teenager, crafting one-of-a-kind beats for the Luny Tunes production duo who opened the first door to opportunity. Getting better with time, Tainy cultivated an impressive repertoire with support from urbano icons like Wisin y Yandel, Daddy Yankee, and more.
Tainy the artist is a storyteller, and the variation in “Data’s” guests was elemental to its plot. “I wanted to pay homage to some of the first artists who gave me a chance,” Tainy tells PvNew. “Daddy Yankee has always been a top artist for me he was working on his own project at the time and said, ‘I know, you’re doing your project as well so if you want to get this done, it has to be in the next couple days,’ because he’s retiring. But for him to give me that chance to figure it out and have my track turn out even more amazing… it feels great. A lot of these artists have really inspired me – before I even started doing music. They’ve given me a lot of opportunities in trusting me. To me, that is ‘Data,’ everything that represents me, who I am and my journey.”
Grammy-nominated Venezuelan producer Arca, known for her glitchy and experimental style, and emerging artist Álvaro Díaz are some of the more modern names on the list. The latter is an artist on Tainy and fellow self-starter Lex Borrero’s label Neon16. Over the course of his long career, Borerro has been a manager, publisher and A&R, and was executive vice president of Roc Nation and Roc Nation Latin. Now, he and Tainy lead a small team of artists, songwriters and producers that have written hits for Latin music’s brightest stars.
The set also includes a fresh track from Bad Bunny and Tainy, who together shine on numerous smash hits including the commercially successful bilingual version of “I Like It” with Cardi B and J Balvin.
“[Bad Bunny] is the best artist in the world right now,” Tainy says, lauding his friend’s global successes. “Aside from that, we have a great connection creatively… the kind where we don’t really have to go back and forth that much in terms of feeling that we’re not on the same page. It’s just feeding off each other in making what we feel sounds amazing to us. That’s something that I really absorbed from working with him — whenever it feels great to you, like you know you’re giving 100%… that’s the thing that has a connection with listeners.”
Securing the talent was an all-over-the-map job – literally. Tainy recorded much of “Data” in the Latin entertainment mecca of Miami, but also chased traveling artists through Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, New York, and Los Angeles. If it were up to him, Tainy would’ve flown all 30 of his contributors to Kyoto, where he spent three months putting the finishing touches on his record.
With his own debut album, Tainy had a clear goal: he was going to have to find the right sound to identify this project from his earlier work, or “whatever I do after — and the same goes for each artist that was going to be a part of it,” he says. “I knew making a project with so many different artists was going to be a challenge in terms of cohesion. For me, the music was going to be the thing that tied it all together — like a specific sound or ambiance — and the little details like the interludes I’ve included and the transitions that make every track feel as though they are coming from the same world.”
Tainy also pushes his collaborators to test new sounds. The Marias, an alternative indie rock band with a cherub for a singer appear over a hard-hitting reggaeton beat, and Alejandro takes over an EDM beat co-produced by electro-rulers Four Tet and Skrillex, another one of Tainy’s biggest inspirations and good friend. Through Skrillex, Four Tet and Tainy eventually met backstage while they and Fred Again headlined Coachella. There, the deal to sample “Lush” by Four Tet for “Volver” with Rauw Alejandro was sealed.
“It’s such a different ballgame, being a producer working on certain aspects or things that the artists normally relay to me. To be in charge – it’s totally different,” he says. “It taught me a lot about my role as a producer, my relationship with music and where the music industry is today. My relationship with artists is incredibly valuable. And sitting here with the finished product in my hands… brings me back to the 14-year-old me. I’m finally getting to do this after having lived with it as just a thought for so many years. Now I’m ready for the next stage, whatever that is.”
