Ani Cordero recently released El Machete via indie collective label Panapén Records; a full-length album of deep emotional range, with songs about feminism, colonialism, anger, love, loss, and healing. El Machete has been lauded by NPR Music, Billboard, WNYC ‘Soundcheck’ and Bandcamp, who named it one of the ‘Best Albums of the Summer’ saying, “Cordero pairs potent ideas with music that is boisterous and euphoric… she has made an album that pairs defiance with jubilance—a hands-up dance party at the end of the world.”
Today, Ani shares the video for “Yo No Vine A Jugar“, saying that:
One day I was surprised to find myself in a rage. I’m not quick to anger, but there was this person that was clearly lying to my face, and actively underestimating me. I let them finish and walked away, registering the information for another day. That day I went home and put my emotions into writing “Yo No Vine a Jugar”—I didn’t come to play.
For the video, I looked to examples of women embracing their rage. Pipilotti Rist’s baseball bat art video and Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” were guideposts of inspiration. I turned to director Yeya Monroig of Puerto Rico-based cinematography company Como Imagenes to interpret the basic idea in her own vision. The result is a tense and trippy video that captures the complexity of holding anger, but also the swagger that comes with it.
