Introducing: INVT

Lead Photo by: @xavierluggage

The first time I interviewed INVT, we were sitting backstage at the newly refurbished London music venue, KOKO. It was June 2022. The modern electronic duo was playing their debut gig in the UK to kick off their first official European tour. It was Skream himself—one of their earliest influences—who invited them out to play B2B with him for the garage-curated event of his weekly residency.

Needless to say, two years ago, things were looking up for INVT (which consists of Luca Medici and Delbert Perez). They were coming off the pandemic which was an intensely creative period for them.

When everyone in the world was confined indoors, they spent their days living in Mexico City making music with the speed and tenacity of a Peregrine falcon diving for prey. In 2021 they released six albums, one EP, and one single. 62 tracks in total (which is actually down from the 77 they released in 2020). They were also sustaining their independent clothing line which they still design, print, and ship themselves.

As I speak to Medici and Perez over Zoom from their home in Los Angeles, their momentum has not slowed down one bit. The clothing line continues to run solid (Medici posted a new collection right after we finished the interview) and their music career has taken them all over the world.

Just days before this article went live they were hosting a merch pop-up/DJ set at Domicile in Tokyo. They’ve now played at legendary venues and parties like fabric live, Nitsa, and Circoloco, and they’re collaborating with artists like the London MC Logan_olm, Neoperro singer Ms Nina, and Wisdom Teeth's prolific label head K-Lone.

But as their career grows, the core of the project remains unchanged. Medici and Perez are still two best friends making cool art (they first started playing music together when they were forming bands at 11 years old), and their drive to be the best at everything they do is just as strong. They are committed to the longevity of INVT.

“What we’re doing is already good, so let’s just do it more, and let’s do it better,” Medici says.

“We realize that people fuck with us because we’ve always been so fearless with putting out music ourselves and doing things our way. Not because of any cosign. Not because of the motion that we’ve had recently. It’s the initial statement,” Perez adds.

Their initial statement is one of fierce independence. Their music. Their apparel. For many years, everything was entirely in their hands and on their shoulders. They booked their own shows, released their own music, handled all their social media. It was a lot of work, but by being in charge of everything, they set a standard for themselves within the industry.

First and foremost, they set a standard for the music they make. In listening to their vast discography, listeners might be able to throw around genre terms like UK garage, dubstep, house, and techno (Perez and Medici are fans of all those genres), but nothing they make is that simple.

One reason their release output was so massive during the pandemic — now that they’re touring so much their output has slowed, but they are working towards finding more time to pick it back up — is because they’re capturing feelings in the moment rather than making this or that genre.

“When you make a song it’s like you created a new feeling. That’s why we worked so hard to be able to learn how to finish music really fast. To capture that feeling but also share that feeling with the listener. While people are listening to the music that we’re putting out, we, at the same time, are all feeling this new feeling,” Perez says.

Furthermore, beyond their ability to stretch the boundaries of standard dance styles, there is an underlying energy of Latin music stemming from their upbringing (Medici was born in Montevideo, Uruguay before moving to Miami. Perez is a native of Miami with a long lineage in Venezuela).

“Our mindset with music has always been to infuse these styles,” Perez says. “Some songs might be Latin influenced but others are not. It’s more so about understanding that all of these styles connect.”

Everything they make comes from a hefty amount of research and appreciation. Like many artists who are now in their mid-20s, they discovered dance music from EDM titans like Skrillex. But once they heard Skrillex they took a deep dive into what came before. That’s how they discovered Skream.

Recently the duo wanted to explore a more percussive sound, so they dove into tribal techno from the mid-2000s. That influence can be heard on their new two-track EP with K-Lone, Loca, out now on The Martinez Brothers’ label, Cuttin’ Headz.

This is one of the only releases they’ve put out through a label. Sharing their music on their own went over very well for them and still does. The decision to branch out in that regard was one of education and experimentation. Having never worked with a label in that capacity, doing so provided a learning experience, and furthermore, it gave them the opportunity to stir the pot a bit.

“It's really cool to bring artists like us onto that label, because if you listen to their discography, none of it sounds like the music that we put out,” Perez says.

“We take pride in having top DJs play our music and in the success of our clothing line. We also believe in taking risks and experimenting to learn and demystify the process. It’s cool to learn from other people. We’re always students,” Medici says.

One such advantage is that because they released their new EP TECTÓNICA — released in collaboration with close friend and fellow dance floor innovator Introspekt — through Dr. Dubplate's cutting-edge Bristol outfit, ec2a, they were able to press their first vinyl.

Being completely assured of their initial statement didn’t close their minds to different ideas or working with other people. By setting standards for themselves they have a standard of what they expect from external aspects of their career like who they bring on to their team.

For example, when it comes to bookings, they’re working with two agents. One for the Americas and one for the rest of the world. They have the industry know-how and work ethic to get the bookings they’ve played at legendary spaces like Panorama Bar and major festivals like HARD Summer, but they are assured of the type of parties they want to play and their agents are making it happen.

Now for their next venture, they are thinking about throwing their own parties in Los Angeles. They see room to create something of their own in the LA landscape between its most popular clubs and the vast network of underground warehouse functions.

“We have so many ambitions. So we're just knocking them out,” Medici says.

“I think there should be a space for every type of party,” Perez says. “But we’re clear on what we want to bring to the table.”

While this idea of INVT-curated parties is still very new, two things are already certain. First, they understand they’ll need to work with other people to make their party happen. They’ll handle the curation, and then they’ll bring in other people to help with promotion, funding, etc.

Second, the party itself will reflect their initial statement. Perez and Medici draw their energy from their original vision. It’s carried them this far, and it will surely carry them even further.

“That type of energy allows us to continue trusting our ideas. The more people trust their ideas, the more opportunities and more experiences will start to open up,” Perez says.