Latin American electronic music doesn’t sit still. Latinx club electronics, mutant dembow, reggaeton and the rhythmic pressure of Brazilian funk all feed into each other, and the best way to hear how is a full-length mix from someone living inside it.
These five sets — from Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and points between — are the ones we’ve kept in rotation. Each is a proper introduction to a producer worth following.
Nicola Cruz with Kimchi Records — Floresta
Nicola Cruz has been at the forefront of fusing South American rhythms with electronic sound for years now. His productions and DJ sets lean on traditional instruments — the marimba, the sampoña, the charango, the situ flute — and this is one of the best Latin DJ mixes you’ll hear anywhere.
Featuring tracks by The Mauskovic Dance Band, Matthew Herbert, Nsrd, Siti Muharam and Azu Tiwaline.
BADSISTA — Recognise
BADSISTA has been tearing up dancefloors globally for the last few years. The São Paulo DJ takes a boundaryless approach to her sets, often fusing Brazilian funk with heavier club sounds including trap and gqom. This mix for DJ Mag’s Recognise series is a high-octane, percussive, club-ready beast.
Featuring tracks by NÍDIA (’17 03 2020′), DJ DR (‘Risadão Automotivo’), Lechuga Zafiro (‘Corazón Negro del Río de la Plata’) and Sizzla (‘Buss The Crowd’).
La Favi & Dinamarca — Crack Magazine
Dinamarca is a Sweden-based DJ and producer who runs the excellent Staycore label. On this mix for the Crack Magazine series he teams up with La Favi, who adds lush vocals to a wonderfully blissed-out set. Expect dreamy pop, Latin rhythms and warm analogue synths.
Featuring La Favi & Dinamarca (‘Te Buscé’), Dinamarca (‘Tom’s Diet’), La Favi & Dinamarca (‘Peces’) and Rockell (‘In A Dream’).
Debit — Dummy Mix 598
Debit is a Mexican-born New Yorker operating in the world of mutant dembow and dark club music, part of the wave of Latin producers pushing the South American electronic scene forward. This mix for the Dummy Magazine series blends low-slung reggaeton with dancehall rhythms — a sleazy affair that sounds great turned up loud.
Featuring Don Omar (‘Anda Sola Tokyo’, Antonio Colaña 2019 Remix), Objekt (’35’), TSVI (‘Labyrinth’), ZutZut (‘Te Chupo Todo’) and Alan Rosales (‘Estoy enamorado de tu culo’).
Valesuchi — RA.728
Chilean DJ Valesuchi turns in a corker for the ever-reliable Resident Advisor series. It takes in dirty electro, leftfield techno and hazy house while making brief excursions into ballroom and dub — the perfect end to the list.
Featuring Xiao Quan (‘Lazi’), Masot Quijada (‘Kappa Luzz’), Luca Duran (‘Body Mechanics’) and Extradisciplinar (‘Tranmis’).
For more in this vein, our round-up of essential Afro DJ mixes covers gqom, amapiano and Afrobeats, and the best DJ mixes ever recorded is the wider canon.