MJ NEBREDA - Interview

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Talk to us a bit about MJ Nebreda.

MJ NEBREDA

I'm an artist based in Miami. I make electronic music - that's how I like to see it, at least.

Some call it Reggaetón, Neoperreo, or dance music. I also sing and perform.

I do a lot of stuff.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Talk to us a bit about your mixtape, 'Arepa Mixtape'

MJ NEBREDA

It's my ode to Doble Paso or Reggaetón which are genres that I have closely associated myself through DJing or by the nature of being in Miami, close to the Caribbean.

It's really just an exploration of that. I really wanted to work with different people and bring them into this one project that I'm curating.

I wanted to create this universe and connect it to how I would see a night (club night). 

Setting a scene and people getting a vibe/aesthetic/feeling with it. 

ETHEREAL.PRESS

In other articles, you say you are of Venezuelan and Peruvian descent. On that project, did you explore a lot of the sounds of Neoperreo and Reggaetón from those two countries?

MJ NEBREDA

I actually wouldn't say I was directly like, 'oh I was gonna use.' 

But, I will say that I was heavily influenced by Puerto Rican musicians, Reggaetón, Dembow, and a lot of Doble Paso, which was one of the genres I was heavily inspired by to make the album. 

There are some Peruvian people who make something similar to this, so I guess yes, but not necessarily.

The Arepa Mixtape for me sonically, it takes in all of these cultures. 

Ultimately, it's my diverse take on these genres and how I want to do a piece of art.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Can you build on that idea a bit more and tell us about the signature sound you have curated within this mix of different genres? 

MJ NEBREDA

I feel like that signature sound is something that is constantly evolving for me, it's almost like a radio you turn on.

Maybe in 2015, it sounded very different, and I'm sure in 2025, it will sound very different as well. 

It's like you're an antenna to your own brain. What's making me move? What's making me feel something? What's a song I can't stop listening to?

The current radio station I am on is hyper-Reggaetón dance, there's a frustration/intensity there and also a need to revert back to the old songs/styles that started off the genre.

It's a lot about electronic music, drums, and lyrics. 

ETHEREAL.PRESS

I like the idea of the metaphor of a radio station tuning into different time periods or styles. I think that's a really good way to represent that. 

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Talk to us a bit about your art direction and the things you like to represent in your music videos.

MJ NEBREDA

In my music videos (for this album cycle), I think it reflected the nature of the album. It's like, 'jump on,' 'let's do it,' 'let's go,' and I think the videos represent that.

The videos aren't this huge storyline - we're just setting you in the vibe - it's like you're at the party with us vibing. 

That was the energy I was trying to tune into - shying away from the hyper scene/story. This is the energy, this is us, this is who I am.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

I really noticed that during the Perreo Oscuro video - I felt that vibe. It's y'all hanging out and having a good time.

MJ NEBREDA

Arepa is very similar as well, there are some stylized moments, but ultimately it's a house party. 

It's a vibe.

It's talking about everyday things, everyday feelings, everyday sexuality - that was the connection to it. Not bringing it to this crazy place visually. 

I would love to do visuals like that - but the right visual needs to accompany the right video. These videos needed to be like this. 

ETHEREAL.PRESS

I love how diverse music can be - not everything needs to be this high-budget, crazy nuanced, every little thing is symbolized by something and means 100 different things in the video.

MJ NEBREDA

The whole album itself is a vibe - the video is a vibe. The only symbolism is that's what we do on the weekends. We're dancing to Reggaetón, going out, shaking ass, literally.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Talk to us a bit about your, 'amor en los tiempos de odio,' mixtape. 

MJ NEBREDA

That project is in the same way as how the Arepa mixtape was dedicated to Doble Paso & Reggaetón, that project was also dedicated to Raptor House.

It was a response to me working a long time with Raptor House sounds and my first work with that. It was discovering what that sound meant for me and (how to) give my own take on it. 

Also collaborating with a grandfather of the genre, as well as a rapper & Nick León. 

They kinda have some overlap, but they're exploring different themes. 

ETHEREAL.PRESS

My audience is likely not very familiar with Raptor House - can you talk a bit about that genre. 

MJ NEBREDA

Yeah of course, it's one of the only techno or electronic genres born out of Latin America. It's a Venezuelan genre, high BPM (beats per minute), rave style. 

It's not giving tribal drums. It's its own thing.   

It's having its moment again - it's starting to resurge. It's this underground style that was big in the early 2000s in Venezuela, it was also a dance movement. 

Because of the political and economic situation in the country, it didn't have the same international appeal as Reggaetón for Puerto Rico or Dembow for the Dominican Republic. You could even say Guaracha for Columbia. 

Raptor House is our own techno genre. It's pretty cool. It's the definition of what is Latin Club or Latin Techno. 

Everyone is looking toward who is the leaders in this sound, who are the grandfathers, and what does it sound like. 

ETHEREAL.PRESS

I think it would be really cool to see that coming into the mainstream in the US. 

A lot of the stuff that has been on my radar as far as electronic music has been techno, a lot of European artists, Brutalismus 3000 or Klangkuenstler - I would love to see a Latin focused techno genre come to the US.

MJ NEBREDA

It's coming - I'm telling you. 

It's 100% coming I know that for a fact. 

It's already a thing in Europe. They call it Latin Club. It's what I do - I am a Latin Club artist.

It's not going to be two years before we see it infecting our ears in the US & how we see rhythms & make beats.  

Jersey club did that to the US. Reggaetón also did that. I'm excited for that. 

ETHEREAL.PRESS

I've been blown away with how popular Afrobeats as well as Reggaetón has gotten in the US. I could totally see Latin Club in the same capacity. 

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We kinda touched on this, but can you tell us a bit about the Miami electronic scene you are a part of?

MJ NEBREDA

It's a small city actually.

I think it being a small city and all of us being Latino - is where a lot of this Latin Club started.

All of us looked towards different techno genres from Latin America.

It's a cool scene - it's still a baby scene, in my opinion. There's a lot more movement and things. 

It's why I am out here in Miami. We're all looking to make it happen for each other, and there's a lot of collaboration.

Not much gatekeeping. Miami is at a cool point for electronic music. 

As this Latin Club stuff starts to go off, people are going to increasingly go to people who are dictating where it's going. 

ETHEREAL.PRESS

It's cool to be in a city where there's such a massive Latin population with so many people from different countries exploring unique sounds and styles or music. 

It's a recipe for great art to be made. 

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The last question I have for you is, what's next?

MJ NEBREDA

I have a project with Danny Daze that hopefully will release early next year. It's gonna be this crazy... I don't even have the words for it yet. 

It's going to be a great acid Reggaetón ravey... idk it's going to be a wild ride. 

Other than that, I have a lot of other projects that I've been working on for a couple of years that I am looking to finish up. I am in that space post touring, post-Arepa mixtape. How can I push it forward and make something go to the next level musically? 

I hope every project elevates it a little more and becomes a better piece of art. More respected as time goes on. 

A lot of exploration for me right now. 

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