The Buenos Aires-based collective and imprint HiedraH Club de Baile is launching their second volume of Esquirlas compilations with a collection of electronic souvenirs from the bubbling Latin diaspora of music producers
If you read this, you may probably know that is not a secret that our editorial line is dedicated to covering and showing a deep interest in what the Latin diaspora and relatives sound alike, and from the very start of our activities as a media, event platform, and DJ collective. At the core of our love for, you may find a bunch of labels and people continuously pushing the boundaries of Tribal, Perreo, Cumbia, Reggaeton, Guaracha, Dembow, or Baile Funk (only to name a few) to new heights and hybridizations. Imprints such as the Argentinian HiedraH Club de Baile, operating from Buenos Aires are among them for sure, and maybe even on our top list of those many homes of dance floor exploration and club fierceness. As this ever-exigent and alchemistic label is now celebrating ten years of body liberation (in all its forms) and Latin club’s constant reinterpretation, it was about time that we talk wider about their aim to celebrate diversity in dance culture, as one of their essential action.
HiedraH is one fluffy nest for a lot of talented Latinx electronic birds, with releases from artists such as MAJA, Desdel Barro, Aggromance, Tayhana, Imaabs, and many others. 2023 is already a busy year for the crew, as they have just published the eponym codebreaking EP from emo-enhanced Perreo diva Mantris Nikkita, as well as a bold collection of motorbiked Dembow tunes from the enflamed duo Yajaira la Beyaca & Genosidra under the Safriska title. If this wasn’t enough yet, they are now back to our impatient ears with the second part of their compilation outputs launched in 2018 to mark the beginning of their online catalog, a series that focuses on producers’ first sonic memories, whether it is from rhythms, ambient sounds or even inner body sensations: entitled Esquirlas Vol. 2. Or as the label puts itself: “the roar of a Street party, the sound of the raindrops on the zinc roof, the trill of a bird in the river, the proclamation of a street vendor”.
Within the run of twelve tracks, this collaborative LP is the perfect showcase to dig deep into the work of rhythm activists like Bungalovv, Sxmbra, or Loris, to name a few. Among all the bangers and moving souvenirs that made this album another unmissable effort of the Latin diasporic bubbling scene, we have chosen to wrap up this article with a tune by none other than Argentina’s own Jaijiu (as I personally love to refer to as the true “chevalier noir du reggaeton” :) ) an artist that is always at the forefront of club Latin refreshing production. We have also asked him a few questions about his own memories of rhythm transportation and the best club energy he ever witnessed.
Hello Elias, could you tell us what your first memory of a rhythmic obsession is about and how did it push you towards making music?
Jaijiu: I would say my first true obsession rhythmically was around 2012 when my friend Nate gave me two albums by Muñequitos de Matanzas: Palo Pa’ Rumba and Tambor de Fuego. They stayed with me ever since. Each day since then I stray further away from tonal chords and rely more and more on rhythmic patterns to express feelings. Chords can be very literal when it comes to feelings whereas rhythm leaves more grey areas for you to explore.
As part of the Argentinian bubbling diaspora club scene, what is your most stamped souvenir of a Latin-focused dancefloor and when / where was that?
Jaijiu: A place where I go constantly in my mind is when I first heard Lechuga Zafiro do a B2B with Braian de Cordoba in a HiedraH back in 2019. Every inch of skin from every person in that place was drenched in sweat dancing with each other. Hard to put into words. Having a place where you hear cumbias from the 90s alongside abstractions of current electronic music while having every person rubbing against each other is very special. Both Lechuga and Braian were letting the songs build and patiently going back and forth letting everyone just move. I’ve made a couple of tracks with that feeling in mind.
Above this article you can now stream Jaijiu’s “Yetaimé” track, where he’s showing his abilities to blend Cumbia Villera and Tribal Guarachero influences into one crazy-ass slow Bass Music fire launcher, while staying quite minimalistic in the making. In less than three minutes, the Argentinian riddim knight gives a lesson in strip-down drum arrangements that will undoubtedly make your culo wave from one way to the other, without even tiring your hips that much. Close-up congas, juiced with indistinct human shouts and creepy synth that may have been extracted from one John Carpenter’s slasher OST, this is what you get hermanx. Yasta boludx, baile ahora…
HiedraH Club de Baile will release their second volume of Esquirlas compilations this 28th April 2023 on all platforms. You can pre-order it on Bandcamp.
