Press play on “EQetamine,” the new single from Buenos Aires duo EQ, and you will be immediately greeted with the phrase “hard drugs,” chopped up and filtered through a layer of digital distortion. Shortly after that, the bass drops. 

The duo comprises the producers and artists Estratosfera (Laura Ferreira) and Qiri (Candela Mattera). EQ has only released two singles, but they are both high-grade indie dance anthems. Their first, “Boytoy,” hits a little bit like Crystal Castles gone reggaeton. The other single, the newest single—the single we talked about above—is just straight electrocrushed party damage. Co-produced with Argentinian producers MAJA & OKTE, it provides dance ammo for all the kids with the wired headphones and the deadstock American Apparel. 

We sent over some questions to the two about their newest single, reggaeton, being a girl in the city, and a whole lot more. Here is what we got back. Give it a read and listen to “EQetamine” below.

Tell us about your newest single.

E: We really wanted to capture the feeling of arriving to a party at like 3 a.m. when it’s already fucking crazy. We felt like “Boytoy” was kind of the prelude to this feeling, because it takes a while for the song to “explode.” And “EQetamine” is like insane sex from second one. We were listening a lot to 2000-2010 club music like Deadmau5 or Uffie so that’s the vibe kinda.

Q: “EQetamine” for me sounds like when you just walked into a party and the dancefloor is already filled with people sweating, your friend’s out of her mind dancing on top of a table, and you’re like, “Wait, I just got here.” We would be the DJs mixing this track at the party.

What’s the scene like in Buenos Aires right now?

E: I definitely see it growing from the present to the next years. I grew up alongside the alternative rock and shoegaze scene in Buenos Aires, which has been like nutrients for me and my artistic growth. In recent years, I’ve gotten into the electronic and everything “PC music” scene, because I wanted to make that type of music, and because I started working and making friends with people from that side of the local music scene. I think, since the whole independent scene has changed a lot, people are really in solidarity with each other to create this sort of autonomous new ecosystem. Because of the neoliberal capitalist policies that have ruled our country and the whole southern hemisphere for the last decades, it is also necessary that it would be this way. We cannot depend on any political authority to survive.

Q: I find it’s changed a lot very quickly. I think that the current political climate makes a lot of us uneasy and artists are putting more effort into making themselves heard and achieving greater art—more refined, better articulated and louder than ever. The government silencing us, shutting parties down, and defunding everything art-related only makes us want to fight back harder. I would like to see more of this. The scene is ever-evolving and even with top industry level artists there's this guerrilla, DIY feel to it.

Best late night food spot in Buenos Aires?

E: Almost any place in the Barrio Chino, Belgrano.

Q: I love any Peruvian food spot, all the ones in the city’s center. Always good to share a big meal with friends before partying.

What does it mean to be a girl living in the city in 2024?

E: For me, it means wearing your newest hot thrift find with pride to go out with your girlfriends, cold nights and hot days, partying at night and still waking up for coffee and work in the morning. It means traveling on the train with your laptop in your bag and blush on your cheeks. Meeting so many people. Getting in trouble (sometimes). It’s a fast life, and that’s really fun, but it’s necessary to get away from all the drama sometimes.

Q: It’s about finding balance in chaos—accepting your room will always be a mess, you will stay up late, you will buy those shoes you didn’t need and you will drink that extra gintonic and regret it the next day, but you will also thrive regardless. Making amends with the fact that perfect and pristine is not only boring but also harmful and that being messy and authentic is where it’s at. It’s easy to feel so overwhelmed in this city so it’s necessary (and wise) to let go, bond with your girlfriends, and have as much fun as you can.

How big of an influence is reggaeton on your music?

E: I’d say depending on the song it could be very big or not too much. But it is there, definitely. I think more than reggaeton these days, it’s our Latin culture and heritage in general that influences us in our bilingual lyrics, diverse Latin rhythms, samples, and sounds.

Q: I’d say it’s a no-brainer at this point. Like reggaeton has grown so much and has so much range in today’s panorama that I could find different aspects of it inspiring—a vocalist delivery, a lead synth, a spin on the drums. It’s ingrained in my brain and it’s always in the back of my mind one way or another.

Describe the EQ sound.

E: Harsh. But also really attractive and not-too-hard to digest. Electronic and futuristic but with a nostalgic touch. Utopic and hot pink. Euphoric, girl-coded, really thought out but also so no brainer. Alarms and beeps, glitches, the sound of a busy street, hard synthesizers, weird drums, vocals that unleash a strong personality. And the best thing about the EQ sound to me is it has just begun, it's newborn. It could be anything and it could be all.

Q: “EQetamine” is our second single but we have been working with each other for almost two years now and the complete palette is more nuanced and ample—this is like the tip of the iceberg. We bond with each other a lot over music so we like to play a lot with contrasting sounds. Personally, we tend to be complementary opposites, so I feel like that translates into our production style. But it's definitely a polished, harsh, cosmopolitan, forward-thinking style—we are girls who want to have fun but we are music nerds before that.

What’s more important, the kick drum sound or the lead synth sound? 

E: Can’t choose. Both must be perfection.

Q: The lead synth almost always—used to think otherwise. Sonically speaking, the kick can be hard to polish, but it should just be easy to arrange imo.

Where do you want EQ to be in one year from now?

E: Getting ready for an afterparty in New York or Paris. Sharing a lineup with our favorite international artists and people from scenes abroad. Also, making an expensive photoshoot. And always coming back to our friends and coworkers in Buenos Aires, and being grateful for our local scene and peers.

Q: Everywhere.