FADER Mix: Safety Trance

The longstanding FADER Mix series presents new, exclusive DJ mixes from our favorite artists, DJs, and producers. This week, we present a true journey through the sonic abyss by Safety Trance.

Safety Trance's FADER mix isn't so much a blend as it is a maze. One can get lost in its twists, turns, and trapdoors, when moments of dense noise suddenly pivot into soft ambiance — before another hard techno scrape suddenly digs into your cranium.

Safety Trance's Luis Garban, the Venezuela-born, Barcelona-based musical mad scientist who also releases music as Cardopusher, has made a name for himself as an electronic musician blurring the line between the sacred and profane. His music combines elements of reggaeton, Witchhouse, and experimental noise to create chaos that transcends.

All of that can be felt on Garban's latest album, sacrificio, which features many of music's most artfully riotous artists: Six Sex, Eartheater, Sega Bodega, longtime collaborator Arca, among others.

"The first Safety Trance–related productions were [when I worked] with Arca on 'Prada,' 'Rakata,' and also 'KLK' with Arca and Rosalía, which is kind of a wild way to start a new chapter," Safety Trance tells The FADER. Indeed, quite the start, but one that takes on enduring resonance as Safety Trance continues to expand those early tracks' zeitgeist-defining language of speaker-breaking cacophony.

Listen to Safety Trance's FADER Mix on SoundCloud, YouTube, and Mixcloud. Check out the tracklist and read an interview with Safety Trance below.

Safety Trance, "AAAAgarrate (ft. Venera)"
Weed420, "Chataing Show"
Safety Trance, "Choque96"
Lil Kaylee, "Sexy Coded"
Safety Trance, "duro (ft. Nusar3000 & Kinara)"
Elysia Crampton, "ch´ixi (for love of the other) w/ Nunu & Joshua"
Sheet Noise, "Kompromat Lullaby"
NGHTCRWLR, "Troubled Waters"
Safety Trance, "100 $$$ mas"
Kavari, "///"
Dj Weed, "el deseo te consume"
Safety Trance, "inter i"
Enya, "Boadicea"
BEBETUNE$, "Sahara Jr"
Blood Of Aza, "Severance"
Female Pentimento, "Syzygy"
Safety Trance, "the beat drops (ft. Arca)"
ARS WAS TAKEN, "XCAPIN (ft. N1L)"
virtualdemonlaxative, "Neeeeeeeee"
Cardopusher, "Cry Tough"
CTRLFR33K, "Keto Cereal"
Sewerslvt, "Slvtcrvsher"
Safety Trance x Korn, "All In The RGGTN Family"
Safety Trance, "N@#0%!"
asco, "sslidnn"
Safety Trance, "YASURI X STRETCH"
Machine Girl, "Down To The Essence (Mun Sing Remix)"
Sheet Noise, "Iron Lung Ballet"
Safety Trance, "most of me (is elsewhere) (ft. Eartheater & Sega Bodega)"
Malibu, "Atlantic Diva"

The FADER: What led you to start producing?

SAFETY TRANCE: It happened gradually. I started playing in bands with friends, just figuring things out. Then I got into music software and things clicked. But the real turning point was discovering Aphex Twin through Warp, and then going deeper into Rephlex. That’s when it stopped feeling like a hobby and became something I wanted to take seriously.

What’s the first set you ever played?

2004, Caracas at CELARG, which is this cultural institution focused on Latin American thought. It wasn’t a club, which made it even stranger. I still remember it vividly. There’s actually some footage on YouTube. I looked completely different, obviously.

What’s the first track you ever produced?

I honestly don’t remember the exact first one, but my earliest stuff was part of a demo called Life Is Peachy that I self-released on CD-R in 2004 under Cardopusher. It’s very naive, you can hear me learning in real time. It’s been floating around Soulseek forever.

What artists inspire you?

It’s a long list, but some core ones are V/Vm, Korn, The Noise, Venetian Snares, Eddie Palmieri, Julee Cruise, Dean Blunt, Kid606, Fantômas. It’s all over the place, but that’s the point.

How has your local scene shaped your mixing and artistry?

A lot. I’ve been in Barcelona since 2008 and I’ve seen different versions of the city, different scenes, different people, different energies. Things come and go fast. If you’re paying attention to what’s happening around you, it inevitably seeps into your work.

What’s the most memorable set you’ve ever played?

Opening for Aphex Twin at Sónar 2024. That was surreal. Full circle moment.

What excites you about the future of nightlife and electronic music?

Not knowing what’s coming next. I don’t want to predict it, I wanna be surprised.

What DJ trend needs to die?

Technogym DJs.

How would you describe your FADER mix?

Eclectic, noisy, but still emotional. Beautiful in a slightly uncomfortable way.

Where did you record the mix? Describe your surroundings.

At my home studio in Gràcia, Barcelona. It’s pretty low-key, records everywhere, a few synths, books. Nothing too fancy. Just a functional space.

Beyond DJing and music, what's an interest you have that may surprise people?

I live pretty quietly. I’m not constantly going out perhaps because i have been spending too much time at clubs. I like staying home and cooking, I just wish I had more time to actually experiment with it.