Last month, Mexico City witnessed the union of a dynamically talented DJ and an unparalleled Latin music trio. Fred again.. and LATIN MAFIA recently joined forces to unveil their collaborative mixtape, “9 months & 50 hours”—the composition of which was held entirely on a YouTube livestream. Held at Lago Algo in Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City, the livestream featured the artists’ entire production process, made possible by a custom-made McIntosh sound system. 

Fred again.. took to Instagram last week to announce the collaboration, noting, “from tomorrow at 1 pm, we’re gonna stream us making our mixtape. We won’t end the stream until its finished and released.” In his announcement, he described the collaboration as a “proper family affair,” in reference to LATIN MAFIA being a trio of brothers and to his little brother, Benjy, who he composes music with. Fred again.. and LATIN MAFIA fulfilled their bold promise the next day in what became a 50-hour creative process for the world to see. 

The unconventional recording session featured a custom-made sound system from McIntosh—a powerhouse in the home entertainment and audio world. Two pairs of XRT2.1K floor-standing loudspeakers stood at the center of the bespoke recording system, and another pair of loudspeakers, the ML1, stood alongside the award-winning MC462 Quad Balanced Power and MC2.1KW Monoblock Power amplifiers to complete the setup. An engineer present at the livestream noted, “There’s a particular kind of nerdy joy that comes from finally getting my hands on gear you’ve only ever admired from a distance.” 

McIntosh craftsmanship is particularly evident in one of the album’s newly released music videos, “Te Estoy Correteando,” which prominently showcases the XRT2.1 loudspeakers. The ingenuity provided by McIntosh’s bespoke setup and the authenticity brought forward by Fred again.. and LATIN MAFIA’s collaboration produce a rich, flowing sound demonstrated by each of the mixtape’s songs.

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