- Maximalist house from the Berlin-via-Bogotá duo.
- Berlin is built on dance music. But of the many DJs who live, work and play there, few represent the evolution in the city's club culture like Tania and Dominik Humeres-Correa, AKA S-candalo.
Since their first gig as S-candalo in 2021, the siblings have become a crucial part of Berlin's new wave. If the city was once governed by the tyranny of minimal, the post-pandemic era has cemented its reputation as the spot for "more-is-more" club soundtracks. It's still house and techno, but the chords are big, the drums are big and the basslines are even bigger.
Nowadays, S-candalo are firm favourites at Berlin hotspots from Panorama Bar to Multisex and Radiant Love (not forgetting La Noche, their own burgeoning party). Their sound might typically be identified under the progressive house and trance umbrella, alongside peers such as Byron Yeates and Job Jobse. But what separates the Humeres-Correa's sound from these artists is the prominent influence of their Latine heritage. The duo find rich inspiration in '90s-era Latin house, a sound that takes New York house and incorporates rolling percussion from Latin genres such as samba, popularised on labels like Cutting Records and Strictly Rhythm (there's not one but two records from the latter in this mix). The duo's RA Podcast fittingly lands at the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month in the US (more on that to come).
Bookended by a Junior Vasquez dub of Real McCoy and a David Morales remix of Mariah Carey, RA.956 is a resolutely fun affair. It's got drive, sultry vocals and enough bounce to make you want to keep dancing way beyond the mix's 90 minutes, marrying percussion-heavy house and ballroom with trance-inflected Eurodance from the '90s and early 2000s. (Oh, and a Shakira moment.) Genres aside, the duo's musical raison d'etre is pleasure. Perhaps the real scandal here is how it took us so long to get them on the series.
What have you been up to recently?
We're coming off a really fun summer, playing mostly at festivals across Europe with a few cute club gigs here and there. Highlights include Solstice, Wildeburg and our most recent weekend in the UK for Lost Village and Body Movements.
We've also been working a lot on our party series La Noche. We usually throw it in Berlin but we've taken it on the road this year too.
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
The mix was recorded at both of our homes in Berlin. We've been working on the track selection for a few months already, as this is our first S-candalo mix of 2024.
Sonically the mix starts at our roots–the make-up of the S-candalo sound which consists of tribal house, Latin percussions, mad piano riffs and cheeky vocals. The mix progresses into tracks that have proven to be dance floor bangers, showcasing the clubbier side of our sound.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
We're looking forward to spending more time producing. We've been doing it separately for the past few years, but we're ready to do it together and hopefully put something out soon.
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
We stand with our sisters and brothers from the Global South. We want to raise awareness for countries like Venezuela, Sudan and Congo where people are suffering under oppressive regimes which have exploited their countries natural resources for decades without proper attention or intervention from the global community. We want to highlight the postcolonial implications that are still in force in these countries as well as in many others. We also ask for an immediate ceasefire.
What's one club or party that had a major impact on you as an artist?
There are a lot of parties that have influenced us over the years. Most recently we have become huge supporters of MARICAS and Adonis, two parties that are close to our hearts as they create safer spaces for the queer community. We're stoked to collaborate with both parties as La Noche during ADE at CLUB RAUM, a promising new queer-run club in Amsterdam by the SPIELRAUM crew.
TracklistReal McCoy - Come And Get Your Love (Junior Vasquez Dub)
Subway - The Fly
Sauza Doble - I Luv' To Dance (Luv Dub)
The Don - Don's House
Rhythmic Entity - Get Up (Renegade Mix)
The Don - Love Me More
Rageous Projecting Franklin Fuentes - Tyler Moore Mary (She's Up Dub)
Kevin Aviance - Alive (Victor Bonus Beats)
Rageous Projecting Franklin Fuentes - Turn It (The Vocal Mix)
Reel 2 Real - Mueve La Cadera (Hani Num Dub)
Shakira - Underneath Your Clothes (Thunderdub)
4Star Clowns - In Da Ghetto (Hoxton Whores Mix)
Kick Up - I Do It Naturally (Pumped Mix)
Twinwa - Flamenco Addiction (No Brass Mix)
Marc van Dale, Enrico - It's A Dub Foundation
Mariah Carey - Say Somethin' (David Morales Stereo Anthem Mix)