Cultura Dura is a Remezcla and Mike’s HARDER content and event series highlighting emerging Latin urban culture. We’ll be exploring scenes that haven’t really gotten any coverage anywhere else – from block parties and street art to underground sports and raw, young artists making movements pa’ la calle.
This Thursday, July 24th, catch the kick off of Remezcla’s 8-city Cultura Dura tour, where you can see Füete Billēte and Álvaro Díaz make their NYC debut at Santos Party House alongside Venus X and Brenmar.
You can learn more about the boricua hip hoppers in Remezcla’s new feature documentary, highlighting the growing scene that is throwing parties, dropping albums, and overall generating more excitement than anything else in Puerto Rico’s underground. In the meantime, we’re kicking off our Essential Facts / Essential Tracks series to showcase all of the artists involved in the Cultura Dura tour. First up: Venus X.
Essential Facts
Known as: Globe-trotting DJ, founder of GHE20G0TH1K parties alongside partner and Hood by Air creator $hayne.
Background: Uptown, Ecuadorian + Dominican raíces.
Sounds like: Her disruptive blend of textures and tempos bounces between hard house, live chopped and screwed edits, hyped-up dembow, and whatever damn else she’s feeling. Her own edits have surfaced as she transforms GHE20G0TH1K into a label as well, which debuted with a remix of A$AP Rocky’s “Uptown” cut up with Tiesto, because why not– she calls the shots, and we’re along for the ride.
What is GHE20G0TH1K? A reliably packed, genre-bending party. Go here to hear futuristic urban sounds with no regards to borders or nations. The sounds are free form, and it’s on you as the guest to be open to it. It’s about deciding for yourself what “ghetto” or “gothic” means and embracing darker currents– while also creating a fluid lifestyle culture that encompasses forward-thinking producers, DJs, and fashion designers like Luar Zepol and Telfar. Recent editions have featured Dominican rave artist Maluca, Jersey Club queen Uniiq3, and Philly rapper Chynna.
As a label, Ghetto Gothik offers up exclusive releases that are always a few steps ahead of the game but unafraid to draw inspiration from well-worn club tracks. Case in point: Total Freedom’s apocalyptic “Get Lowered,” sampling Lil Jon’s “Get Low” mixed with Nguzunguzu instrumentals, and samples from our favorite nightmares.
Why she’s a Cultura Dura guest artist of honor: Venus has been force for years now in connecting the downtown/uptown scenes, and is doing business on her own terms, bringing up artists she believes in right along with her. She’s unafraid to step out as a no-fucks-given whistle-blower when subcultures, especially the ones she’s worked to cultivate, are blatantly ripped off for commercial ends (hola, Rihanna). We need more voices like this.
Mega-Bono Fact: In case you see Rihanna’s #ghettogoth tag, know where it really came from.
Essential Tracks