SOUTH AMERICA’S UNDERGROUND REVOLUTION

Rosie Riot talks to the people of Latin America’s largest continent, representing bass frequencies, broken beats, and UK underground influences in their sounds

The global popularity of music from the Latin American diaspora continues to steamroll into the commercial consciousness. With genres such as reggaeton, guaracha, and Brazilian funk seeing global and chart success, its influence shows no signs of abating. Modern Latin American subgenres have been well and truly cemented into the mainstream, with its sounds seeping into main room energy across the globe.

With club nights like Argentina’s ‘Bresh’ taking over coveted Saturday slots in Ibiza, and Latin American artists reaching Super Bowl level mass hysteria, mainstream chart success is snowballing. But ricocheting back South, beneath the commercial veneer of global party rooms, the underground scene in South America has witnessed an exciting development. Fusing bass, and UK subgenres such as grime, garage and bass into the tapestry of the underground, a burgeoning and exciting fusion is crystallising into DJ-producer repertoires alike.

Brazil, South America’s largest country, has alone seen their popular genres transmute on the underground scene, with sound systems, radio stations, and club nights demonstrating their own take on bass and underground fusion. One such collective pioneering UK fusion sounds with South American finesse is ‘2Step Mafia’. A record label and crew from São Paulo, they spotlight homegrown producers in the Brazilian UK Garage scene. During my own personal trip to São Paulo, I was lucky enough to speak to members Luiz (under the alias of ‘LZR’) and fellow garage comrade Teiu, atop a high-rise in the city’s ‘Republica’ area. Spiking the skyline of the vertical city, the apartment provided impressive views of the metropolis, bathed in golden sunlight, with only a faint din of traffic below. Luiz went onto explain how the 2 step journey began for them:

“Since me and Teiu met we always talked about doing something together with garage. So earlier this year I put on a party, as I felt like I wanted to connect to a different side of music.. then I decided to create a label, and I thought; here’s a chance for me and Teui to work together with a garage only label....”

Surprised at how recently the collectives work began, the pair expand:

“Yeah it’s pretty new, it got pretty big pretty quickly... we came up with the name 2Step Mafia because it was more of a crew than just a label.. we’ve done 5 or 6 events so far, and the idea is to create a community, and let people know about garage other than just DJs and producers… to make garage more accessible.’

I ask Luiz about how many artists the collective have worked with. “It’s collaborative, there’s a lot of friends that help us.. it’s a bunch of us. It’s me and Teiu making the decisions, but we have a lot of friends that help us. We have Kilombo who is a great designer and artist. He hand-painted each CD for us for our first compilation, and so each one was done by hand… So everyone has their own unique design.’

2 Step Mafia co-founder LZR selling merch and CDs

I was lucky enough to be gifted some of these CD’s, which I was humbled to receive. As a millennial I felt a wave of nostalgia, having a tangible musical memoir of our meeting in the form of a compact disc - a relic of my youth, and a fitting medium for a golden era of UKG.

I was intrigued to know what else inspired the germination of garage in Brazil, with a mention of Jungle and Drum‘n’Bass which ‘blew up’ in the 90s in Brazil, paving the way for the way for more underground and bass genres. I am also informed about Brazilian pop artists such as Kelly Key, who had some mainstream chart success in Brazil with garage lead track ‘Adoleta’ making ripples in the mainstream consciousness as far back as 2003. Although not necessarily a critically acclaimed reference with her sugar pop image, perhaps a good example of how UKG has been making inroads into global production, for far longer than I’d perhaps realised.

 But DJ, producer, and musician Luiz counts labels such as ‘Nice & Deadly’ as more recent influences. The platform’s co-founder ‘Rassan’ has been putting on parties and releasing music for years. The label which includes remixes with the likes of Japan’s ‘Stones Taro’, harnesses the sounds of meaty 2-step and bass fusion with aplomb. I’m told the genre in general has become more widespread recently, with garage making narrow tributaries into the party scene, despite many people still not being able to decipher exactly what the genre is.

“I think people can’t always necessarily pinpoint what the garage sound is, if you’re not a producer or a DJ perhaps, but it’s definitely getting played out a lot more at parties in Brazil. .. But when I arrived to the city in 2017, I couldn’t play garage or I’d kill the dancefloor. It was pretty much all techno and house. Then I started throwing more garage into house sets and eventually put my own events on. Making a label was a progression … building a scene.”

On the subject of UKG’s expanse into more arenas, I’m told how its predecessors of house and techno have dominated electronica. And, unlike Europe, South American Tech-House genres have perhaps been embraced more by the more privileged. But now an overlap of genres and demographics is now evolving.

“After 2019 acts like Mall Grab, and more lo-fi house were getting more popular.”  Teui adds.

“Growing up my Dad (who is a DJ also) introduced me to reggae and dancehall, and I used to play a lot of rap. I never used to be into electronic music, because in Brazil it was seen as kind of elite, like for rich people with techno and that kind of thing. So, the garage we started playing was more versatile as we were presenting it to a really wide range of people... Garage is still crossing over to more spaces.”

Teiu of 2Step Mafia DJing at one of their events in São Paulo

Luiz adds that adding a Brazilian vocal to garage has helped make the genre more digestible.

“Having Portuguese lyrics makes the music much more relatable...”

And authentic, I add. Which is something the São Paulo underground scene has in spades…

Around the corner in the city’s Downtown district, perched above a coffee shop amongst a backdrop of concrete facades, resides Veneno radio. Created in 2018, Veneno (venom in Portuguese), was born from the idea of ​​unifying and solidifying the most diverse cultural initiatives. The station today broadcasts a wide range of programs, and in their own words ‘dialogues different aesthetics and concepts’.

The platform is steadily growing in traction as one of the city’s most innovative hubs for an exciting array of sounds. Attracting artists from across the country, including international guests, it has evolved into a highly respected name in the industry. Veneno also hosts parties in the city, with repeat collaborations at the Martinelli building, one of the city’s most iconic and historic monuments.

Founding forefather and DJ, Bartigga took time to chat about Veneno inside their sleek studio. Although the UKG popularity is ever evolving in São Paulo, it is (Brazilian) funk, in his opinion that remains one of the main titans of Brazil’s party scene. Percussive and syncopated, the genre creates a vertebrae to the structure of many Brazilian parties and genres.

“On the whole I think funk is the biggest genre that is happening in the underground scene I think. Guys like Caio Prince have done really well, he’s been touring, and getting really popular. Latin America and Brazil in particular is a great place for DJs and parties because we are very very big. I think we have an appreciation for low frequency music but, done a Brazilian way.. “

“As in bass music?.. When you say low frequencies? … Like a core of funk but then other sounds happen on top of that?” I enquire.

“Yeah exactly..  a lot subgenres are introduced…”

We speak about the popularity of grime and trap, garage’s emergence, but also other genres like electro, blending with a base of funk. Brazilian artists like CESRV, Fleezus, and Lucas Kid are also namechecked, with the latter having tracks played out on the DJ sets of the likes of UK chart topper ‘Fred Again’. The result is an exceptionally exciting club sound, embraced across the world’s underground and above; a sound very much unique to Brazil.

During our chat, Bartigga mentions that the following weekend he would be DJing at the Martinelli building. Built before New York’s Empire State Building, back in the 1920’s, ’Eficico Martinelli’ shares the iconic buildings Art Deco sensibilities.  Undoubtedly one of the city’s most iconic monuments, it hosts club nights, with expansive city views, polished with Heineken sponsorship. After a bit of insight, I learn some history on the Martinelli building.  Planned in 1922 by the Italian-born entrepreneur, Giuseppe Martinelli was just one of many millions of Italian immigrants that has helped shape South America’s South Eastern culture. At the time of its opening, it was the tallest building in Latin America, and the largest concrete-framed building in the world. Upon entering, I was asked to hand in my makeup which had masking tape adhered to it, and my name written in marker pen (to be picked up later), as well as being  given a card by way of a drinks tab counter (which I anxiously checked was still in my pocket repeatedly throughout the night). It is clear building security in general across the city is tight (even my uber driver was concerned about me finding the entrance to the building). But after negotiating the gauntlet of staff and multiple levels, the elevator doors opened to expose booming bass, with young people congregating in groups at the building’s summit. An MCs voice reverberated over the ‘tak-tak’ rhythm of a funk track, as the city lights twinkled in a warm Spring breeze. It’s clear the sound is hugely popular in Brazil, and I felt privileged to spectate it.

View from the Martinelli Building

Migrating South to Argentina, the garage and bass revolution continues with collectives such as Army of Dub, Libertad Soundsystem and Aconcawa harnessing bass power. In the capital of Buenos Aires, female lead platform Caza Beats blazed a path for bass and garage amidst the pandemic back in 2020. Lead by ‘Tessa & Rixa’, a transatlantic alliance showcasing DJ sets with dynamic vocal performances accenting garage and bass driven B2B power. Flourishing into community and platform, the main hosts are now split amongst the UK and Argentina, with Rixa continuing to host bass led online streaming sessions from Buenos Aires, and Tessa regularly collaborating with UK bass titan Silkie and his labels Bedroom Rat and Anti-social Records. Founding member of the platform, Tessa Regueiro , explains how it all began:

“Caza Beats started as a global bass community founded in Buenos Aires. We initially had the idea to create a physical space where we would invite DJs to record a set with the goal of showcasing local underground talent, but the pandemic hit and we had to pivot… So we decided to set up a Twitch platform, where we invited local and international DJs to record sets from their ‘home alone’ set up, consolidating an inclusive platform to create a space for emerging artists to be seen and connect artists from different parts of the world. We recorded sets every Sunday during the long lockdown in Argentina, until restrictions were lifted.. We started moving our community to physical spaces, putting on in-person events, to club nights in some of the city’s most important underground clubs. We also did after-office get-togethers where we would mix music with food, art exhibitions, live art displays, market stands, creating spaces where people could come together express themselves and connect.”

Rixa (left) and Tessa (right)

“Then, in 2021, we created Caza Beats Records to create a space for underground bass music producer and artists, with the goal of connecting cultures and enriching the wider global scene, particularly creating connections between South America and the UK. And in 2024, we inaugurated our studio..”

I ask if Tessa if she thinks UKG is getting more popular across Argentina and South America.

“Yeah definitely, I mean it's still super niche in comparison to UK, Europe, Australia .. But I've definitely seen a surge in the last year. We've been pushing UKG and those UK bass sounds for over 5 years now here, but in Buenos Aires we felt quite alone at the beginning to be honest. Noone really got a lot of it. But now we've been seeing loads of DJs and people getting curious about UKG… Pablo Aristimuño an artist from the south who's been producing speed garage, releasing on labels like ATW, and he's been playing those sounds in house parties. So, it's starting to reach new crowds. Aside from Caza Beats, there's also parties like Nital, Surrey, RGB, Wave that have started playing some UKG recently too so it's really cool to see it in a good moment, growing more rapidly than ever.”

Inland in the centre of the country, nestled in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas mountains lies major city and university hub Córdaba. Here sound systems and bass parties are growing in popularity. Upon entering the city limits, it is not uncommon to spot street art, and murals of football royalty Maradona and Messi. Another piece emblazons the celeste blue of 1980’s Falklands war defiance, with potent Argentinian patriotism palpable along its highways. But despite the enduring residue of political unrest, UK sounds have steadily soaked through the fabric of Argentina’s underground.  In its suburbs lives Fede, (or ‘Firpo’ as his alias). Host and founder of ‘Bully Bass’, a free party with a stacked soundsystem, the events showcase an array of bass genres and artists to the local community. Aside from Firpo, artists and residents include 'Lowshock' aka DJ Trentz and 'Luvclap'. They also happen to be formidable producers, cultivating dubstep, grime, garage and bass for more than 10 years. Other resident DJs include 'Marketpleiss' who puts his own spin on bass proceedings, with unique tastes in music.

Fede’s home in the suburbs of the city, exudes a deep multi-generational charm, complete with an attractive walled garden, and ‘Asado’ barbeque area, a true Argentinian tradition which brings together friends and bass comrades.  As well as acting as a creative hub for his other talents, including his work as a talented graphic designer, it’s clear community is strong and significant in Córdoba, with bass compounding its solidarity. With this in mind, I ask Fede (a fellow millennial), about his experiences of the genres he embraces, and how he got into some of the UK bass sounds.

“I think the first thing I heard that really caught my attention was the Bristol sound — trip-hop. Albums like Blue Lines and Protection by Massive Attack, or Dummy by Portishead, Tricky… that whole scene grabbed me immediately. Lots of samples and 90s hip-hop production techniques, mixed with that Caribbean influence… that’s what makes me love the UK sound so much. And at the same time, that grey-blue melancholy that feels so characteristic of the UK.”

“Thanks to those sounds, I got into other styles like jungle and drum & bass (Inner City Life by Goldie, Touchin’ Down by Roni Size ).. Those records blew my mind. My first crew played jungle, D’n’B, and breaks, and that led us to keep discovering more UK music. That’s how I found early dubstep and grime. It was love at first sight. The first DMZ and Tempa releases, Skream’s debut album, Benga’s first record, Boy in da Corner by Dizzee Rascal, Dubstep Allstars by Tempa, Deep Medi releases, the ‘purple sound’ from artists like Silkie, Quest, Joker… and the darker, deeper sound from Mala, Coki or Loefah. .. When I started digging into the roots of dubstep and grime, I came across garage..and I loved it. Artists like Zed Bias, El-B, Zed Bias, DJ Narrows, J Da Flex, to name a few, were a huge discovery for a young guy in his early twenties from South America, at a time when the internet was nothing like what it is today.”

Bully Bass founder Fede with Cafe Riot founder and writer Rosie Riot in Cordoba

With garage being drip-fed into DJ sets across the country, much like the feedback of 2-Step Mafia, Fede mentions that even though UKG has a rising popularity, it perhaps went undetected for a while.

“Even though 90s house DJs used to play garage, they did it within house sets. I’m not sure the crowd knew it was a separate genre, but they definitely danced to garage tracks mixed into house sets. That’s what DJs from the generation before mine told me. But now, with the boom of social media, the easy access to information, and the curiosity to explore genres that weren’t well known in this part of the world, more people are discovering different sounds.. And UK Garage is definitely one of them.”

In terms of labels and artists from the genre that he embraces, Fede notes D.E.A Project, Groove Chronicles, and R.I.P Productions as leading influences. But his bass knowledge goes far.

“There are so many, across different genres. If I start with jungle, I’d say Tom and Jerry, Congo Natty, Goldie. For grime Wiley, Skepta, Dizzee Rascal, Jhon E Cash, DJ Slimzee, D Double E…  From dubstep and proto-dubstep: DMZ, Horsepower Productions, Loefah, El-B, Skream, Silkie, Quest, Kromestar ; just to name a few. Of course, that’s just a small part of the list — it could go on forever…”

“As for local artists, I have to mention Bad Boy Orange, Daleduro, DJ Nim, Fabián Zurlo (R.I.P), Adrián González, DJ Uter. They were the first Argentine DJs I found who were playing this kind of music, helping to build a scene and spread these rhythms… Maybe they influenced me even more than the international ones, because when you find someone near you doing the music you thought nobody else was doing here, that’s when you realise you’re not alone.. And that a community can grow from the shared love for a sound.”

Aside from covering the forementioned 2Step Mafia for Brazil (and Kenya20Hz), Fede also mentions Paraguayan producers like Ariel Soler a.k.a. Bass Reflex, being ones to watch, along with Peru’s Orieta Chrem, Dubmito, and Dengue Dengue Dengue (the latter blending heavy bass with Latin rhythms).

Over in Chile in its capital of Santiago, resides one of Fede’s other name checked artists, ‘Hitch 93.’ Steadily making waves across the global garage scene, with plays on Rinse FM, and appearances across many UKG community pages, I ask Hitch 93 (or Leandro to those who know him) what made him embrace UKG.

“I think it was necessity. I mean, I knew Garage existed, even before I started producing, but in mid 2019 I had a crisis in which I no longer felt so in tune with the subgenres I liked at the time (music over 160BPM). Because of this feeling, I started listening to ‘slower’ stuff, and within that whole exploration process, I came face to face with Garage, but particularly with 2step.”

“I think my first serious approach (with Garage) was with the old works of ‘Tuffjam’, but I quickly moved on to ‘El-B’ and then I got to know the sound of many others. For example, ‘DJ Perception’, ‘Prescribe Da Vibe’, ‘Para’, ‘Highrise’, etc”.

“In terms of influences, all my work has capitalised on this subgenre, but over the years, I've been able to tackle other subgenres, such as deep house, broken beat (Bruk), dubstep, UK funky, and anything that falls within these parameters… So the influences are many, many, many.”

Taking these influences into account, Leandro talks about his own project and garage empire he is building:

“Together with a friend (DJ Bristol) we are building a small niche here in Santiago called ‘Bertikal’. It’s a platform which aims to generate community around the sound that derives from UK. Be it House, Bruk, Garage, 2step, Dubstep, etc… For now we are  showcasing content on Instagram, as well as organising live events/parties…I must say that all these sounds are very little known in my country, so we have a long way to go, but at the same time, I feel very happy, as I have seen some enthusiasm in many of my compatriots, and I cannot overlook the support and recognition I have received from the UK.”

And in terms of current artists?

“Right now I'm very fascinated by the sound of ‘Easy Up George’, but also ‘PJ Statham’ and ‘Arfa’. I love the sound of the label ‘Shadow System’ from which I had the opportunity to release an E.P. .. ‘EVM128’ and ‘Dance Regular’ are doing great stuff together with the guys from ‘CoOp Presents’, and so many others… Funny thing that has happened to me is to hear producers who made music a long time ago, but their sound sounds very fresh, like ‘C.R.S.T’ or ‘Sky Joose’.”

Reverting to his home continent, Leandro name checks artists like Chilean producer ‘Masot’ who is doing things in alignment to his tastes.

Hitch 93 (Leandro)

“On the other hand, in Argentina, ‘Sampladelic’ is also making waves. Their sound is very inspired by Todd Edwards. In Brazil I know that there is a very intense movement, the work of the guys from ‘2step Mafia’ stood out, more, I'm sure that in Mexico something must be happening too, or in some other neighbouring country, more, I haven't investigated meticulously.”

On further inspection I discover that indeed Mexico is too getting on board the garage and bass train. Online I discover ‘Gaptooth’ an independent label based in Mexico City, connecting a global network of artists and producers. Serving as a statement of intent it describes itself as “a blend of Jungle, Grime, Garage, Dubstep, and other sounds from the global club scene”.

Meanwhile Hitch 93 concludes his thoughts:

“I have a hunch that in a very short time a generation of producers and DJs will arise focused on the sound that evokes the Bass linked to UK, and this is due to the monotonous idleness that is saturated in the clubs. Techno, house, and all that ‘commercial’ music - many people don't like it anymore, and as a natural phenomenon, people are migrating to other things. I don't want to say for sure, but I have that feeling. In 5 more years, garage, and its derivatives will have more prominence here in Santiago, but also in Latin America”.

And I have to agree; it is certainly looking that way.