Latin-infused dance music has started making waves around the world, bringing the musical subculture of Latin EDM into the mainstream. In the past few years, Latin acts in the U.S., Spain, and Latin America are remixing the sound of music in Spanish, creating hits like Farruko's "Pepas" and Bizarrap's "BZRP Music Sessions No. 52" with Quevedo.
Latin EDM first received a global boost in 2019 thanks to the Colombian guaracha of Víctor Cárdenas, who scored a No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart with "Baila Conmigo" after Jennifer Lopez covered it. Cárdenas then went on to produce Farruko's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart-topper "Pepas." Argentine producer Bizarrap soon followed in his footsteps with his viral BZRP Music Sessions on YouTube. He has seamlessly blended trap, reggaetón, and regional Mexican music with electronica in his recent hit collaborations with Shakira, Peso Pluma, and Villano Antillano.
EDM is more embedded in Latin music than ever before. Puerto Rican producers Tainy and Caleb Calloway have pushed reggaetón music into the future by putting elements of house music hits by Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro. Latin EDM is also permeating pop music: Dominican producer Kelman Duran worked on Beyoncé's Renaissance, which won the GRAMMY Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. He added a bit of reggaetón bounce to her swaggering song "I’m That Girl."
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, GRAMMY.com is putting the spotlight on seven Latin EDM acts.
Sinego
Hailing from Bogotá, Colombia, Sinego first made waves thanks to his house bolero songs. He breathed new life in the age-old Latin sound in his songs like "Verte Triste" and "No Soy De Aquí." Sinego has received co-signs from and worked with acts like Sofi Tukker and Bomba Estéreo.
Sinego is looking to push Latin EDM even further with his upcoming album Alterego, which will be released on Oct. 27. He traveled throughout Latin American and Spain to collaborate with local musicians. In addition to bolero, Sinego reimagines genres like cumbia, samba, tango, and mambo through house music. There will also be a “Noche” version of the LP that will explore techno influences.
"'Alterego' is more than just an album; it's a sonic journey that transcends borders and genres, weaving together the rich tapestry of Latin American musical traditions with the limitless possibilities of electronic music," he tells GRAMMY.com.
Gordo
Gordo is making waves in EDM in both the English and Spanish markets, bridging the gap between Latin artists and electronic music. After a decade in the game, the Guatemalan American producer was tapped by Drake last year to work on his album Honestly, Nevermind. Gordo helped the Canadian superstar get into the house groove in songs like "Massive" and "Sticky."
In his own singles, Gordo is returning Spanish tech house to its Latin roots. Last year, he teamed up with rising Colombian star Feid for the alluring "Hombres y Mujeres," combining reggaetón with booming house beats. Colombian superstar Maluma later teamed up with Gordo for the pulsating "Parcera."
"What I want people to take away the most from the Feid song is that I did it and I’m Hispanic," he told Uproxx last year. "There’s so much [Hispanic] talent, so why not keep it all in the family?”
Arca
Arca has broken boundaries for Latin artists in EDM. She has especially pushed the envelope for the LGBTQIA+ community as a trans and non-binary artist in the genre. Thanks to her Kick album series, Arca has been nominated at both the GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY Awards.
Throughout the Kick albums, Arca has proudly explored her Latina roots in her genre-bending club bangers. In 2020, she teamed up with Spanish pop star Rosalía for the freaky "KLK," which blended glitchy reggaetón beats with flourishes of traditional Venezuelan gaita music. A year later, Lady Gaga tapped Arca for a remix of "Rain On Me." Arca transformed the song with a sample of the raptor house classic "Metelo Sacalo" by Venezuela's DJ Yirvin.
"Part of the lifeblood that has nurtured me was music that I heard on the radio," Arca told GRAMMY.com in 2021 about her reggaetón influences. "Music that reached me, through not just academic and performance, in more of a popular sense."
Deorro
Deorro is seamlessly blending his bicultural roots in his music. The Mexican American DJ and producer has toured the world and performed at all the major music festivals like Tomorrowland, Coachella, and Lollapalooza. In his sets, Deorreo often mixes in Mexican classics like "La Chona" by Norteño band Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
Last year, Deorro released Orro, further embracing his Latinx roots. He put a house music spin on regional Mexican music in songs like "Yo Las Pongo" with Los Tucanes de Tijuana and Dime with cumbia group Los Ángeles Azules. At EDC Las Vegas in May, Deorro brought out Eslabon Armado as a surprise guest. The Mexican American band joined him to perform his remix of the global hit "Ella Baila Sola" featuring Peso Pluma.
"One of the most important things about collaborating with other artists is that it opens a lot of avenues for both me and other artists," he told iEDM.com earlier this year. "It's so inspiring to [...] evolve new sounds with them."
Martox
The Dominican duo of producer Eduardo Baldera and singer Juan Martínez are showing a different side to music from the Caribbean. Since their 2019 debut, Martox has experimented with multiple genres, but they have really hit their stride in dance music.
An alternative act with R&B and pop-flavored tracks, Martoz have started adding elements of electronica to the mix in the Se Siente Diferente EP. The title translates to "It Feels Different" and Martox lived up to that with the tropical house of "No Es Normal" and the disco-influenced "Pausa" with Gian Rojas. The sunny "Solsticio" best reflects where Martox is at now with feel-good funk colliding with the Dominican soul in Martínez's voice.
"All the elements [of 'Solsticio'] groove perfectly," Martox tells GRAMMY.com "Everything stays constant and familiar, while at the same time, the track evolves and keeps things interesting and fresh."
The Martinez Brothers
Born Chris and Steve Martinez, the Martinez Brothers grew up on dance music in the Bronx. The Puerto Rican duo started incorporating their Latinx roots into their club bangers.
The Martinez Brothers helped usher in reggaetón's house music era in 2020 when they collaborated with Rauw Alejandro and Mr. Naisgai in the genre-bending "Química." Since then, they have continued to bring Latin acts into their world, including Fuego and Dominican star Tokischa. She featured on the intoxicating house track "Kilo." Alongside Gordo, the duo recently tapped into the world of Afrobeats with Nigerian star Rema in "Rizzla."
"Black people and Latinos really created this music," Steve Martinez told mitú in 2021. "It comes from the inner cities of New York and Chicago from Black and Latino communities. That’s always something we try to bring forth in our music."
2DEEP
2DEEP is representing his Latinx roots in his music. Hailing from the Bronx, the DJ and producer of Ecuadorian and Colombian descent immerses his EDM in elements of reggaetón and guaracha.
2DEEP previously distributed his music through Mad Decent where he also collaborated with Diplo. In 2019, he signed with Steve Aoki's Latin label Dim Mak En Fuego. Since then, 2DEEP has combined his love of dance music with Colombian guaracha, which is a Latin take on tribal house music. He also launched the dance party Reggaetonlandia that hosts events across the west coast. 2DEEP often spins his hits like "Guaracha En Reggaetonlandia" and "Takataka" in perreo-ready sets.
"In the world of EDM, there aren't many Latinos like me and I want to make sure that every kid like me knows that their dreams can come true," he told People last year.
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