When Sara Gittens started Altamira Oviedo in 2017, she set out to build the first dance studio in the US to be entirely dedicated to the production of Latinx artists. Since then, the label has grown to include artists working in fields including improv, klezmer, funk and electronic, and Gittens is no exception. She has expanded her horizons and now collaborates with producers from across Latinx/o’s musical spectrum. Her debut album is an almost sublime journey of heartbreak; tear-filled and heartbreaking, it’s a denation of loss and loss of control.

Gittens’s voice is sometimes overpoweringly plaintive, as on “New Lover” where she laments, “I haven’t been able to find a new lover/Cause I’m monogamous, monogamous, monogamous”. But she’s also been very open, inviting artists to collaborate with her on their releases without worrying about genre boundaries; she’s recorded in klezmer, funk and jazz, on tracks like “Ricardo”, “Pavolita” and “Andi”. On “Donthangout” she forgets her own voice and sings over a repeat loop, or rather, over and over again – it’s like the beat is playing itself.

“Forbidden” has a beautifully dark house beat and soulful samba vocals on the open tenor saxophone of Gittens, but the rhythm is percussive, with Gittens’s keyboard barely touching the keys. “Beside that wall” is no less stunning, a soulful Latin soul tune with a beautiful samba on the horn, and the snare hits like a bass drum. The album artwork is a close-up shot of Gittens’s saxophone, showing her playing in the same way as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg: very dark, very quiet, very expressive.

Gittens’s voice is also crucial to Altamira Oviedo. She’s passionate, wreathing the air with a bright scent that helps set the mood of the music. When she’s being self-deprecating, the music is dark and moody, as on “Beside that wall” – but when she’s in control, it’s a joy to hear the saxophone soar into the air like a rocket.