Rising stars from Colombia’s tropical, urban, and electronic scenes are joining forces to fire up the calentura tropical (tropical heat) in Bogotá’s concrete jungle, courtesy of Jägermeister’s Night Embassy.
Beatport has teamed up with Night Embassy to livestream their launch party from the decks of downtown Bogotá all around the world this Saturday the 7th of October. Night Embassy is a global residency program that touches down in different cities every year and links uprising stars with established talent to give them ‘freiraum’ – carte blanche to bring their wildest nightlife dreams to life. The lineup for this year’s edition in Bogotá is a journey across the soundscape of Colombia with Tropical, Latin, Salsa, Dancehall, and more. If you know your Perreo from your Reggaeton, this is one not to miss, and if you don’t, then it’s about time you learned.
For some insider insights ahead of the event, we got in touch with DJ, producer, promoter, and nightlife activist Julianna, who’ll be spinning Latin rhythms in the 2:30 AM slot on the big night.
Join us this Saturday night for a non-stop dance party live from the heart of Colombia’s vibrant capital city, Bogotá, for the opening night of Jägermeister Night Embassy with performances from the most exciting and emerging electronic music talent in Latin America — including Julianna, Mareana, María Mestiza, and Bclip.
Watch it live at 10 pm EDT, October 7th, via the Beatport YouTube channel.
For those readers who might not have been following it closely, how’s the electronic music scene doing in Colombia? Are there any local artists we should be checking out?
The Colombian electronic scene has grown exponentially in the last decade. It is quite nourished, special, and diverse. It is still a big niche to explore, but within the context of South America, I must definitely say that it is one of the most relevant. I have to recommend several artists from different genres: Edna Martinez and Rachid Paralizyng, Byron Maiden, Arcane Prospect, indogma, Erre Ye, Zemog, Red Noise, Sophya, Ashlyn, Didacta, Binary Algorithms.
You’re based in Medellín, so how does the nightlife scene there compare to Bogotá?
Even though Medellin is the second biggest city in Colombia, it still feels like a small city. It’s known as the second home of reggaeton worldwide, but it’s still more conservative in terms of culture and because the weather is so good our scenes focus more around big outdoor parties rather than clubs. In Bogotá it’s more diverse, and with 11 million people there’s an audience for everything. They’re definitely the epicenter of the club scene, where the unpredictable weather and the cold mean that people want to gather in these covered, intimate spaces which changes the vibe and in turn influences the music that comes out of it.
You’ve done so many incredible shows, are there any that particularly stand out?
I’ve had so many special shows, but the ones at VideoClub Bogotá really stand out. I did a residency there last year and the night we did with DJ BaBa was one of the most memorable for me, I think everyone who was there felt the amazing energy in the room. When I was throwing parties in Medellín with the MOVE collective, we had some really wonderful times, especially a night we did with Carlos Souffront and with DJ Stingray, which was the first time he ever came to Medellín.
What do you think the future of nightlife looks like?
I think there’s some work to be done to make the dance floor a more accessible and inclusive space with less egos to deal with. If we’re talking utopia, then I hope that the future of rave is more secure, with more equal working partnerships, especially between the global North and South. I’d love to go back to a time when it was the music and technique that mattered most – where a DJ is only expected to be a DJ without other pressures and where the community feels relaxed and confident expressing themselves. I think a lot of this is already happening in Europe, but in my world, there’s still a long way to go.
Recently you’ve been doing some work on safe spaces in nightlife, can you tell us more about that?
It’s important to recognise that Colombia is a country with serious issues around drugs, violence and organised crime, so if we’re having a conversation about nightlife, then we have to acknowledge that these dangers can be a part of it. During the pandemic, I got together with my friends from the feminist collective Pez Alado and founded a platform called ECO as a way of enabling conversation around safe spaces and collective care. I’m really proud of what the platform has achieved over the past three years with a presence at festivals and guidance for everyone involved in nightlife on how to deal with violence – that’s coming out soon so look out for it!
You’re building an impressive catalogue of your own productions and remixes. Is there anything you’re particularly proud of?
I would say my last album, which was a collaboration with Matías Aguayo. We worked closely together but from a physical distance, so it was a really interesting and unique experience to build creative bridges between us. The resulting album is really beautiful. It’s not about trends or genres but dedicated to contemplation and listening, something I personally really value. There’s more coming soon, I hope.
What do you expect from your performance at Jägermeister Night Embassy?
I’m really excited about being a part of this residency because of the diversity of the lineup, it’s great! I’m expecting it to be a beautiful space where the different music communities finally connect, from Techno, to Cumbia, Perreo, etc. – I personally love it!
And what can the audience expect from you?
I think that if people who have listened to me have learned anything, it’s that they can always expect something different from me. So we’ll see what happens! The structure of the event means there’s no strict musical brief; it’s really open – so for me, that means an opportunity to experiment.
