It’s one thing to pay homage to musical legends, but Puerto Rican duo Buscabulla went the extra mile to fully channel the sensual spirit of salsa icon Frankie Ruiz in their new video for “Tártaro.”
The song, titled after Ruiz’s nickname, is the first track off the band’s upcoming album Buscabulla EP II. For the video, the Brooklyn-based electronic duo traveled to Puerto Rico and shot at the island’s most notorious sex motel — Hotel OK — to capture the steamy vibe of Ruiz’s famed salsa erotica.
“The song is a love letter to him, referencing some of his most famous lyrics, many of them about sex motels, extramarital affairs, and passionate encounters,” singer and frontwoman Raquel Berríos said, adding that she had gone to Hotel OK to find inspiration while writing the song.
Berríos and bandmate Luis Alfredo Del Valle self-directed the video, churning out a flirtatious four minutes of Berríos playing around with all the motel’s noteworthy fixtures: a stripper pole, a mirrored room, a heart-shaped jacuzzi (which Buscabulla surrounded with some glamour shots of Ruiz). The end result is 80s-tinged sexiness that’s light on the seediness — although Berríos says this wasn’t the case while filming. “We basically smuggled our cinematographer in the trunk two nights in a row, while encountering very sticky/gross situations that I won’t go into detail about.”
We wish they’d tell us more. In the meantime, Buscabulla’s back on the road this fall with Helado Negro. Check out upcoming dates and enter to win a pair of tickets to each show below:
November 1 – Wonder Bar – Allston, MA (With Helado Negro)
November 2 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY (With Helado Negro)
November 3 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA (With Helado Negro)
November 4 – Ottobar – Baltimore, MD (With Helado Negro)