Tranquilo Quieto, a live music session series in Puerto Rico, began in 2017 with a simple concept: live hip-hop DJ sets featuring guest artists, curated by producer David B and musician Josué "Messi" Deprat. But after the 2020 pandemic, the idea transformed when director/photographer Edgar "Edgo" Cruz joined the team, and they began filming videos in various Puerto Rican locations featuring artists like Chuwi, PJ Sin Suela, RaiNao, and iLe, which have collectively garnered millions of views.
«We had to think about how we would adapt to the realities of the time, and to that end, we started talking about creating content digitally,» says David B.
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Following its successful launch, the project took a break—until now. Today, nearly two years later, Tranquilo Quieto returns with a new episode featuring the Puerto Rican alternative pop group Buscabulla, consisting of vocalist Raquel Berríos and musician Luis Alfredo "Luifré" Del Valle. The duo released an EP this month. Se Bailaba Así — a collection of remixes of tracks from their 2025 album Se Amaba Así . The episode features three songs: "Miraverahí," "Tártaro" (which seamlessly transitions into snippets of Frankie Ruiz's classic "La Cura" and their collaboration with Bad Bunny, "Andrea"), and "De Lejito," which also features their daughter, Charli.
«"I wanted to do something more raw, more informal," says Berrios. "I wanted to use ambient sounds, and I think the idea of doing it in a noisy place was also appealing; the idea of something imperfect. We wanted to do something 'wrong.'".
For the team behind Tranquilo Quieto, this is an opportunity to relaunch a series that has featured some of the island's finest musicians. Unlike other live shows, Tranquilo Quieto changes the setting with each episode, placing the artist in a unique setting that somehow ties into their music. In one episode, recorded at a skate park in the Quebradillas Mountains, iconic rapper Jazz Bandana raps while Olympic skateboarder Steven Piñeiro performs tricks around him, with the ocean as a backdrop. In another, Latin Grammy Award-winning paopao sings beneath the ruined remains of the Arecibo Observatory, lending the session a post-apocalyptic aesthetic. The highly acclaimed episode "Chuwi" was recorded on a picturesque plot of land in Isabela that once belonged to their family.
Buscabulla had dreamed of doing one of these shoots for years. Their scene was filmed at El Hamburguer, a burger joint and local institution near Old San Juan that has been in business for over 60 years. The shoot took place during lunchtime, and the restaurant continued to serve customers even during filming. Buscabulla had special reasons for choosing this location. "The concept Se Amaba Así "The idea was to take a lot of the history of romantic music from the past and try to do something new. We looked at a lot of old romantic places," says Berríos. "[El Hamburguer] is kind of like Katz's Deli in New York. And there's a certain connection; you've probably gone there on dates. It's one of those classic places where there's a community atmosphere. It's very low-key.".
Additionally, there's a wall dedicated to Puerto Rican music legends, featuring posters of performances from decades past. The band insisted on performing in front of this wall to pay homage to the stars who came before them. "There's something special about standing in front of this wall, in front of Marc Anthony, Eddie Palmieri… Salsa has always been a big influence on Buscabulla, but I've become more into it lately," says Berríos. "Nydia Caro is pictured on this wall, and there's a song called 'Nydia' on our first album.".
Tranquilo Quieto's two-year hiatus was largely a result of the founders' busy schedules. But for them, the break was beneficial. "It was a year of working on our own projects individually, but it was also a year of talent scouting. We were constantly monitoring what was happening," says Cruz. "Part of the positive was that many new promising companies emerged and took shape that year, and I think we needed this break to allow the ecosystem to continue generating new talent.".
They're already actively working on future episodes featuring more Puerto Rican artists, but they're considering expanding the project. "I think it would be cool to imagine Tranquilo Quieto showcasing artists from other countries in special locations within those countries. That would be really cool," says David B. "We've also considered the idea of having our own festival in the future, Tranquilo Quieto Fest," Cruz adds.
But today, the stars are Buscabulla. The band members say that stripping their tracks down to their bare essentials was a challenge, but one they were determined to overcome. "In a hybrid project like ours, with so much electronic and synthesized sound, it's difficult to reproduce it live. It's a bit nerve-wracking because you have to let go of familiar trappings," explains Del Valle.
And now their poster hangs in the El Hamburguer restaurant. "It was basically an excuse to put the poster on the wall. It was a long-running scam," jokes Del Valle.
«We needed it, and it was the best way,» Berrios adds with a smile.
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