- The British-Colombian producer and Club Romantico founder gets funky.
- What some refer to broadly as "Latin club music"—from dembow to raptor house—is having a moment on dance floors around the world. Since making his mark at Manchester's legendary Swing Ting parties in the 2010s, Florentino, who is of Colombian heritage, has melded high-pressure perreo, cumbia and other styles with high BPMs and fat-bottomed bass in his DJ sets and productions. The result is an ultra-kinetic, cross-cultural sound that's influenced by UK sound system culture as much as the sounds of the massive, diverse scenes across Latin America.
The pan-Latin influences are a big part of Florentino's sound palette, but they by no means define him. Interspersed with dancehall and baile funk are dubstep, pummelling techno, house, UK funky, grime and more. Over the years, his experimental side has also crystallised, whether it's through the deep, sometimes trippy, reggaeton of Sangre Nueva, his collaborative project with Kelman Duran and DJ Python, his sought-after bootlegs of deconstructed guaracha, or the releases on his Club Romantico label. Most recently, he's signed with UK giant XL Recordings, including for his latest EP, Kilometro Quinze.
His dizzying range and propensity for rhythmic contortions is on full display in his RA Podcast. This is a riotous mix with big drops, bouncy basslines and crispy textures, showcasing Florentino's talent as a proper party-starter.
What have you been up to recently?
Making a lot of music. Releasing some music like my Kilometro Quinze EP too. We threw a really fun party for that. The setting was super intimate and lots of friends were in front of and behind the decks.
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
It's the accumulation of a few different sets I've played these past few months in peak-time settings. I looked over a few sets, like my set at Draaimolen festival, which felt really special. I also drew from sets I did at Tresor and at C2C in Turin with Sangre Nueva recently, both of which I really had fun with. I figured out my favourite parts back at home in Manchester and I rebuilt said parts for dynamics' sake in Reason. Lolo, Club Romantico's mix and mastering engineer, kindly helped make sure it's as sonically balanced as possible, too. I love to push myself for mixes that I know will live online, so you know I had to make some refixes and DJ tools specifically for this.
Anyone who's seen me play since my early days knows I go everywhere BPM-wise in my sets, but I've been locking in at certain speeds for some sets recently and sharpening that skill. This mix really reflects that.
What's one club or party that had a major impact on you as an artist?
Swing Ting. A now-defunct label and party that was based in Manchester, it's where I cut my teeth as DJ and the first time I was welcomed into a space where I felt I could be my full self artistically. The lessons and friends made in those days I still carry close. I wouldn't be who I am as a person, never mind as an artist, without them.
Your music clearly resonates with dancers in the UK, Europe and North America. When touring Latin America, how do crowds react when you play more experimental strains of baile funk or dembow?
Sometimes you can go deep, sometimes you can't, it's no different to anywhere else in the world in that sense and shouldn't be treated so. In Manchester in my early days when there was no context for what I'd do, I'd play dancehall cuts that also have reggaeton versions with Spanish vocals, playing those in succession to map out context for the dancers. That's a skill I've always carried and that I've leaned on a lot throughout the years, all around the world.
My music resonates in LATAM, though, for obvious reasons, and I think it's incredibly important for people and publications to not other that part of the world. You have some of the biggest techno DJs in the world, who are from the global north, playing guaracha now. Skepta and Jammer have a new DJ duo called Mas Tiempo and there's a cut on the last Pangaea record that sounds "Latin club"-influenced to me. There's a reason why people are referencing that part of the world, it's home to so many of the most innovative scenes right now and the crowds reflect that too. It's presumptuous to assume otherwise.
Who are some overlooked pioneering figures in Latin club music that the world should pay more attention to? DJ Babatr, for instance, finally toured Europe this year after keeping a low profile for years.
Having conspired with Baba and his team to help break into the European circuit, it brings me a lot of joy to see him being celebrated this way. Long may it continue.
Off the top of my head, some pioneers and artists who are very important contributors to LATAM dance music continuums are: DJ Nelson, DJ Kelvin El Sacamostro, DJ Marlboro, Raz, DJ Dero, Ralphi Rosario, DJ Joe, DJ Negro, DJ Mouse, DJ Otto, DJ Tetris, Alex Barrera, DJ Norty Cotto, Tony Boom Boom Badea, DJ Lucho, DJ Fist, Latin Xpress, El Mago, El Cantor, DJ Yirvin, DJ Rafy Melendez, RBM.
A more extensive list would be even more multi-generational than this, and this is just a drop in the ocean. The global north's media dominance within electronic music sadly means the archiving of certain dance music continuums hasn't happened as extensively for the wider masses to access and that's definitely the case here. Because the term "Latin club music" is a huge umbrella term genre wise that also spans an incredible number of countries and scenes, it deserves to be answered by a large group of people who between them are more specialist, who have a very thorough and deep knowledge of all the things living under that umbrella. It'd be a huge undertaking that I hope a publication undertakes soon.
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
One that's at the forefront of many people's minds and my own currently is the horrific scenes we're seeing in Gaza. Talking, protesting and raising awareness around what's happening on the ground is extremely important; a ceasefire needs to happen.
TracklistJuzt 2 Brothers vs Perempay & Dee - Vaya Buss it (Florentino Tool)
Florentino - Gas Station ft Martyn Bootyspoon
Karizma - Darqness
Karizima - Darqness (Bok Refix)
Coffintexts - Suave (Florentino Megamix)
Nick Leon - Dog House
Florentino - Sabor
Florentino - Pressure ft Shygirl
Dos Flakos - Makina
Robbie Riviera - Feel This
Florentino - Xcuse Me
Ralphie Rosario - Brinca (Runway Mix)
Florentino - Dreaming tool
Florentino - Na Fuga ft MC Bin Laden (Acapella)
Ayesha - Tactilia
Brunoso - Tambor de Crioula HA (Maranhão Vogue Tool)
WOST - EU VICIO RAPIDO
Florentino - Hysterika ft Baby Cocada
The Goodmen vs DJ Master-D - Give it Mad Drumz (Florentino Re-tool)
TSVI - DIn Daa Daa
OSSX - ??? vs !!!!
Debonair Samir vs Chuckie - Samirs Drumz (Florentino Re-tool)
Regal86 - Mueve Tu Cuerpo
De Schuurman - Nu Ga Je Dansen (Florentino Refix)
v1fro - Corneta
Rui Da Silva - Touch Me (Florentino Refix)