Helado Negro & Reyna Tropical in Dallas

Helado Negro is the music project begun in 2009 by Ecuadorian American musician Roberto Carlos Lange, who grew up in South Florida. He writes bilingual electronic and indie pop informed by ambient music and Latin American folk traditions. His best-known work includes the albums Private Energy, This Is How You Smile, Far In and Phasor, as well as the songs “Running” and “Gemini and Leo.” Helado Negro performed at Coachella in 2019 and recorded an NPR Tiny Desk Concert that year, presenting material from This Is How You Smile with a live ensemble. He later toured behind Far In and Phasor in North America and Europe, playing clubs, theatres and festivals. Roberto Carlos Lange leads the concert on vocals, keyboards and electronics, joined by musicians whose lineup has changed across tours. Selected performances also feature the Tinsel Mammals, dancers concealed inside reflective tinsel costumes.

Reyna Tropical is a Mexican American music project founded in 2017 by guitarist and singer Fabi Reyna and producer Nectali Díaz. Its psychedelic cumbia, electronic rhythms and guitar-led Latin alternative sound first took shape on the self-titled EP. After Díaz died in 2022, Reyna carried the project forward and released the debut album Malegría in 2024, featuring songs including “Niña” and “Cartagena.” In 2024, Reyna Tropical performed a Tiny Desk Concert as a full ensemble built around Reyna’s vocals and guitar, percussion and electronic elements. Later that year, the group played Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.