Ones to Watch: Victoria Mussi
In our Ones To Watch series, we spotlight exciting new producers who are shaking up the game and progressing dance music culture while they do it.
Victoria Mussi is synonymous with Paraguay’s underground. The DJ, producer, radio host and label-head is also the co-founder of Tango, a club in Asunción that flies the techno flag for the country’s capital. We caught up with Victoria to find out more about her production journey, Paraguay’s dance music scene, and what she has lined up in the future.
Photos by Negib Giha
Committed to Cultivating the Scene
Victoria’s one of those artists that’s in it for others rather than herself. She’s committed her entire career to uplifting local talent, whether through her radio show, her record label or her nightclub.
Her DJ sets are nothing short of hypnotic, and her empathetic nature means she’s able to feed off the crowd and flow energetically every time she plays. She co-founded her label INBETWEEN in 2017 in order to platform local Paraguayan talent. Now, INBETWEEN is a hugely respected multi-genre label, spanning techno, house, hip hop and more, with a long-running radio program, label and event series. It’s helped launch the career of countless Paraguayan artists, and progressed the sound of multiple genres within dance music.
Currently, INBETWEEN’s release schedule is on standby, but they’re still making an impact. “It's moving all the time,” Victoria says. “We're not promoting it or anything, but people are buying the tracks. We'll reactivate it sometime soon.”
Photos by Negib Giha
From IDM to Techno to Ambient
Victoria’s productions draw on a huge range of influences, which is probably why it’s difficult to place her music in one genre. She’s released on Life in Patterns, Jujuka, Recorder Records, RI7MO, and many others, and developed a unique production style that’s won her die-hard fans around the world. Currently, she’s mostly focusing on techno, and she’s working on a techno album with Brazilian DJ and producer Amanda Mussi (who also happens to be her cousin), as well as a techno EP with Paraguayan producer Davass.
But there’s a lot more to Victoria’s taste than straight techno. “I love experimental music,” she says. “I’m working on an ambient album with Octavio, a pioneering producer from Paraguay, for my new d_tail label, which will launch next month.”
Rooted in IDM, downtempo, atmospheric techno and experimental sonic textures, d_tail’s ecosystem is built on exploration, curiosity, and collaboration. It’s a space where art and community function as both a sonic and visual laboratory; where play, experimentation and cross-disciplinary fusion are central to the process. Releases range from ambient soundscapes to hybrid club music, and sonic accidents and happy coincidences are not just welcomed, they’re celebrated.
Day-to-day, Victoria listens to an eclectic range of music which informs her intricate production style. “I like weird stuff,” she says. “It doesn't matter where it comes from. I listen to a lot of downtempo in the morning, and ambient, experimental IBM. Even when I make techno, listening to that puts me in a state where I can just freely create.”
Paraguay’s Underground Scene
Victoria is co-founder of Tango, a nightclub in Asunción that’s helped put Paraguay on the global dance music map. It’s one of two underground clubs in the capital city, the other being Condesa, which books more international DJs.
Paraguay isn’t the easiest place to live – the economy is rocky and there’s high levels of unemployment and government corruption, as well as a brain drain with young talent looking for opportunities elsewhere. But Victoria will always remain committed to Asunción and building up culture there.
Photos by Negib Giha
“I love my city, and when I play here, I feel at home,” she says. “That’s because the energy of the people is very unique. No matter the hardship, people are still trying to have a good time with the best energy they can give. You can feel that when you go to the supermarket, when you go dancing, when you go anywhere. You can just feel that resilience, that resistance.”
Making Waves Worldwide
Earlier this year, Surgeons Girl invited Victoria onto her Rinse residency for a guest mix. On her Instagram post, she wrote “I’m in awe of her productions and play her music in literally every set.” That was followed by a killer guest mix on Rachel Grace Almeida’s NTS show, featuring 100% Paraguayan artists.
Coming up, Victoria has a ton more releases, her label launch, and a small European tour. But Paraguay will always be her favourite place to play. “Last week I played this big event, and there was a huge storm, and it was really cold, and I thought the place was going to be empty,” she says. “But it was full up to the end, right until I played the last track.”
