The Mix 070: Florentino

With the accelerating growth of appreciation for styles like raptor house, guaracha, and dembow over in Europe in recent years, Latin American artists are getting their flowers more than ever before. The ascension of labels such as NAAFI, TraTraTrax, and TRAMPA have bolstered these styles globally, bringing new ears to the talent flowing out of the cultural region. Over in the UK, Mancunian-Colombian DJ, producer, and label head Florentino has worked for a decade to get his – 10 years of hustle that have secured his name as a noteworthy fixture of Manchester’s world-renowned club scene.

Since his breakout 2015 release on Swing Ting – the influential Manchester label and party series he once frequented as a DJ – Florentino’s style has shifted through an impressive range of anthemic, chest-rattling reggaeton to driving, heads-down techno, all with a key focus on the soundsystems they’re played through. With key releases on XL Recordings and his own Club Romantico imprint, which gives a vital home to LATAM talent and the wide range of dance and electronic music its people have pioneered — often grouped under the maligned umbrella term ‘Latin club’ in the West as its popularity has grown — Florentino has assuredly earned his stripes. His work has landed him collab projects with pop’s heavy hitters, producing a jungle-meets-baile funk remix of PinkPantheress and Central Cee’s ‘Nice to meet you’ in 2023, and working with Shygirl on multiple club-focused releases.

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In June, Florentino released his latest EP, a three-part record named ‘Systems of Reflection’. Like the name suggests, this album was born out of a period of reflection and healing, and offers a journey through an eclectic blend of reggaeton, percussive techno, and mutated club styles. “I was citing the usual suspects, but also pulling in elements of dub techno, and thinking back to certain garage and bassline bits that soundtracked the backend of my school days,” he explains.

We caught up with Florentino following its release to discuss turning a healing journey into music, his latest audiovisual project, and the “problematic nature” of the term ‘Latin club’. He also delivers a “sensual” peak-summer mix – check it out below.

Your latest EP, ‘Systems of Reflection’, landed in June – you’ve said that this one is a personal record rooted in “healing and transformation”. Can you expand on that?

I started this EP at the tail end of March 2024, the dust was settling after a really intense experience. Someone very close to me went missing and needed a great deal of care and patience getting back on their feet, I played an important role in that. I’d be lying if I said the emotional weight of the situation didn't take its toll on me. I felt so burned out by it. So, I did what I do best, I looked to music for refuge. It was impossible to get away from some of these heavy thoughts and emotions, but by sitting in the loops that eventually became the tracks that eventually became the EP, I was able to sit and process everything while in the comfort of the music I was making. That comfort calmed my mind, which gave me the emotional space to heal.

I shy away from people talking about spirituality, it means different things to different people and that means it can get distorted pretty easily. I was brought up buddhist though, by two people who love club music, so I think using music to look inwards was always going to be my MO as an adult.

You also said this record came together in “the in-between”. What did the production process look like on this one?

It’s hard for me to tell what comes across to the listener on this EP in terms of how it was made. The building blocks came from so many chopped recordings of heavily processed house/vocal stabs, I’d ricochet them through heavy reverbs, delays and phasing. I cut them up to form pads, new vocal loops and even drum sounds.

It really felt like I was working under this veil created by blowing these sounds up on a huge canvas. I was citing the usual suspects, but also pulling in elements of dub techno, and thinking back to certain garage and bassline bits that soundtracked the backend of my school days.

As part of the project, you recently put together an ‘audiovisual sculpture soundsystem’ with Oscar Zabala. How did that come about? And can you tell us more about it?

I ended up meeting Oscar through a mutual friend when he’d just moved over from New York to Barcelona. I got to know his artistry fast, he works heavily between audio and visuals to create these incredibly immersive experiences, it’s something really special. He also has experience building stages for performance spaces too. He felt like the person to share the project with, and the idea of really honing in on the soundsystem as a tool to process experiences. So we started working on this ongoing project, our own soundsystem that integrates audio-reactive visuals. I can't wait to see what comes out of it.

Latin club music styles are on a real upward trend here in the UK and globally right now. What do you think is driving people toward those styles, and how do you see them evolving over time?

I'm not a big fan of the term ‘Latin club’, I’ve used the term myself in situations, particularly when time is short and I’ve attempted to communicate the larger group of genres that many artists, including myself, take inspiration from. There's a conversation my peers and I have been having for years about the problematic nature of all the music we make and play being referred to as ‘Latin club’. It feels relevant to the question here, because I'm convinced what people are referring to with Latin club music now, compared to a couple of years ago, has changed drastically.

There's a meme that did the rounds years ago that exemplified a lot of the genres ‘Latin club’ used to include. In 2025, the term is bigger than ever, and I believe the vast majority of festival bookers, a lot of media, and a lot of fans in Europe that use the term ‘Latin club’ now mainly use it to refer to techno that's been made in LATAM, and by producers with Latin roots. A lot of my friends, myself included, started this journey with a strong desire to make a real dent in the club music landscape, to open up the space to this whole spectrum of sounds. While that's happened to some degree in previous years, there's been an overwhelming shift to the ‘Latin club’ producers being booked and celebrated that primarily make and play what's essentially techno with a bit of a twist.

To me, this is very dangerous for the development of the sounds and scenes around all these amazing communities – I think it’s already taking its toll on many producers' creativity. Sure, some of the faces have become more diverse on festival line-ups and in the media, but true diversity is welcoming all the sounds that come with these identities, not just their image and the sounds that assimilate into what we know is safe and works in the European context. I'm watching younger artists narrow their vision down to try and make a living off of music, to move towards something that feels like success. I believe that has a lot to do with what the term ‘Latin club’ has become.

If you ask me what's driving people to the sound currently, I believe it's a misconception – it's that they think it's something that it's not, and as a consequence, it feels familiar but with a tiny twist that makes it different enough, but still safe enough to market to the masses.

If you ask me how I see what people used to refer to Latin club music as, and how that will evolve, the only way it can evolve is by truly celebrating individuality and creating opportunities for those bringing other sounds to the forefront.

You’re a big advocate for the nightlife in Manchester – what’s special about the scene there, and how does it compare with others in the UK?

It’s a proper community, we come together around good club music regardless of what genre each individual makes, we celebrate each other. There are less resources and spaces, but somehow our nightlife experiences top what you’ll find in the rest of the country, you’ll find a lot of your favourite DJs referring to the White Hotel as their favourite club in the country, for instance. Also, not to say DJs in other parts of the country have it easier, but to stand out here as a DJ, you really have to hone your skills. That's not down to snobbery either – we’ve just had such a long line of world class DJs in our scene, the idea of what it is to be a good DJ here and the bar people hold themselves to is very high.

Read this next: Manchester is the beating heart of new music in the UK

Club Romantico has become a real hub for LATAM talent over the years. What are your next plans for the label, and how do you see it growing from here?

We’re growing the family more and more, it feels like the projects we’re working on have scaled up in size and vision. It’s been my source of happiness for a long time now, and to see it grow has been really heartwarming. I asked my good friend, DJ Sosa RD, to help me push it further, we talk everyday and discuss how to help artists fulfil their visions. It’s been great to work with him, and it’s made me realise the value of pushing things forward with the support of like-minded people. Expect to see larger projects from new and old names associated with the label in the next 12 months. And of course, more international parties.

You’ve worked with some huge names over the years, from Shygirl to PinkPantheress. Who’s next in line?

I don't want to ruin the surprise. I was just out in Argentina and Chile with Merca Bae working with a load of vocalists that lie outside of our traditional circles. That's something we feel strongly about, and are planning on doing more of.

What’s next for you?

I'm working on my next project, making what feels like ‘Kilometro Quinze’ part two. Oscar and I are going to try and push this soundsystem stuff further. I'm also really enjoying helping my friends finish their music. Oh, and I just finished a really sick megamix of VV Pete, that'll be coming soon! Too many things to mention, my mind is a bit full at the minute, but it's full of exciting things.

Can you tell us about your mix?

I made this mix for the summer, for the moments when you’re just about to come back from the pool or beach and you’re getting ready for the night ahead. Nothing too serious conceptually, starting a bit more sensual and gradually becoming more intense. It's a fun one!

'Systems of Reflection' is out now, get it here

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter

Tracklist:
Sounds of the ocean + Ana María Vahos - Si Mis Palabras
Florentino - Something I made on the spot
Regal86 - Dembow Playero (Drumapella)
Tony Gallardo - La Tiradera
Ezya - Putipuerka Em0tional
Emiliano Dietzgen - Kierokeledigas (Slowed)
DJ Doraemon - Empurra Nela
Deltaron - Abuelita Boy
DJ Narciso - Só Vai
biased - Riddimsburg
Florentino x Clara - Dame Materia
1OO1O - Lo Q Quiero ft Rico (Forthcoming Club Romantico)
DJ Sosa RD - dmbw mnml
BFTT - Rollin
SIXX4SIXX - Proibidão
DJ co.kr - Pika (Feat Deize Tigrona) [Volt Mix]
K-OH - Aggressive is the Reason
petrus.wav, MISSIATO - NA ONDA LANÇA
K-OH - Future Sound Of Voltmix
Suchi - Every Pan Has a Lid
styn - Bala Drumz
styn - Pulse Drumz
Elk - Mega Da Botada (Feat DJ Alexia)
MENO SAAINT, EHXIS, Cunha & DJ Caio Santos - Olhou Pra Minha Cara
Sel.6 - TRIO 99
DJ Yirvin & Phran - Dura (Feat Chica Acosta) (Forthcoming Club Romantico)
Phran, Pocz & Florentino - Zarbak II (Forthcoming Club Romantico)
Merca Bae - La Sonora (JASSS Remix)
Merca Bae - La Sonora
Trexeter - El Peluche
T.NO - Yards
Prizefight & Trustee - Basilisk
DJ One Go - Don Periñon
ROMANCE - Once Upon a Time