Colombian DJ Sinego on His Potent Mix of Latin EDM and Boleros in “Veneno”
Colombian DJ and producer Sinego is kicking off 2021 with his new single “Veneno.” The rising star is helping put Latin EDM on the map while forging his own path in that scene. As evidenced by the intoxicating “Veneno,” he uniquely blends house music with a bolero influence. In an exclusive interview, Sinego talked with Latido Music about working with hit songwriter Dani Blau, his musical philosophy, and how he will go the distance for his art.
Sinego serves EDM with emotion.
“The best music is the music that makes you feel nostalgic, but also makes you dance,” Sinego tells mitú. “I already had that sad part, that nostalgic part [with the bolero influence] and I needed electronic music from the future that makes you dance and actually move. I think my music is like the perfect marriage of the future and the past.”
That sadness is apparent in Sinego’s past hits with titles like “Duele,” “Verte Triste” and “Nada.” In December, he adapted Argentine singer Facundo Cabral’s “No Soy De Aquí” into a wistful yet sensual dance track with Robby East.
Sinego studied classical music at the Conservatorium of Music and there was a time when he was in a punk rock band. All of those elements, that complexity of classical music, that punk angst, and the touch of his electronic mystique, are present in his work now.
“In electronic music, you can morph what’s being said so much with synthesizers and everything that’s electronic, going really deep into every single sound,” he says. “You can actually convey greater messages.”
He’s worked with acts like Bomba Estéreo and Sofi Tukker.
Like the artists who inspire him, Sinego doesn’t want his music just be played. He wants his music to connect and do something for his listeners. Sinego was fortunate to collaborate with both of his dream bands for his remix of their song “Playa Grande.”
“I get inspired by people who are doing something interesting socially,” he says. “Bomba Estéreo, I love that they were able to go mainstream internationally with music that wasn’t mainstream. Sofi Tukker, they’re collaborating with people in Latin America and empowering them. I love those acts that empower Latin artists to go further.”
He helped highlight more Latin EDM acts with the “100 Producers Project.”
Last year, Sinego was also able to embody that pay-it-forward philosophy for other Latin EDM artists. He teamed up with Mexican DJs Broz Rodriguez and Alex Berserker for the “100 Latin Producers” project, where they put together a song made by 100 DJs from Latin America, the U.S., Spain, and Portugal.
“If it’s difficult for people to work with one producer and one singer, just think about having 100 of them,” Sinego says with a laugh. “It was very complex because we had to marry [the work of] 100 producers. I’m really happy about it because in the end a lot of people connected through that project. A lot of bookings happened, so a lot of artists were able to travel to other locations and do gigs and go into Spotify and go into playlists because of that project, so it actually grew the industry.”
His co-writer Dani Blau sings on “Veneno.”
With “Veneno,” Sinego is now showcasing his co-writer, Dani Blau. After starting out as an artist, the Costa Rican singer shifted into songwriting full-time for pop stars like Danna Paola, Sebastián Yatra, and TINI. Her smoky vocals that are usually on demos get to glide over Sinego’s haunting melody.
“As a producer, I think you get the purest form of art with the songwriter singing the actual track,” Sinego says. “The songwriter gave it the feeling. That’s the person who actually felt the track.” Blau adds, “It brings back the genuine, cool feeling of writing music and being able to put it out yourself so that people can hear it.”
The song is melancholic yet alluring. In Spanish and English, Blau sings about being in the throes of a toxic romance. She can’t shake this person that’s no good for her. Sinego admits that he was getting out of a bad relationship when he started producing “Veneno.”
“We always want to write something that has a dark feeling when we write together,” Blau says. “I let the beats and the instruments give me a feeling and we took it from there. The song is a vibe. It doesn’t really matter what language I’m speaking. It carries the vibe.”
That toxicity carried through to the artwork.
Sinego embraced that toxic vibe down to the single’s artwork. Next to his piercing green eyes are two bright blue Phyllobates Terribilis, the most poisonous frogs in the world. He borrowed the frogs from Dardo, a non-profit that protects amphibians around the world. The org will receive all the profits from the song.
“I was like, ‘Ok, the song’s talking about poison, so I shall get the most poisonous thing on my face, and if I die for the artwork, I die,'” Sinego laughs. Blau adds, “Sinego has to be like the most 360-degree creative being I have ever met. He takes it to a whole other level.”
As for what’s next, Sinego is extending his reach to Spain with an upcoming collaboration with Delaporte. “There’s more videos and music, but that are more politically and socially-connected,” he says. “It’s going to be saying a message against what’s happening in the world. More boleros coming from Mexico and Colombia. And more complex musical concepts.”
