C. Tangana: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

Anamaria Sayre | April 20, 2021
C. Tangana's extended family basking in the warmth of sobremesa with easy smiles and effortless baile looks otherworldly after more than 13 months amid a global pandemic. But considering the Spanish rapper's past year back home in Madrid, the simplicity feels fiercely authentic. (Check his mama and tía vibing in the corner.)

This first live performance of his latest album, El Madrileño (including a global premiere of a fresh single, "Me Maten") buzzes with communal energy, spotlighting talent from across Latin landscapes. From Mexican Regional to Spanish flamenco, C. Tangana is simultaneously coming home and reaching out to bridge Latin music boundaries. He's building a community of cross-cultural collaboration, rooted in a unifying love of language and tradition, making it clear he's intent on giving everyone a seat at the table.

The entirety of the show, from impromptu harmony to string octet, hums along with a distinctly Spanish cadence, paying homage to the flamenco-infused streets the global superstar came up in. The concert's star-studded cast of Spanish collaborators, including long-time friends (producers Alizzz and Victor Martínez) and new contributors (rumba legend Kiko Veneno and flamenco-pop icon La Húngara), are each spotlighted for their contributions to the record.

All these parts compound in a room full of people with a shared desire to connect and create juntos, manifesting an authentic joy we've seen again and again at the real Tiny Desk. And at the helm is C. Tangana, humming a melody and bringing the room to life: hands, harmonies, heartbeats, perfectly in sync.

SET LIST
C. Tangana and Antonio Carmona, "Me Maten"
C. Tangana and Kiko Veneno, "Los Tontos"
C. Tangana, "Demasiadas Mujeres"
C. Tangana, La Húngara and Niño De Elche, "Tú Me Dejaste De Querer"

MUSICIANS
C. Tangana: vocals
Alizzz: vocoder, keys
Victor Martínez : guitar, percussion
Antonio Carmona: vocals, percussion
Kiko Veneno: vocals, guitar
La Hungara: vocals
Niño De Elche: vocals, guitar
Juan Carmona: guitar
Huberto Morales: percussion
Lucia Fernada Carmona: vocals
Pilar Cerezo: vocals
Marina Carmona: vocals
África Heredia: vocals
María Rubio: vocals
Mariola Orellana: vocals
Patri Alfaro: vocals
Mari Estrada: vocals

STRING OCTET
Pablo Quintanilla
Paula Sanz
Franciso Palazón
Marina Arrufat
Paloma Cueto-Felgueroso
Adrián Vázquez
Irma Bau
Daniel Acebes

CREDITS
Video: Little Spain, Santos Bacana, Maria Rubio, Cris Trenas
Audio: Jorge Rodriguez, Sergio Jiménez, Pablo Kohler, Harto Rodriguez, El Madrileño, Alex Cappa
Director of Photography: Nauzet Gaspar
Art Director: Mariola Viejo
Costume Designer: Alex Turrión
Hair and Makeup: Miky Vallés
1st AD: Joel Marquez
Editor: Maia de Zan Hatch
Color: Marti Somoza
Production Manager: Yago López Abril
Recording Engineers: Jorge Rodriguez, Sergio Jiménez, Pablo Kohler
Mixed: Harto Rodriguez, El Madrileño at Metropol Studios
Mastering Engineer: Alex Cappa at Metropol Studios

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Video Producer: Maia Stern
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Tiny Production Team: Kara Frame, Bob Boilen
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

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