Local musicians Flaco El Jandro and Gabi Bravo release new single 'Acariciame'

Earlier this year, we introduced you to Salinas resident and CSUMB music student Flaco El Jandro. He entered NPR's Tiny Desk Music contest and performed at the Tiny Desk concert in San Francisco over the summer. Now he's teamed up with Watsonville singer/songwriter Gabi Bravo for a new single, "Acariciame." They came to the KAZU studio recently to talk about the new single. Flaco El Jandro began by talking about his final project in the music program here at CSUMB.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

 Flaco El Jandro: As far as the music program, I'm knee-deep in my capstone right now...I'm doing a project on the history of Chicano music and how its influenced culture and political movements. So as a part of that, I'm going to do a little EP mix of genres, which is kind of what I already do because right now a lot of my music is really eclectic actually.

 Dylan Music: When first met you, you submitted your song "Nadie" for the Tiny Desk contest.

You described how that song is straddling and being between two worlds...a Latino here in the U.S. But then, like maybe when you visit Mexico or wherever, you feel like not quite belonging to either world, or something like that?

 FEJ: Right, because it's kind of hard to identify what exactly your root is as a Chicano. Because Mestizo is like the culmination of cultures that are like Mexican identity, which comes from the three roots of African, Indigenous and European. So it's a blend, mixed in one. And that's kind of something that I wanted to talk about in that song, about how identity means nothing and everything all at once.

 DM: Yeah. And that actually goes with the project you're working on for school, too, in a way.

 FEJ: Yeah. It's all connected.

 DM: So it is probably a few months from now, but are you going to enter the Tiny Desk contest 2024? Maybe you and Gabi will do something for that?

FEJ: Yeah, possibly.

Dylan Music/KAZU

DM: Okay. Well keep us posted if you're going to do that. And so now you just released a brand new single and I'm going to butcher it, but you guys can fix it for me. "Acariciame?"

FEJ: Yeah, you got it.

 DM: So Gabi, I'm guessing you wrote this?

Gabi Bravo: Yes.

DM: Okay. And I know something about it is "caress my body before I leave it all behind?" So maybe you could explain the song — what are you leaving all behind? Why do you have to caress the body now and leave it all behind? What's going on?

 GB: Well, it's just a very sensual song about letting go of an ideal of someone or a relationship. And it's just saying "one more time," but just letting go in a very graceful way without 'beef.'

 DM: It's like conscious uncoupling.

 FEJ: Conscious uncoupling.

 GB: Yes. Letting go very gracefully and saying, "You know, it's been great. Yeah. Let's do this one more time."

 DM: All right, so let's give a little listen to the recorded version. Here is "Acariciame."

DM: We're so glad we got to meet you both over the past year and introduce you to our audience and see your musical journey over the past year and we're looking forward to seeing what comes next. And keep us posted if both of you end up doing the Tiny Desk contest .

 Local musicians Flaco, El Jandro and Gabi Bravo's new single "Acariciame" is out now.