Guanábana highlights the sounds of islands across the Caribbean, Polynesia, and beyond — covering music from regions between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Island hop with Madeleine Sturma and Hatt Merlino as they showcase genres like bachata, zouk, mele, morna, and more.

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Two years ago in July, Hatt and I played our first ever live set together at Sound by the Sea. We chose Hawaiian music since we were planning on traveling there a couple weeks later; so we felt it would be our metaphorical way of lining ourselves with sunscreen before hitting the sand. Unbeknownst to us — or maybe after a reality check, more like — we realized we’d have to cancel our trip. Just one look at the average hotel price was enough to turn combust our wallets leaving them in ash. While we were bummed that our trip was no more, our attempted vacation was not for naught. From the chants of meles to the twang of the hula’s steel guitar, we were taken by Hawaiian music. As we continued to delve deeper into Hawaii through the decades, we started to become curious about other islands nearby. Months passed, and the two of us realized we both really harbored an interest in exploring “island music”.

Approximately a year and one week later, we ventured back to Sound by the Sea for our second set — this time as Guanabana. It was the first time we were spinning vinyl together after the show aired. While the set is a bit of a hodgepodge-grab-bag of music from across the tropics, it was a notable full-circle moment for us in our development of Guanabana.