Back to Back, aka B2B, is often associated with two DJs literally performing tracks back to back. Whether they choose each other or not, they both bring to the decks a variety of genres, time signatures, tempos and end up collaborating on the spot on a mix that makes sense.

Through the spontaneity of collaboration, communities can expand, musicians can grow, and genres can evolve. In this new series presented by She Shreds and powered by Red Bull Music to celebrate the Portland community at our 5 year anniversary, we pair guitarists with singers, rappers, and producers to encourage across genre collaboration and expand the visibility of guitars into R&B, Hip Hop, and beyond.

Grab you tickets for our 5 Year Anniversary at Revolution Hall, October 27th. Come watch these videos played on screen alongside an amazing line up including Nai Palm, Francesca Simone, Nai Palm, Sávila and Black Belt Eagle Scout.

FABI REYNA X KARMA RIVERA

Fabi Reyna is the guitarist and bassist in Portland based cumbia/world trio, Savila. Her style is influenced by sounds of birds, and the rhythms and melodies of Central and South American music. Karma Rivera brings trap/rap realness to the Portland music scene as a rapper and hyphy queen. On paper some might say the two make no sense as a musical duo, but the song will tell you otherwise. Surprisingly, this song was created in one hour the day before it was filmed.

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT x AMENTA ABIOTO

Katherine Paul creates heavy, yet ethereal and intricate melodies with her guitar. She’s a multi instrumentalist and producer in her own right. Inspired by growing up in the Pacific Northwest, she performs under the moniker Black Belt Eagle Scout and sings breathtaking songs about the Indigenous experience. Amenta Abioto is a fire as f**k solo artist, singer, and producer. Her performances consist of arranging through live looping, beat making, oral effects, and self harmonizing before adding a mesmerizing vocal melody to top it off. As composers, both artists bring an energy to the Portland music scene that is hard to beat and their collaboration below is a testament to that. This song was improvised and there was no prior rehearsal.

LUZ ELENA MENDOZA X BROWN ALICE

Luz Elena Mendoza is best known as the singer, songwriter, and guitarist in Y La Bamba—a Portland favorite that can be best summed up as Spanish Indie for the soul. Her vibe is Bolero meets contemporary magic. Vaughn Kimmons, AKA Brown Alice, can be caught lost in the center of the vibe as one of two members of the soul-jazz-R&B outfit, Brown Calculus. Truth be told, although never having created together prior to this video, these two are definitely 100 percent past life collaborators. They’re creative power radiates off of them as individuals, which is why pairing the two for a one-off seemed essential. This song was improvised and there was no prior rehearsal.