Lauro Robles has been making music and DJing since 2001, and he began releasing as Lao in 2006. By pairing classic club sounds with those of South America, he creates avant-garde dance pieces with a uniquely Latin flavor, put out via Filtro, Blaq Records, and NAAFI, where he’s a co-founder responsible for the label’s A&R. Away from his own work, Robles has played producer for the likes of Gaika, Yoga Fire, Linn Da Quebrada, and Nick Hook, among others. He’s filled his recent time by working with urban music duo ForyFive from Mexico City and avant-garde Latin pop group Defensa, based in Argentina.

Through his work with NAAFI and as a DJ, Robles has been championing the regional sounds of Mexico and greater Latin America for over a decade, transporting reggaeton, cumbiaton, perreo, tribal, and whatever experimental combinations of those sounds, and others, his friends happen to be dreaming up to a more global audience. This past summer alone, he’s been on the road for his second Asian tour and he closed the Sónar Dome stage at Sónar Barcelona with a b2b set with Wasted Fates. He’s also no stranger to Berghain, Razzmatazz, and Circus Tokyo.

For his XLR8R podcast, completed ahead of his performance at Comunite Festival this weekend, Robles wanted to “make a big picture of the past and present of NAAFI by including some key influences that somehow helped in building the aesthetic of the “new Latin American club sound.” It features classic tracks by Nguzunguzu, Erick Rincon, and Bok Bok, and also some unreleased tracks by NAAFIs newest artists Nick León and Lila Tirando a Violeta. There’s also some material from his “favorite new Mexican producers” Blasta Masta and Abssys.

What have you been up to recently?

All this last year, I’ve been in the studio working on many projects, finishing an album with Nick Hook, producing an album for Los Angeles rapper Speak, and I went on an Asian tour for two months to India, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Also, I did a b2b with Wasted Fates at Sónar Barcelona, and I did a Lao show at Mexico’s first edition of Sónar. I’ve was involved on the NAAFI releases by Debit, Wasted Fates, and the upcoming releases by Nick León and Lila Tirando a Violeta. Also, we’ve been developing a new label focused on Latin urban and trap music called Baby Thug.

What’s going on with the Mexican electronic music scene at present?

There’s a lot to going on, it’s sometimes even difficult to keep up with it. I think 2019 was a good moment in Mexican music in general; there are now local labels for every popular electronic music sub-genre, there are solid DJ crews, and also forward-thinking promoters willing to take risks. At this moment, Mexicans love electronic music, so it’s a good ecosystem.

Which artists are interesting you right now?

Blasta Masta, Abssys, Nick León, Lila Tirando a Violeta, El Irreal Veintiuno, IDS, Aggromance, El Plvybxy. They’re all Latin American producers with solid tracks.

What’s coming up on the label?

This 2020, we are celebrating 10 years of NAAFI so there are going to be surprises throughout the year. We have a vinyl compilation coming out in summer, we also recently signed Nick León and Lila Tirando a Violeta, and they both have releases coming out soon. There’s a Gaika x NAAFI release that hopefully will see the light soon. Also, we will drop a big merchandise line this year.

When and where did you record this mix?

At the NAAFI studio in Chapultepec, Mexico City.

Is there a concept to it?

I tried to make a picture of the current state of the alternative club scene in Mexico and Latin America by incorporating some classics that inspired NAAFI at its beginnings and some unreleased tracks.

What’s on your horizon for 2020?

Celebrating 10 years of NAAFI while working to keep the brand for at least 10 more!

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

Editor note: A tracklisting is incoming and will be added soon.