Helado Negro is the pseudonym of North American musician Roberto Carlos Lan… Read Full Bio ↴Helado Negro is the pseudonym of North American musician Roberto Carlos Lange (born 1980 in Florida, U.S.A.).

His parents were immigrants from Ecuador, but Roberto grew up in the materialistic lifestyle of southern Florida, U.S.A. Pounding bass beats from passing cars, boom boxes bouncing down the block, and late-night parties provided a foundation for Lange’s interest in sound.

Lange has collaborated with visual and sound artist David Ellis to compose a new series of kinetic sound sculptures. These include typewriters that self-type the lyrics to Grand Master Flash's "The Message" (in rhythm to the song, none-the-less), musical owls drawn out of liquor bottles, owl costumes made out of straws, flying musical birds, motion paintings, and trashcans (full of trash) that are actually living drum machines. Lange has also worked with Paul Duncan and Bear in Heaven as well as famed music producer Guillermo Scott Herren to produce Prefuse 73 and Savath and Savalas as an active member and contributor.

Lange's other projects include ROM, Epstein, as well as Helado Negro. Epstein is Lange's “beats and loops” project, a friendly beast born of the MPC sampler. Epstein's wildly prolific output, including a series of digital releases, full-lengths, and a remix album, is a gauzy, sunny kind of dance music that references DJ mixing, summertime block parties, and mellow compositional noise.

Helado Negro began when Lange moved to New York in 2006. The early group concept grew through projects and experiments Roberto would conduct while recording himself and others in his home studio. Loops, computer synthesis, record samples, and live instruments provided the foundation for the first full-length, Awe Owe, a vibrant, shimmering, full-band Latin psyche-funk-folk epic.

After taking time to create a new series of sound sculptures, release a Helado Negro EP, score one film and begin work on another (based around his animation), Lange recently holed up in a cabin in the Connecticut woods to record the follow-up to Awe Owe. Canta Lechuza is the latest incarnation of Helado Negro and its sound may come as a surprise. Gone is the big collaborative group jam of previous work and in its place is Helado-Negro-as-intimate-solo-project. Canta Lechuza feels like the place it was recorded—its vocals and beats and synth lines coming together to craft a warm, buoyant, comforting electronic dance sound, an effortless, personal thing anchored by Lange's warm, earthy, conversational voice. Based around field recordings and live instrumentation fed through computer processing, Canta Lechuza is a thoroughly modern affair.

Lentamente
Helado Negro Lyrics

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Y ya
Y ya empezar allá
Y ya
Y ya decirte no
Que quién
Que quién nos quiere ver
Así
Así de fácil devuelvo

Tus miradas
Tus olvidos
Lentamente
Te olvido

Y ya
Y ya empezar allá
Y ya
Y ya decirte no
Que quién
Que quién nos quiere ver
Así
Así de fácil devuelvo
Tus miradas
Tus olvidos
Lentamente
Te olvido

Es tan difícil encontrar alguien
Es tan fácil encontrar alguien
Que conoce tu nombre
Te conocen por todas partes

Tus miradas
Tus olvidos
Lentamente
Te olvido
Lentamente
Te olvido

[outro]

Overall Meaning

The song "Lentamente" by Helado Negro is a reflection on the process of forgetting a past love. The lyrics express the willingness to start anew and move past the relationship by slowly forgetting the memories and moments shared with the other person. The repetition of "Y ya" signals a desire to begin the healing process and let go of what once was. The lines "Que quién nos quiere ver" and "Así de fácil devuelvo tus miradas, tus olvidos" suggest that the singer feels pressure from outside forces to move on, but also recognizes the ease with which they can let go of the memories and feelings associated with the relationship.

As the song progresses, the lyrics touch on the idea that finding new love can be both difficult and easy. The lines "Es tan difícil encontrar alguien / Es tan fácil encontrar alguien" suggest that it is hard to find someone who truly knows and understands you, yet there are many people who know your name and may have a surface-level familiarity with you. The repetition of "Lentamente, te olvido" at the end of the song evokes a sense of peaceful closure, as the singer slowly and intentionally moves on from the past relationship.

Overall, "Lentamente" is a poignant reflection on the often-painful process of letting go of a past love and finding the strength to move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

Y ya
Starting to come to a realization

Y ya empezar allá
Beginning the process of moving on

Y ya decirte no
Saying no to the situation at hand

Que quién
Questioning who wants to see us like this

Que quién nos quiere ver
Asking who benefits from our pain

Así de fácil devuelvo
Returning your looks and forgetfulness with ease

Tus miradas
Your glances

Tus olvidos
Your forgetfulness

Lentamente
Slowly

Te olvido
I forget you