Verraco Is Living Out His Dreams Ahead Of Schedule
Steve Gaudin
What if slugging a Monster was as refined a tradition as afternoon tea? Welding techno, bass, IDM, and dembow, JP López’s hotwired output presents an answer. The Colombian producer grew up in MedellÃn and began making music as a teenager. In 2017, he settled on the moniker Verraco — a localized slang word that expresses anger, praise, and difficulty interchangeably. Around the same time, he founded the rebellious label Insurgentes to challenge preconceptions of Latinx music. López now co-manages the imprint TraTraTrax with DJ Lomalinda and Nyksan — a vital resource for everyone from Nick León to Doctor Jeep to Ezmeralda.
Verraco’s fanged excess is intimidating, but an intrepid listen reveals a gripping rollercoaster. López occupies a visceral corner of the bass universe, having landed on UK institutions including Blawan and Pariah’s Voam and Batu’s Timedance. Basic Maneuvers — the first Verraco EP for legendary XL Recordings — clocks in at just 14 minutes. Sinewy basslines yowl over mammoth kicks, the three tracks largely carried by complex FM synthesis. A guest vocal feature from Kenyan-Ugandan rapper MC Yallah, on closer “sobe sobe,” pushes into grime-laced structure.
“Without a doubt, my work as an A&R has contributed to gradually gaining a better understanding of utilitarianism in arrangements, which I then try to reflect a little more in my productions,” López says. “At least that’s what I’m trying to do, because I know that my tracks aren’t very DJ friendly.” Basic Maneuvers is labyrinthine, but, by Verraco standards, fairly controlled.
López’s unrestricted ethos has made him a surprising star. His summer has been packed with dates at festivals ranging from Berlin Atonal to Dekmantel to III Points. He also contributed to Ostgut Ton’s stacked return compilation, Klubnacht 01. “I won’t lie: it feels good to have the backing of entire teams and departments at your disposal,” López says. “Honestly, everything with XL happened five years faster than I expected, because I had actually dreamed about it.”
In an era when the trendiest peak times are scored by textured echoes, Verraco poses a theatrical alternative. “For me there is no gray area in sound; if I go very deep, it’s very dramatic and mental. Or if I go very intense, it’s very maximalist and incisive,” he muses. When asked who he turns to for inspiration, López cites ambient artists Malibu, Kali Malone, and Caterina Barbieri. Even the dance music that inspires him — Chain Reaction and Shed — is amorphous. It is unusual that López favors hazy sounds, since Verraco is as intense as death metal.
PEAK TIME
Mezey - "Fondit"
When it comes to platforming dusty dance tracks, Future Times is among the greatest to ever do it. The Washington, DC label has chased the stellar Jackson Ryland EP, Hydraplaning, with a 12″ from Mezey that arrives ahead of his September full-length, 777. The moody Baltimore producer makes up half of the psychedelic industrial duo Mezey & Nosho, but “Fondit” is shimmery. Synthesizers twinkle over bit-crushed techno sequencing. Beneath a snarling exterior, paradise awaits.
not even noticed - "Drip Advise"
Event series Fast At Work is bringing the best of global raving to sequestered Los Angeles. The third installment from its label arm arrives via not even noticed — a German duo of Carsten Fluck and Lucas Lejeune. The slick EP, Eteus, shares its name with a god of light and knowledge, aided by remixes from K-Lone and Maara. Its second track, “Drip Advise,” is pristine and bounding. Iridescent melodies patter over forward bound drums and pillowy sub hits. “Drip Advise” simultaneously commands motion and focus.
Stone - "Plenty"
The word downtempo gets thrown around too freely, seemingly synonymous with all things loungey. South London producer Stone’s new record, Dream Curtain Eternally Gentle, embodies the descriptor from front to back. Issued by Special Guest DJ’s typically gritty 3XL label, these nine cuts are idyllic — centered on spa pads, blossoming leads, and skippy percussion. “Plenty” uses a breakbeat as a backbone for smoothness. Reminiscent of the Sushi Club or Kruder & Dorfmeister, this slow jam bursts with sensuality.
Maoupa Mazzocchetti - "Mantequilla (Pariah Remix)" (Feat. Clara!)
Run by Nyksan, Verraco, and DJ Lomalinda, Colombian label TraTraTrax is responsible for deadly dance weaponry. Branching beyond its Latinx roots, the imprint now gravitates towards anything unhinged. Its new split features contributions from Incienso co-founder Anthony Naples and UK post-dubstep innovator Arthur Cayzer (aka Pariah). The latter turns in a frenetic rework of a neo-reggaetown song by Maoupa Mazzocchetti and Clara! Pariah normally orbits abrasion and ambience, but this interpretation of “Mantequilla” caters to euphoria.
rRoxymore - "Solace"
Hermoine Frank’s rRoxymore alias was once an outlet for dynamic, electro-acoustic techno. The French producer has grown increasingly adaptable and her new album for !K7, Juggling Dualities, nods to new age. It sparked following a period of tumult and creative block, coinciding with the launch of Frank’s DJ collective Wheel Of Fortune with CCL, Nono Gigsta, and Marylou. “Solace” unfurls with breathy digitized voices, descending into elven arpeggiations and plasticky breakbeats. It lands somewhere between Drexciya and Windham Hill.
Jialing - "NINE OH NINE"
Listening to Jialing’s rattly spin on Baltimore club, a cello is likely the last thing that comes to mind. Yet the Taiwanese-American DJ, born Janie Shih, got started on the instrument. Now based between Baltimore and Brooklyn, they craft bass music that occasionally incorporates East Asian timbres. The WOE label co-founder’s new EP, WUPS!, touches on a bevy of boisterous sounds. Roland-referencing closer, “NINE OH NINE,” is propelled by springy leads, tom triplets, and brash titular samples. A phased breakbeat that emerges in the final quarter emphasizes inventive shiftiness — a fitting addition to the rough hewn catalog of Sorry Records.
DJ Haram - "Loneliness Epidemic"
On her full-length debut for Hyperdub, Beside Myself, Zubeyda Muzeyyen (aka DJ Haram) does not sugarcoat distaste. The New Jersey-born, Brooklyn-based Lot Radio resident cut her teeth in the noise rap duo 700 Bliss, alongside Moor Mother, and has unveiled jagged solo EPs since 2019. Packed with guests including Armand Hammer and BbyMutha, Beside Myself jumps on a serrated bed of field recordings, calls to radicalize, and blasted Eastern rhythms. “Loneliness Epidemic” eases in gently, before exploding in a pummelling house climax. It serves defiance with a grimace.
Yushh - "Ghost Of What"
Jennifer Hartley resides in the low end mecca of Bristol and has put out material on inky labels such as Well Street Records, Wisdom Teeth, and her own Pressure Dome. Her silvery realm is populated by bubbly synths, LFO twitches, and broken grooves. Hartley’s new single as Yushh, “Ghost Of What,” appears on the stacked dubstep compilation Tectonic Sound — honoring 20 years of Pinch’s Tectonic Recordings. “Ghost Of What” is constructed on bleepy leads and pearly chords, offset by lurching depth. It invites calm with a slight bite.
Sofia Kourtesis & Daphni - "Unidos"
In spite of his global notoriety, Dan Snaith keeps a low profile, rarely granting interviews or remixes. It took Berlin-based Peruvian star Sofia Kourtesis to coax his first collaboration: “Unidos,” which appears on Kourtesis’ new EP for Ninja Tune, Volver. The song echoes Volver’s broader message of encouragement for marginalized LGBT+ women in Latin America. On “Unidos,” sun drenched disco hooks and spoken affirmations are supported by Snaith’s ruffled 2-step sequencing — an indomitable banger.
Burial - "Imaginary Festival"
For an artist whose schtick is shadowiness, William Bevan has dropped an abnormal heap of Burial singles lately. His new 12″ for Hyperdub, Comafields / Imaginary Festival, builds on the rhythms of 2024’s Dreamfear / Boy Sent From Above and Phoneglow / Eyes Go Blank singles, while dialing back the brittleness. On “Imaginary Festival,” a clicky 2-step lurch, hymnal vocal sample, and heap of vinyl static paint a bleary post-dubstep atmosphere. It evokes watching a Glastonbury livestream from a mossy crypt.
THE AFTERS
