Need a Cure for the Winter Blues? Try Neo-perreo

This winter has been rainy, strange, and of course filled with the notes of isolation we’ve come to know and hate. That’s partially why more than any other winter, we could all use a pick me up. Enter Neo-perreo. While we all may be familiar with Reggaeton, its DIY offshoot Neo-perreo is somewhat less known, so I’m here to fix that. 

Neo-perreo captures the same bouncy, danceable, upbeat essence of Reggaeton. This baddie essence is taken a step further as Neo-perreo both respects Reggaeton’s distinctive afro-diasporic roots and builds on that foundation, mixing it with elements of trap, techno, and each producer/artist’s own bit of ~spice~. 

This genre is so delightful in its ability to immediately lift spirits and inspire perreo, the grinding twerk-like dance that the genre takes its name from. 

While the big dogs of Reggaeton and Latin top 50 hits like J Balvin and Bad Bunny have made Neo-perreo influenced tracks like “Negro” and “Yo Perreo Sola” respectively, neo-perreo remains defined and spearheaded by smaller artists within the subculture. This distinction means that Neo-perreo is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the boy’s club that Reggaeton remains. 

Neo-perreo is more diverse within the nations it stems from, and the artists within the genre resemble this sense of expressivity and diversity as well. Some of the largest and loudest voices in Neo-perreo are women, femmes, and queer people–sometimes all of the above. 

Neo-perreo flourishes where Reggaeton and the wider culture falls short, actively embracing queer and alternative aesthetics. 

One of the major players of Neo-perreo, Tomasa Del Real (known sometimes as “La Reina Del Neo-perreo”) even began as an excellent tattoo artist. Her music brings forth her alternative aesthetics and internet savvy nature as well. While her tracks often have polished-sounding production, much of the vocal effects and methods that she records are very DIY, using her own laptop and falling into music through messing with it. This results in a very interesting sound, with almost hyperpop-esque voice modulation effects that make her beats pop. 

The iconic track “Cyberluv” evokes COVID-era distancing while being so cute and fun that perhaps for a moment you can forget your troubles and like me, end up dancing around the house, the beach, wherever, for the rest of the day. 

This track also features another amazing Neo-perreo producer: King DouDou. Working with various artists, King DouDou’s sample-heavy, bass focused, and techy-sounding tracks have also come to color and define the Neo-perreo scene. 

My personal favorite King DouDou track is one that he did with another Neo-perreo queen Bad Gyal. “Fibre” begins with a simple synth melody that distorted vocal tracks play over, as the lyrics “cuando yo te bailo (when I dance for you)” repeat over and over cutting into each other and filtered through what sounds like a high-pass filter that makes the vocals sound like a phone call. It’s fun, popp-y and feels like a track you could hear on a Charli XCX album. With lyrics about dancing and an unbelievably catchy chorus, it evokes the same pop star vibes. Certainly, if you’re into the PC music scene and its offshoots, I think there’s a lot you would enjoy about Neo-perreo.

Other artists, like Mi$$il, incorporate elements that sound almost like the internet-born Witch House, especially on tracks like “Todo Lo Mejor”. The bass-heavy drums and backward effect of the synth here evoke the darkness and gritty nature that Witch House once captured. Often in Neo-perreo, the singers voice and delivery are a mix between confident, brash, and sultry—enhancing the often sexual lyrics. Mi$$il and other artist’s albums, EP, and single artwork are also notable with interesting, often centering selfie-like pictures of the artists overlaid with CG chains and drippy black metal-style text. 

In both aesthetics and sound, neo-perreo is clearly tapping into cyber-culture and bringing Latinx and Hispanic culture influences into it. The drippy text effects are found all over current internet fads and graphic design tools from EPs to meme text, and the music uses the glitchy and effect heavy tools of computer-based self-referential music, but both the music and aesthetic also draw deeply from Hispanic cultures in the US and abroad. This linkage to Latinx/Hispanic culture is one of Neo-perreo’s greatest assets, allowing the Gen Zers of the Spanish-speaking world (myself included) an incredible creative space. 

The diversity of Neo-perreo is also explicitly touted and established by its artists, from Del Real to Ms. Nina, whose “Tu Sicaria” evokes early 2000s Reggaeton as much as the new soundscapes of Neo-perreo. 

Beyond queer and femme artists, there is also less colorism in this scene than typical Hispanic and Latinx cultural scenes (with the exception of Brazil). Black, mixed, and darker-skinned persons are among the biggest stars of Neo-perreo, something that is lacking and unfortunately a systemic issue of Hispanic cultural products that ranging from music to the faces seen on TV.   

In addition, the music is clearly influenced by the cyber-culture and DIY ethos that seem to be defining this generation’s music and the aesthetics are far more interesting and alternative compared to mainstream Reggaeton; However, all the creators insist that it is inclusive of everyone and does not intend on becoming one of those highly gatekept “alt” subcultures. 

I, for one, think this is amazing. The more people involved in Neo-perreo, the more diverse the voices and the more vibrant and democratized the scene. Indeed, its widespread inclusive atmosphere and DIY “anyone can join” vibes, along with a down to earth and accessible sound is something quite rare. 

This inclusivity helps achieve the main goal of Neo-perreo, to make people perrear, or party. Much like the hyper-saturated sound of hyperpop, there is something about this music which seems to send that sweet, sweet, serotonin straight to the brain. 

It’s the perfect music for any hot girl summer, but don’t let that stop you from listening to it now. Forget the summer, I need a pick-me-up now more than ever, while we wait to be (fingers crossed) vaccinated and are on our way back to actually interacting with people again. 

So, in the meantime, while the sky is grey and we’re stuck inside, the least we can do is put on Mi$$il’s “Bum Bum” and become energized by the great production, interesting drum samples, and what baddies we are or could become.

If you find yourself circulating “sad-boy” winter playlists, feel overwhelmed by yet another week filled with Zoom meetings and being on the computer, or can’t remember the last time you let yourself really dance, take the leap. 

Put on a Neo-perreo playlist, explore one of the artists or songs listed above, and let that serotonin hit your winter, vitamin D deprived brain as you appreciate the sounds and artistry of Neo-perreo.                         

Written By Xia Jimenez