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Safety Trance: Reimagining Reggaeton from Venezuela
8 May
Summary
- Venezuelan producer Luis Garbán reinvents reggaeton as Safety Trance.
- His album 'sacrificio' blends experimental club, dembow, and rap.
- The music challenges reggaeton conventions, fostering counterculture.
Luis Garbán, internationally recognized as Cardopusher, now commands attention as Safety Trance with his experimental take on reggaeton. His new album, 'sacrificio,' injects Venezuelan influences like raptor house alongside dembow, '90s Memphis rap, and witch house, aiming to challenge conventional reggaeton and reclaim space for counterculture.
Despite operating within Venezuela's acclaimed underground scene, Garbán and peers like Arca experience domestic invisibility. However, their music thrives globally amidst the country's challenges. In 2026, Garbán performed in Venezuela for the first time in over a decade, marking a significant homecoming for artists and the predominantly queer community.
'Sacrificio' delves into a nocturnal fantasy, with tracks like the Arca-featured "the beat drops" building to a chaotic climax. Collaborations with Eartheater and Sega Bodega on "most of me (is elsewhere)" showcase a tender, ethereal side. The album also features "except in spring" with Lourdes Leon, and the disruptive, horror-tinged interlude "curiapo," named after an indigenous Venezuelan town.
