In this episode of Comment Check, presented by Toyota Corolla, the Mexican-American DJ and producer Bianca Oblivion is diving through her SoundCloud page and responding to messages and queries from her community of fans. Unpacking a love of world-building and how Latin heritage shapes her omnivorous club mixes of bass music, grime and baile funk, Oblivion explains that finding her groove took, “a lot of work, a lot of revisions, a lot of throwing away projects, but [also] a lot of heart.”
By the time the Los Angeles, California, native released her first original track, “Bumbum Pra Cá,” in February 2020, she was already an accomplished DJ, remixer and expert selector. Oblivion grew up watching music videos and dance shows like “Soul Train,” and while in college, she became the music director for her university’s student radio station. She started DJing regularly using the hybrid set up of an iPod and her family’s record collection, which came stacked with hip-hop, new wave and funk classics. Oblivion proved a musical sponge, soaking up inspiration from the bloghouse scene and underground parties at LA haunts like The Smell and Hear Gallery, further nourished by Caribbean and Latin American hits played at parties and on the radio. Responding to a comment highlighting the distinct DNA of her tracks, the Latin electronic producer says:
“I’m Latin. It just comes out, even if I’m not trying. The vibes, the flavors, it’s all in there.”
In 2016, Bianca Oblivion co-founded the label Club Aerobics, through which she released early edits and remixes, eventually launching a monthly show under the same name at popular online radio NTS. Though her debut as a producer coincided with the pandemic shutdown, she used the lull in club gigs to fine tune her bass-heavy tracks, infusing throbbing beats with grime, vogue and reggaeton. Oblivion broke through later that year with “Bubble Pon Di Bed,” a crossover with Italian-Caribbean producer and rapper XL Mad that veered into dancehall. The track’s explosive remix features an all-star cast of women MCs from around the world, including Jersey Club pioneer UNIIQU3, Mexico City reggaeton vixen Charly Gynn and British-Jamaican spitfire Thai Chi Rosé.
Bianca Oblivion is one of the leading talents of the Latin electronic wave, collaborating with influential labels such as Future Bounce, Pineapple Records and NAAFI, constantly touring through Europe and Australasia, and even performing at EDC in Las Vegas. Her latest EP ‘NET WORK’ underscores her esteem within the club space, enlisting hitmakers King Doudou and Machinedrum for unrelenting club tracks juiced with techno and nu-disco.
“I think creating a world is a very special talent, for any artist...”
adds Oblivion, underscoring her longstanding commitment to creating inclusive dance spaces for femmes, queer and BIPOC revelers.
HEAR HOW BIANCA OBLIVION FINDS HER HUSTLE ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW.
