Caracas, early 1980s. A radio flickers on and crackles the introduction to John Paul Young’s “Love is in the Air”. For one boy, the moment marks the beginning of a life-long love affair with music.
The pages on a wall calendar fly off in quick succession as the young man, a one Argenis Brito, delves into the world of performance. We see him pick up a bass guitar, adjust a microphone to capture his voice and suit up to front band after phenomenally successful band. But it’s at the tail end of this formation, leading up to the turn of the century, that we witness Brito finally come into his own.
Latin, hot-blooded and with decidedly tropical tendencies, our protagonist tries his hand at the bleeps and blops upon which club culture is built—thus becoming a key figure in the cross-pollination between techno music and Latin rhythms. A new underground sound is born, with Brito at the helm. Think Mambotur, Señor Coconut, Los Refrescos and many other rum-fueled collaborations held within the confines of slick studios. These are our main character’s playgrounds.
Those playgrounds have long since extended beyond the recording sessions and into some of the world’s greatest DJ booths—from Europe to Asia and all of the Americas. Our storied musician and entertainer considers himself on a never-ending quest to learn and delight in equal parts. Which means this story never ends, but is destined always “to be continued…”
These days, Argenis Brito’s most impressive musical experiences don’t often include radios. But you can bet that when the Venezuelan native is behind a booth working his magic, nobody can deny that love is in the air.
