TRUENO: THE BOCA BREEZE BRINGING THE ARGENTINE BARRIO TO THE WORLD
From dominating UK arenas with Gorillaz to dropping his rawest conceptual project yet, the Latin Grammy-winning powerhouse talks the cultural impact of ‘TURR4ZO’, generational bridges and maintaining his identity on the global stage.
Trueno does not move quietly, even when he is being silent. After completely clearing his digital footprint for three months—a vital palate cleanser following the relentless exposure of ‘El Último Baile’—the Buenos Aires native returned with ‘TURR4ZO’, a bold, uncompromising tribute to the Argentine streets that raised him. Melding the block-party energy of 2010s barrio culture with heavy Hip Hop foundations, the record is a masterclass in regional pride, boasting a cross-generational tracklist that spans from contemporary icons like Maria Becerra to legendary mainstays like Andrés Calamaro.
Currently amidst a whirlwind European run, the La Boca representative has spent the summer conquering UK and Irish crowds as the explosive opener for Gorillaz, racking up over 20 million streams on their collaborative track, ‘The Manifesto’. Ahead of his massive, sold-out support slot at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 20th June, Trueno sat down with VIPER to unpack the sonic lineage of his new album, his relationship with Damon Albarn and why carrying his identity abroad is a lifelong mission.
You recently completely cleared your social media for three months before announcing ‘TURR4ZO’. Why was that period of silence important for you before launching this new musical chapter?
I felt that with ‘El Último Baile’ I had too much exposure and was appearing everywhere, so when I wrapped up that album I wanted to take that time for myself, and for people too, to give them a break from so much of me and then come back with something new.
The album teaser featured you dancing to the 2010s Argentine barrio cult classic ‘Tirate un Paso’ by Los Wachiturros. How does that era and the sounds of the Argentine streets influence the overall vibe of ‘TURR4ZO’?
A lot. The Wachiturros were a huge part of my life too. They were a very well-known neighbourhood phenomenon. They set the way people dressed, danced, sang, everything, and that hit really hard for kids of my generation, so that’s why I paid homage to them.
The focus track is the title track ‘TURRAZO’, but you also have the video out for ‘X UNAS LLANTAS’. How do these two tracks represent the different sides or themes of the album?
I think they’re quite connected and run pretty much in parallel. ‘Por Unas Llantas’ also talks about the dream of a turrazo kid, a kid from the neighbourhood, so I think all the parallel messages you can find across the songs on the album go hand in hand with the overall concept of ‘Turrazo’, which is basically my life and what it represents.
This album has an incredible line-up of collaborators, from contemporary stars like Milo J and Maria Becerra to legendary icons like Andrés Calamaro and Rubén Rada. What was the creative energy like bridging different generations of music on one record?
The idea we had ran through both the features and the samples, representing all kinds of genres, creating crossovers, building bridges between generations and styles. And with each artist it was a different experience, and I feel each one brings a different energy to their song, which is exactly why each artist was chosen so specifically for each track.
Photos by Agustín Gómez
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This interview is part of our long-form content series, now hosted exclusively on our Substack. To read the full conversation with Trueno and gain access to our archive of deep-dives into the architects of Hip Hop and global culture, head over to the Viper Substack.
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