On Scene: Fede Spamer On Buenos Aires, Club Culture And The Contrasts Shaping His Sound
- Undrtone Blog
- Aug 1
- 5 min read
Buenos Aires is a city of contrasts. Historic European architecture sits beside modern towers, quiet residential streets open suddenly onto crowded avenues, and traditional culture exists comfortably alongside one of South America’s most active underground electronic scenes.
For Fede Spamer, those contrasts have become part of his creative identity. The Buenos Aires based DJ and producer brings together the intensity of melodic techno with the forward motion of tech house, building tracks around controlled grooves, gradual tension and cinematic detail. Although he did not grow up in the city, it has become the place where his relationship with electronic music took shape.
“I’ve now lived here longer than anywhere else in the world,” he says. “At first, it was difficult to adapt to such a big and eclectic city, but I’ve learned so much since then.”
What initially felt overwhelming gradually became one of the city’s greatest strengths. Buenos Aires offers entire communities built around almost every possible interest, sound and cultural movement.
“A real mix of cultures, people and music constantly surrounds you,” Spamer explains. “You can find virtually anything here, and there’s usually a whole scene around it.”
It was also where he first connected with underground electronic music. Niceto Club, and more specifically its long-running Club 69 party, played a central role in changing how he saw both DJing and production.
Spamer came from a classical background centred around piano. He had already experimented with composition and production from a young age, but electronic music still felt like a separate world.
“As a child, I remember seeing CDJs in music stores and being fascinated by them,” he recalls. “They also seemed completely foreign and far too complicated. I never imagined I could learn how to use them.”
Club 69 changed that perception.
“I stopped seeing electronic music as this distant world and began to see it as something I could be part of,” he says. “That was where I realised DJing and producing were what I actually wanted to do.”
Away from the larger institutions, Spamer points visitors towards Avant Garten in Palermo. Built beneath old brick railway arches, the compact venue blends a beer garden atmosphere with a strong focus on house music and vinyl.
“What I love is how the atmosphere changes throughout the night,” he says. “You can arrive around 7pm for food and drinks while everything is relaxed. After midnight, it becomes more like a small nightclub, but without strobe lights or over-the-top production.”
That lack of pressure is part of its appeal. The outdoor DJ space works particularly well during summer, but the venue keeps its laid-back character throughout the year.
“You can go for a casual drink and end up staying until 4am.”
During the day, Spamer prefers a quieter side of the city. Barrancas de Belgrano, one of Buenos Aires’ oldest parks, offers a reset from the pace of nightlife and studio work.
“When I want to reset, I usually take my dog there,” he says. “Although it’s surrounded by high-rises, it’s filled with trees and feels surprisingly quiet.”
The park follows the natural slopes that once formed the banks of the Río de la Plata, turning a simple walk into something more physical. It also carries its own cultural rhythm through La Glorieta, where people gather to dance tango, Argentine folk styles and bachata.
“During summer, the dancing can continue until late at night, so a simple walk can unexpectedly turn into a cultural experience.”
Food offers another way to step outside the city’s constant movement. While Spamer usually prefers eating at home, Kansas Grill & Bar has become a regular choice.
“Their usual order for me is the New York strip, which is essentially bife de chorizo, a traditional Argentine cut,” he says.
When he wants to make more of the occasion, he travels to the original San Isidro location, around half an hour outside central Buenos Aires.
“It feels like a small escape from the city,” he says. “Low lighting, good service and that relaxed American steakhouse feeling, but with the influence of Argentine asado.”
Recoleta best captures the city’s wider personality for him. While most visitors associate the neighbourhood with its cemetery and grand architecture, spending more time there reveals a much more informal side.
“On weekends, Plaza Francia fills with artisan stalls, people sitting on the grass, musicians and groups of friends spending the afternoon outside,” he explains.
The contrast between historic elegance and everyday life is what makes the area feel distinctly local.
“Recoleta isn’t as formal as it looks. It has these grand buildings and historic landmarks, but it also feels casual and lived-in. That contrast feels very Buenos Aires to me.”
The same idea runs through his music. Spamer describes the city as eclectic, unpredictable and constantly changing from one block to the next. His productions follow a similar path.
“I like to build tension, gradually introduce new elements and then leave small spaces where the music can breathe before the atmosphere changes again,” he says. “There’s often a contrast between darker and lighter moments, or between something restrained and something more powerful.”
“In that sense, my music moves a little like Buenos Aires. It can feel familiar at first, but you never quite know where it will take you.”
Outsiders often notice the city’s noise and intensity first, but Spamer believes they can miss the community beneath it.
“People are generally very open, and conversations start easily,” he says. “You can meet someone for the first time and quickly find yourself being introduced to their friends, invited to dinner or even meeting their family.”
That openness has made Buenos Aires feel like more than a place he happens to live.
“You don’t simply observe the city from the outside. Somehow, you end up becoming part of it.”
Looking towards the local electronic scene, he highlights Uruguay-born, Buenos Aires based DJ and producer Juanchi Parodi as one to watch.
“He brings a lot of energy, understands the dancefloor and knows how to connect with a crowd without losing his own personality,” Spamer says. “I think people are about to see another side of him through his productions.”
If Buenos Aires needed a soundtrack at 3am, Spamer would choose Soda Stereo’s ‘En la Ciudad de la Furia’.
“There’s something dark, mysterious and cinematic about it that reflects the city at that hour,” he says. “Buenos Aires can feel chaotic and intense, but also strangely beautiful, as if the night could still take you anywhere.”
His perfect night eventually ends at home, sometimes with the chance to watch the sunrise as the city begins moving again.
For anyone arriving with only 24 hours, the advice is simple. Start with a late dinner, move on for drinks and allow the night to decide what happens next.
“The best part is that plans usually develop as the night goes on,” he says. “You meet people, change locations and suddenly realise the sun is coming up.”
Buenos Aires rarely reveals itself through a rigid itinerary. Its character lives in the spaces between plans, in unexpected conversations, late-night changes of direction and the contrast between intensity and connection. For Fede Spamer, that unpredictability is not only what makes the city feel like home, but what continues to shape the way his music moves.
