HELADO NEGRO and REYNA TROPICAL present HELADO TROPICAL

Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical present *Helado Tropical*, their debut collaborative album shaped by an immersive exchange around language, identity, music, and creative openness. The nine-song project brings together guitars, drum machines, and synthesizers in a sound that moves between ambient and rhythmic, intimate and expansive.

The evening also features Nate Mercereau presenting *Fantastic Thoughts* with Carlos Niño and Austin Williamson. Helado Tropical grew out of the artists’ first meeting in North Carolina in June 2024, when an informal studio invitation became a three-day creative collaboration. Rather than dividing songwriting roles, they developed the material in real time, responding to one another’s melodies, rhythms, and lyrics.

When: Friday, October 23

Showtimes: Doors open at 7:00 p.m. The page does not list a performance start time.

Lineup: Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical present *Helado Tropical*. Nate Mercereau presents *Fantastic Thoughts* with Carlos Niño and Austin Williamson.

Event details: *Helado Tropical* is a debut collaborative album created through an instinctive exchange across geographies, time zones, identities, and musical perspectives. Its songs emerged without a rigid writing process, with each artist building on the other’s ideas and creating distinct “micro worlds” within the music.

Music: The album comprises nine songs and combines guitars, drum machines, and synthesizers in a style that resists a single category, balancing warmth and spaciousness with rhythmic movement.

Venue: Black Cat.

Location note: Black Cat is three blocks from the U Street/Cardozo Metro Station.

Tickets: Price not available