Safety Trance: sacrificio

"Luis Garbán Valdeón is no stranger to parties: for years, he has commanded the international warehouse circuit, playing industrial, techno-forward sets under the moniker Cardopusher. Now, as Safety Trance, he offers his experimental take on mutated reggaeton through Venezuelan influences like raptor house, alongside dembow, '90s Memphis rap, and witch house. The mix of genres and collaborators on his new album, sacrificio, feels distinct to someone who's been integral to the neo-perreo movement for years."

"Though operating at the center of the Venezuelan underground, Garbán embodies the disconnect between the scene's international acclaim and domestic invisibility. Venezuelan media tends to ignore local electronic music or treat it as a curiosity, reflecting a socially conservative mainstream culture. This collective movement, queer and from the barrio at its core, is a set of names appreciated in niche circles. But beneath the weight of la crisis, Garbán and peers such as DJ Babatr and Arca are flourishing globally."

"In 2024, he gave his first performance in Venezuela in almost 14 years, sharing the stage with a constellation of Venezuelan artists at Arca's Boiler Room session in Caracas. The show was a homecoming not only for its lineup, but also for many attendees coming from abroad for the first time in years, celebrating a rare chance for the local, mostly queer, community to express itself freely."

"On sacrificio, Garbán leads the way through an underworld fantasy and nightmare, using the night as a canvas for disruption, chaos, and softness. Opener "the beat drops" arrives in the center of the rave, building toward a chaotic zenith with heavy bass and pitched vocals by longtime friend Arca (they previously collaborated on his 2022"

Luis Garbán Valdeón, known as Cardopusher, releases sacrificio as Safety Trance, presenting an experimental form of mutated reggaeton shaped by Venezuelan styles such as raptor house. The album combines dembow, ’90s Memphis rap, and witch house, with collaborations that feel distinct within the neo-perreo movement. The music is both accessible and glitchy, aiming to disrupt reggaeton’s status quo and reclaim space for counterculture and community. Garbán operates within the Venezuelan underground while facing domestic invisibility, as local media often ignores electronic music or treats it as novelty. Despite this, he and peers like DJ Babatr and Arca gain global momentum, including a first Venezuela performance in nearly 14 years at Arca’s Boiler Room session in Caracas.

Read at Pitchfork