Latin American Artists are Taking Over Tech House

From the bustling cities of Buenos Aires, Lima, Cali, and Guayaquil to the beaches of Punta Cana and Montañita, and the highlands of Medellin and Quito, Latin America is home to many vibrant and rapidly evolving electronic music scenes. Ravers from all corners of the world have witnessed their dancefloors dominated by a new wave of music producers bringing fresh perspectives and innovative sounds that are redefining what it means to make electronic music as Latin Americans, blending traditional rhythms and instruments with cutting-edge production techniques and a willingness to experiment.

Drawing on a diverse range of influences, from techno and house, to reggaeton and the many styles of Latin percussion, these producers are creating a sound that’s uniquely their own, inspiring the world at large to follow suit. 600+ million people with rhythm deep in their genes have set the pace with tracks – inspired by their modern-day shamans – taking all music charts by storm.

“Latin Tech” is the new subgenre of Tech House used by Beatport to celebrate, recognize and categorize the music, separating the movement from the thousands of tracks delivered in tech house each week.

“This music isn’t only about adding congas, timbales, and maracas or just sampling old famous reggaeton vocals to drop on top of generic loops,” explains Ecuadorian DJ/producer Carloh. “It’s a communion of hundreds of scenes across thousands of miles, where the greatest common denominator is passion for the DAW, decks, and dancefloor.”

Here are just 12 of the hundreds of talented artists leading the charge, putting a new face to Latin Tech and future genres to come.

ANDRUSS

This Mexican Producer from Mérida, the most populated city on the Yucatan Peninsula, has quickly climbed the ranks of international music hitting #1 with his release Mueve EP on Jamie Jones’ Hot Creations. The fusion of ‘outside the box’ latin percussion with the amazing flavor from the vocalist & songwriter El Apache Ness & Fatboi will force your hips into an all-night frenzy. The Andruss vibe has seen the light in other top labels like George Privatti & Guille Placencia’s La Pera Records, Lee Foss’ newer gem South of Saturn, and Solardo’s Sola. The master of rhythm is currently touring Spain and Italy, bringing the Latino ‘sabor’ to the masses front and center.

CARLOH

Hailing from the highlands of Sangolquí on the outskirts of Quito, Ecuador, the ‘King of the Andes’ and resident prime of Lost Beach Club, Carloh, effortlessly drives dancefloors from the barrio to the penthouse, in the Amazon jungle, or at the top of mountains. His drive to succeed is an inspiration to the rest of us, seeing him dig his father’s old salsa record collections, connecting with his first supporters, DJ Sneak & Caleb Calloway, and spreading a blend of styles that top labels the likes of Solid Grooves, Hottrax, BANDIDOS, Rawsome Deep, Desolat, MUSE, South of Saturn, Too Many Rules, Elrow, and From the South can’t get enough of. An upcoming Firestarter is brewing as Carloh links up with Sunwaves mainstay Mahony as they prepare to release a new Latin tech house belter — “Gemini” on Take Notes. His track “Esta Pegao” for Solid Grooves Raw is quite the dance floor killer, carrying that old Proyecto Uno snippet to new generations worldwide.

DJ FRONTER

Emerging from the city capital of salsa music, Colombia’s Santiago de Cali, DJ Fronter carries influences of tribal and electro percussion throughout his nation’s underground adapting organic, abstract, and digital sounds with techno and house while never neglecting his Latin essence. Quite the prolific producer, Fronter has releases on over 50 international labels, such as Toolroom, 1605, Mindshake Records, La Pera, Area Remote, FORM, Safe Music, and his own Orunmila Recordings. His recent Hot Creations release, “Brr Baby Brr” with Fabio Neural was a massive hit. Latin Tech is about the happy fusion of nostalgia, music from the future, and never-ending dancing.

His “Que Lio” joint on The Deepshakerz’s Safe Music Records is a burst of flavor wrapped in techy grooves, a sure-fire party starter for the trumpet-loving clubber.

BRENDA M

Living in the Caribbean paradise of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, is the perfect setting for such a dynamic producer and DJ. Years in the making, Brenda M navigates deep waters with layers of grooves, pushing her version of Latin Tech forward with releases on Lexlay’s Barcelona-based Happy Techno Limited, Great Stuff Talents, Tanama Records, and Phantom Deck Records. The island has many spots to party like Soles Bar, High Room and Sigue la Luna. Congas, trumpets, maracas, and drums, as well as Spanish vocals from well-known urban songs are the recipe taking over the world, and you can get a taste of it on her collaboration with Lui Flores, with remixes by Hassio & Ramon Bedoya “The Hustle,” released on Steve Aguirre’s Colombian label, BH Records.

CRIS OCAÑA

Always repping the Latino Flow, the Chilean Clubroom resident Cris Ocaña never backs down when it comes to using elements of Latin music in his productions, overflowing with perpetual energy reflecting Chile’s love for long weekends full of afterparties. “Nowadays, the party never stops because there is a scene from Arica to Punta Arenas (all of Chile),” Cris tells us. He is pumping out tracks on Elrow, Nervous, Habitat, Rawsome, and soon running out of boxes to tick. “Outra Vez” with Leo Rios on Chilean label House Heroes was a big hit, and the Brazilian funk-styled tribal banger “Q’Pario” in collaboration with Peruvian producer Sunday Noise on Leon’s Futura label is hitting the spot this season. It was originally meant to be just a DJ tool, yet now Marco Carola and the Martinez Brothers can’t stop playing it all over the place.

OBANDO

Born and bred in Medellin, Colombia, a city evolving into one of the finest scenes in the world, with parties in unusual places, and festival lineups bigger than other countries’ entire monthly calendar (ask any touring DJ), Obando is pushing the boundaries of the underground by fusing separate elements into a special vibe custom built for the d-floor. Groove is a must, deep sultry vocals keep dancers’ eyes wide shut, his tracks have legs, that’s for sure. Releases on Kareem Cali’s Brooklyn-based Inmotion Music, Carlo Lio’s Rawthentic, and Javi Bora’s Too Many Rules are just the beginning for this rising star. “Big Prize,” made in collaboration with fellow paisa Matheo Velez, unlocked new levels of musical maturity and rawthenticity.

CHINONEGRO

Chiclayo, in northern Perú, is home to arguably the best cuisine in the world AND the future Latin tech house legend Chinonegro. He has quickly risen through international ranks with releases on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels, Pirate Copy’s Kaluki Music, Rafa Barrios’ BANDIDOS, Sante’s Avotre, Stefano Noferini’s Deeperfect, Steve Lawler’s VIVA Music, Chus & Ceballos’ Stereo Productions, and the list goes on. Bouncing back and forth living in Perú and Chile, Chinonegro has built a name for himself by consistently playing in major festivals and venues like Elrow Chile, Lost Beach Club, Bahrein, Clubroom, and he is just getting started spreading his energetic sets and vibe. His latest track “Taramombino” on Voltaire Music, made in collaboration with fellow scene sweeper Ammo Avenue, is fresh and ever-rising as expected.

TONY GUERRA

Easily one of the most talented and respected artists in the electronic music scene in Venezuela, Tony Guerra‘s sound, passion, and tireless dedication has taken him around the world and back, spinning at top clubs and festivals such as Resistance, Partai, Wynwood Factory Miami, Bahrein in Buenos Aires, Lost Beach Club in Ecuador, Koko in Madrid, among many others. His awards include ‘Best Dance Music Album of the Year 2017’ by the Pepsi Music Awards Academy and was nominated for ‘Best Tech House Artist 2019’ by the Vicious Music Awards. His releases have come out on some of the most respected labels in the market such as Stereo Productions, Nervous Records, Be One Records, Insert Coin, and Defected In The House, to name a few. His attitude, funky sounds, Afro-Caribbean percussion, powerful basslines, and synths collide into a high-energy musical journey as heard on his “So Crazy” track on Nervous Records.

JAY DE LYS

The young Buenos Aires native Jay de Lys has quickly made a name for himself in one of the most thriving electronic music scenes in the world. Born to a music-immersed family, his productions mirror the warmth and love of dancing that Argentinian ravers are so well known for. He has releases on pretty much all the major tech house labels like Nic Fanciulli’s Saved Records, Elrow, Repopulate Mars, Kaluki, Glasgow Underground, NoZzo Music, Ultra, and more. His summers are now spent using Barcelona as home base for his expansion into European tours. “No Sleep Club” released on Toolroom Trax best represents his style, an unrelenting groovy, percussive belter for the dancefloor.

CLASSMATIC

Brazil is going through a renaissance right now with a new generation of producers exporting proper house and techno to the world. Classmatic, hailing from the Santa Catarina region in the south, is certainly at the top of the list. Part of his upbringing took place in Las Vegas, where he was exposed to R&B, acid, Chicago house, and breaks. His releases have exploded onto the scene in recent years, coming out on Jamie Jones’ Hot Creations, Michael Bibi’s Solid Grooves, The Martinez Brothers’ Cuttin’ Headz, Amine Edge’s CUFF, and many more. “El Primer Corazón” on Revival New York is a clear example of what a mix of cultures can do for an artist’s creativity and the promise of the Latin tech house movement.

ELI ROJAS

This Cali, Colombia, producer has mastered the skill of blending the Latin and Caribbean flavor into the electronic music scene of Ibiza. Coming from a background of salsa, reggae and urban music, Ibiza inspired Eli Rojas to make a great musical shift towards dub, dub-step, deep and tech-house. This allowed Eli to take her knowledge of electronic music to another level while evolving with the Latino understanding of rhythm. Soon Eli started to define her style as Latin Urban Groove. One of her main breakthroughs came with her residency at the iconic Blue Marlin Ibiza, marking the pace for a perpetually rising career. Some of her releases include Lemon-aid Music, DeepNHeat, Mr. Greyhound, and Made in Ibiza Records. “We Can’t Stop” — in collaboration with Marien Baker on Lexlay’s Happy Techno Limited — brings quintessential Latin and Caribbean elements together: dubby, groovy, party vibes.

ALBERTO DIMEO

Starting his musical career in Maracay, Venezuela, the proximity of the Caribbean has always had an influence on Alberto Dimeo’s production. Latin percussion, groove, Caribbean-infused melodies, catchy vocals, the energy can be felt on all his tracks ranging between afro, deep tech, minimal, and tech house. He pushes most of his releases on fellow Latin-American labels such as Tony Guerra’s Overtones, Sparrow and Barbosa’s Tortuga Tribes, DJ Fronter’s Orunmila, Harvy Valencia’s Harvibal, among others. His track “Fuego Fuego” on Overtones Records has a powerful winding tribal infused groove that will hook you in every time. Alberto’s prolific career continues to honorably represent Venezuelan producers around the world.