Over the past decade, Desdel Barro has established himself as one of the leading voices in South America’s Latin Club scene, forging a distinctive sound that bridges local rhythms, underground club culture, and contemporary electronic music. A member of the influential Buenos Aires-based collective and netlabel Hiedrah Club de Baile, he has been at the forefront of a movement that has reshaped dancefloors across the region, blending genres such as afro house, reggaeton, baile funk, jungle, breakbeat, and global bass into immersive and high-energy musical experiences.
Known for the versatility and intensity of his DJ sets, Desdel Barro navigates seamlessly between sensual grooves and explosive rhythms, creating journeys that reflect the diversity and vitality of Latin American club culture. As a producer, his work has been released through labels and collectives across Latin America and Europe, while his compositions for film, theatre, and dance have expanded his artistic practice beyond the dancefloor. He is also the founder of OF MUD RECORDS, a platform dedicated to forward-thinking electronic music and cross-cultural sonic exploration. In this interview, he discusses his creative trajectory, the evolution of the Latin Club movement, and the ideas that continue to shape his work today.
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 brings together tracks that seem to capture different moods and moments of contemporary club culture. How did you choose the tracks included in the album, and what emotional or narrative thread connects them?
I try to go to the roots, methods and Technics of the electronic dance music, taking inspiration of the earlys 90’s music, in that sound environment breakbeat, jungle, rave, disco music join with latin sounds like reggaeton. I choose the songs like a big tribute of songs, sounds and vibes that I realy love.
All comes from the truly love from from the track, it’s like a ode to the music in general, for example I can mention “fantasy” of earth, wind and fire, plenty songs of Pino d’angio, “Poison” Bell bid Devoe, “Pa que lo pases bien” of Arcángel, “Private landing” of Justin Bieber or the vibe of playstation 1 early jungle vibe that i bring in the track “Car ride with bro” (mixing eyes “without face with “vuela vuela” and “luna de miel”).
Seems to be very heterogeneous selection of songs but i think besides the diferent ages and genres have in common more that we think, the mood and the feeling that some songs have, at least in me.
You move naturally through afro house, reggaeton, jungle, baile funk, breakbeat, and bass music. How do you maintain a strong personal identity while working across so many different genres?
I believe those genres carry a very strong identity rooted in rhythm, and in the spaces where the genre and its creators coexist. It’s often people from the margins – the edges, the “third world,” or immigrants in the first world – who create that unique hybrid.
Take jungle: it was born in England, but its origins are Jamaican. It’s the sound of the diaspora. I think all of that exists in conversation, and in tension, throughout my album Greatest Hits Vol. 1.
Your experience with Hiedrah Club de Baile played an important role in the underground Latin American scene. How did that environment shape your vision of club music and nightlife?
I don’t live in Argentina anymore and I’m no longer part of Hiedrah. I’m literally a nomadic producer now. Our paths took different directions, but that experience was incredibly enriching and really shaped the way I make music.
I think it still echoes in my sound, but now with a different feeling. It’s the first time I’ve made an album imagining a global audience – thinking about how a new proposal for electronic music from a Latin American producer could sound.
That’s why many of the songs, for example, have English titles. In the past, all my productions were strictly made for Latin American audiences, with Latin samples and Spanish names. Now it’s for both Spanish and English speakers. I’m trying to expand the spaces where my music belongs.
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 feels like more than just a club record — it captures the physical and collective energy of nightlife. What kind of reaction or feeling are you trying to create when people listen to your music or attend your sets?
I hadn’t really thought about it, but now that you mention it — yes. When I started creating the tracks, the original plan was just to make a remix album. I had taken a break from producing, especially from the way I used to work: everything digital, plugins, and Ableton Live.
That break helped me start producing differently, using analog gear. This is my first album I produced entirely on the MPC, which has its own workflow — more human, let’s say. And what started as simple remixes mutated into something much more hybrid. They’re still remixes, but at the same time, they’re not.
I designed all the synth sounds myself, for example, and the amount of different samples I used in collage form is something I never could have done in Ableton Live — from songs and stems to TikTok audios, memes, Instagram reels, etc. It opened up a whole world of sounds for me, and my lateral thinking became much more playful and fun without being so defined by the 8-bar loop. I became much more attentive to detail, chasing the perfect loop.
So, coming back to your question, I think that’s exactly what I was going for: in a world of neurodivergent people, to capture your attention, to constantly offer new stimuli — music for people with ADHD, let’s say haha.
I also feel like everything is trending toward serialization: parties, festivals, music, genres. So creating something familiar but undefined helps it stand out.
You’ve collaborated with labels and collectives such as NAAFI, Extasis Records, and Dublab. Do you think there is now a truly global Latin Club scene?
Yes, I believe so – but it still needs much more recognition. From something basic like being able to tag “Latin Club” on platforms, which only just happened i think on Beatport, to something bigger: having the producers themselves on lineups, not just European or American DJs playing our music.
It’s a common story – producers from the region hear their tracks at major festivals, but never get booked in their own countries. But despite that, there has been huge progress.
Besides club music, you’ve also composed for film, theater, and dance performances. How does creating music for visual or performative contexts change your creative process compared to making tracks for the dancefloor?
Visuals help me a lot, or having a mapped-out visual and sonic framework in pre-composition. I have pretty synesthetic creative thinking. When I know what I want or what I need to do before I even turn on the gear, the work flows much faster and I can access that flow state much more easily.
Syncing audio with visuals is something that gives me a lot of pleasure and I’m pretty obsessive about it. Imagining where my music will be heard whether it’s a cinema, a theater, or a nightclub – really helps me when I’m producing.
For example, I recently put out a track I made thinking about what I’d like to hear, or what someone would listen to while working out or at the gym. It’s called “Exercise Booty” and it’s out now.
A lot of electronic music today feels increasingly shaped by algorithms and social media trends, while your work still embraces unpredictability and raw energy. Do you think club culture can still exist as a space for freedom and experimentation?
I agree with what you’re saying, and I think that’s exactly what I’m going for – to surprise, to move people, to bother them, and sometimes even to make them uncomfortable. I think music shouldn’t lose its ability to create a reaction. It’s one of the most powerful ways to shift the mood, individually and collectively.
In creative spaces it’s not good to always stay in your comfort zone, in what’s comfortable, or even in what’s “politically correct.” I think those are some of the biggest enemies of creativity today. Anything that steps outside of that, even from within the mainstream, has my attention and my support.
That said, I also value people who find a formula and exploit it. That’s valuable too.
Thank you!
