ARTO has been steadily carving out his own lane in Afro House, blending hand-played percussion, tribal chants, and African guitar flourishes into sets and productions that feel as alive as they do cinematic. His latest single, “Rìo Güeppi” with Stéphane Salerno, is a perfect snapshot of that vision: organic, groove-driven, and designed to move a crowd without ever losing its soul.
The title nods to the Río Güeppi, a lush river region on the borders of Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, and the track channels that same sense of wild, untamed flow. It begins with a pulse of layered percussion—shakers, hand drums, and low toms weaving together like water currents. Soon after, guitar motifs slide in courtesy of Salerno, earthy and melodic, cutting through the haze like sunlight.
Also Read: ARTO Opens His September Run With Tribal Fire on ‘KUYA’
Then the drops arrive. ARTO’s command of tension and release is front and center: the percussion builds, the chants rise, and suddenly the floor gives way to explosive, rolling basslines that demand movement. It’s Afro House with teeth—polished enough for playlists but raw enough to feel ritualistic.
“Rìo Güeppi” thrives on contrasts. The human warmth of the guitars plays against the mechanical precision of club-ready production. Tribal chants answer back to soaring synth layers, creating that call-and-response dynamic ARTO is becoming known for. Every section feels like a conversation between tradition and modernity, local rhythm and global energy.
Also Read: Celebrate: The EDM-Rock Banger That Demands You Hit the Dancefloor
This duality makes it easy to imagine the track in multiple spaces: a peak-time set at a summer festival, a late-night club in Paris, or even slipping into a curated Spotify editorial playlist alongside MoBlack, Sol Selectas, or Sondela.
With “Rìo Güeppi,” ARTO and Stéphane Salerno tap into something timeless—the idea of rhythm as movement, as community, as release. It’s a river you don’t just listen to—you let it carry you downstream.
Stream Below:
FOLLOW ARTIST
