This radio art piece is a computational sound exploration that, from a plunderphonics aesthetic, revisits the symbols, styles and content of narcocorrido, reggaeton and hip-hop. From my perspective as a composer, these genres tend to present musically poor material, loaded with sexist stereotypes and superficial content. In this work I appropriate, and even "steal", those elements to build a sound experience that is aggressive both aurally and conceptually.
Technically, the work uses algorithmic processes to download five-second fragments of the 50 most-played songs in each of these genres from a streaming platform. These materials are analysed, segmented and reorganised using digital audio descriptors, searching for timbral similarities between segments. The result is a disruptive composition that decontextualises listening and gives new meaning to the originals, questioning their artistic value.
The gesture of using only five seconds of each song, although legally permitted, plays with the limits of legality and works as a critical manifesto against a music industry saturated with obvious, banal productions. The work not only questions the limits of copyright but challenges listeners to ask what lies behind today's mass hits: art, provocation or consumer product?
The piece, just over ten minutes long, was composed in 2025. The download, segmentation and reconstruction processes were programmed in Python, and the final edit was made in REAPER. The complete work can be heard below.