There was no producer more prolific in 2022 than El Guincho. He was the main producer credited on two albums that year, which were arguably the most innovative, expansive, and sound-pushing: FKA Twigs’ Caprisongs and Rosalía’s MOTOMAMI. Then last month (March 2024), one of the most strikingly chaotic Pop songs in recent memory dropped. “I LUV IT” by Camilla Cabello feat. Playboi Carti and produced by Guincho, samples Gucci Mane’s “Lemonade,” while also being Jersey Club and Hyperpop adjacent. It feels like a “throwing shit at a wall,” impeccably Tik Tok coded, drunken frat/sorority party energy fueler. I deduce that myself and others are perpetually in the critical opinion of, “I’m not sure if I like it, but if it came on at the right function it could surely provide the ideal animated enthusiasm.” Guincho has a clear superpower: providing dynamism behind female voices that feel stupefyingly futuristic.
El Guincho’s first proving ground for being transcendental was with Björk. Nothing makes more sense. His first credits were for bass and drum programming for two tracks on her 2011 album Biophillia: “Moon” and “Virus.” Before that, according to the credits, El Guincho was solely making his own music which included four albums of songs in the Tropicalía genre. The Alternative Icelandic singer introduced him to aligning distinct rhythmic elements that would help him elevate sonics with the other women he worked with for the rest of his career. Listening to “Moon” and “Virus” is revelatory in the context of Guincho’s dual album peak in 2022. Both of those albums feature moments when soft tones shift into acute oscillations, which feel inherently rooted in what Guincho learned with Björk.
Guincho needed a few more elements though before he’d begin to craft masterpieces with Rosalía. The first came in the form of a Spanish Indie Pop/Rock band Los Punsetes led by rugged lead vocalist Ariadna Paniagua. As much as Guincho’s future Pop muses wouldn’t lean much into a Rock lane, there is an element of sharper edges found here that would help with some of his eventual Reggaeton compositions. He produced the entirety of the band’s 2014 album LBIV including their most popular single to this day “Opinión de Mierda,” which of course translates to “shitty opinion.” The hard nosed swagger on that song as well as other heaters like “Me Gusta Que Me Pegues,” translated to “I like it when you hit me,” required Guincho to arrange an array of harsh sounds into something that felt sleek overall.
Next came Guincho’s first muse in the Pop princess lane via Spanish songstress Bad Gyal in 2018. Her second album Worldwide Angel featured Guincho’s production on four of the nine tracks. While some of the songs lean heavily into Reggaeton EDM fusion, the Guincho produced track “Yo Sigo Igual” is the first track from his repertoire that solidified his affinity for Pop balladry. Gyal’s autotune riddled sticky croons fit right into the restrained rhythmic pockets Guincho placed together. Without this proven hit potential for a more internationally palettable sound, Guincho wouldn’t have had every essential element to move into his full purpose.
Later that same year Guincho catapulted into the mainstream worldwide consciousness with Rosalía. He produced every single song on her breakout second album El Mal Querer. 2018 was also when I became aware of Rosalía. I walked into a friend's apartment one day as his roommate's girlfriend was playing a live performance of hers proclaiming she was making the best music in the world. Looking back, that was a pretty good argument to be making. From the first track and lead single “MALAMENTE” on El Mal Querer, you can hear just how otherworldly she and Guincho’s sound together is. When you mix early 2010s Björk, with mid 2010s Los Punsetes and Bad Gyal, and intermingle those tones with a prodigal voice that blends operatic virtuosity with room shaking Reggaeton punchiness, you get something groundbreaking.
While this album was really just the precursor to Guincho and Rosalía at their absolute peak, slapping you in the face with innovation on MOTOMAMI, a song like “PIENSO EN TU MIRÁ'' exemplifies the individualism of their music together. The choral hook atop organ synths and popping drums feels like them planting their flag as conquerors of where Pop music had the potential to be headed.
Next came a few rogue important credits for men that had reverberating effects (“Cayendo” for Frank Ocean + “Como Un Bebe” for J Balvin feat. Bad Bunny & Mr. Eazi), but also a cool array of songs for another sound pushing woman. Lous and the Yakuza is a Congolese-Belgian singer and rapper and Guincho produced her entire 2020 album Gore featuring all French lyrics. This, like Guincho’s music in the 2010s which set up Rosalía, perfectly helped him springboard into FKA Twigs. Lous’ palette has an essential Hip Hop and R&B cadence that would eventually be warped and twisted for Twigs. On Lous’ lead single, “Dilemme,” you hear both genres seamlessly intertwined with a minor chord piano to tie them together. On “Tout est gore” you can hear a signature FKA Twigs playful bounce that would eventually propel her weirdness.
Naturally, in 2022, Caprisongs came before MOTOMAMI. Guincho’s Lous production had a more immediate outlet for expansion. While he first produced for Twigs on a 2021 Fred again.. track “Don’t Judge Me,” the 2022 album was where they really made their mark. Guincho produced on 12 of the 17 tracks and bled his new Hip Hop and R&B proficiency into everything he had conquered before it. The sequencing of the first two tracks on the album, “ride the dragon” into “honda” feat. pa salieu, is a masterclass in taking something familiar and making it sound like it’s from five years from now. Choppy underwater 808s with pattering vocals glide into grimey bounce filled stank face flirtation like the elements were always meant to be side by side. Later tracks, “jealousy” feat. Rema and “darjeeling” feat. Jorja Smith and Unknown T, prove this amalgamation of textures could even fluidly translate Latin rhythms into Afrobeats and Drill soundscapes. Guincho’s work on this album signaled a proclamation of “With everything I have in my bag now, who can touch me?”
When you get to MOTOMAMI you get the answer to that question, “NOONE.” While Guincho is only credited on five tracks on the album, his progressive presence is felt throughout. “Candy” is the best song on the astronomical project and he’s the main producer. Rosalía uses every element of her vocal arsenal imaginable on the song, and Guincho gives her his most essential valleyed canvas. “Chicken Teriyaki” is the album’s strangest slap, “Diablo” has the album’s most finessed transitions, and “La Combi Versace” is maybe the album’s most important song showing the range of a Rosalía/Tokischa collaboration. Guincho is the main producer on all of them too.
Guincho expanded even further into work with Kali Uchis, Sampha, and Tokischa feat. Sexyy Red between MOTOMAMI and “I LUV IT” for Camilla Cabello. He seems due for another multi album run soon. While it would seem his most obvious path forward would be with Cabello, I personally would love to hear him make a project with Tyla for her next era.
Inside The Credits 016: El Guincho- The Playlists