Vic Latino makes a grounded return with Latin-infused afro house cut ‘Cielo’

Vic Latino’s “Cielo” is a moment of return. A shift from radio icon and longtime tastemaker to something far more personal: a producer reclaiming his voice in the studio. Released via his own Latino Music imprint in partnership with 418 Music, the track weaves Latin and tribal influences through the lens of afro house, built on tension, release, and unmistakable emotion.

“Cielo” lands with the kind of weight that only comes from experience. After decades of supporting other artists—on-air, behind the scenes, and in the club—Vic brings all that perspective into a sound that feels both familiar and freshly self-directed. It’s an emotional cut, not just rhythmically compelling but spirituallly grounded, led by melodies that reach upward while staying rooted in his cultural DNA.

In this feature, Vic opens up about trusting instinct over trend, building records that still chase the goosebumps, and how decades of radio experience shaped his understanding of what makes a track last. There’s no formula here—just a grounded commitment to feeling over hype and a creative process driven by curiosity, memory, and momentum. If “Cielo” marks a new chapter, it’s one written with purpose.

Do you find that knowing why you’re making a track changes your approach?

I believe in taking RISKS, especially when making music.

You need to be able to feel the song, let the beats captivate you, let the chords put you in a trance, and let the vocals bring forth your emotions. Even if it means sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone. There is never a set way to approach a song, lately, I have been engulfed in my heritage hence the Latin, tribal influence, yet I love the melodic feel of afro house, so the end result has been this Latin tribal afro house sound.

When you’re deep in a project, how much does your original intention still guide your decisions?

After being on the other side for so long, playing others’ projects on the radio and breaking their music to the masses, I am always cognizant of creating something that is mass appeal and friendly to the respective audience I am targeting.

This has probably been a catch-22 because it keeps the production grounded and friendly, but I also catch myself sometimes being conservative and restrictive and talking myself out of ideas. The saying “Starting with the end in sight” is sometimes my worst enemy, but I don’t mind being the “Commercial Cat.”

Have you ever forgotten the reason you started a track—and if so, did that affect how it turned out?

I have been blessed to literally do a remix or make a track because I felt the need for it. So I have always been laser-focused on the task at hand whenever I start a project.

Of course, life happens and sometimes the days get in between the work schedule, and you hear something you like and say “I am going to try that on this project.” This happens more than expected, but as my dear friend, confidant and production partner Robbie Rivera reminds me “Stick to your original plan.” There is a reason why you started the journey down that path, no need to derail….

Do you think a song needs a specific message to be worth finishing, or can the process alone be enough?

I truly believe that a song is like your child. You will never think your child is ugly… I know right, wrong or indifferent that when I start a project it is because I feel something.

When I am working on the project I always strive to let the beat captivate me and the chords put me into that trance. The goal for me is the Goosebump effect on my arms. I remember when I first started working with Christophe Chantzis of Ian Van Dahl some years ago, our goal when making tracks was to get that feeling whether from the intense vocal performances or the anthem synths. I learned a lot about quality music from Christophe and later Peter Luts, whom I still to this day look up to and call brothers in music.

When the technical parts start taking over, what helps you stay focused on your bigger goal for the track?

I must say that the technical part is still my ongoing struggle in the process. I was always a “C” student in school, I can’t tell you how many times I know what I want to do but I have a hard time getting over that technical hurdle. Obviously, with technology these days it has become easier.

But over the years I have amassed an intense rolodex of great producers that I still to this day call up and hum, or sing what I am trying to do and they walk me through it. 9 out of 10 times we figure out what I’m looking to do, or they turn me onto a sound that I wasn’t even aware I was looking for. Most recently this happened while I was working on a remix for a new artist named Sarah Angel.

I literally had to call up Razor (Razor & Guido) and ask about a sound he used on one of his productions like 20 years ago, just so I could figure out I was looking for a tremolo effect. I call that the old age syndrome, you start to forget things lol.

Have you had moments where the meaning of a track changed as you worked on it? How did that affect your choices?

Speaking of the new artist Sarah Angel, when I listened to the original song, I heard a very melodic dance song, one that you can put on in your car and just cruise, solid melody, pulsating beat that made you “Feel Good.” Unfortunately, the artist was looking for something less dancey and more mainstream pop. So I had to change direction, lose the momentum I thought I had, and had to shift gears to create something that was more appetizing to the artist. The end result was a darker song, not as uplifting as I had originally envisioned and created, but seems to be getting a more positive response than I had thought.

What kind of motivation actually helps you push through the harder parts of finishing music?

As many of us do, I love surfing the socials and seeing fellow DJs performing. I love when they highlight the crowds singing along to productions, guys like Ima, Karlo and MichaelB, are awesome.

I can’t tell you how many times I am making a song in the studio I hit a roadblock, I take a pause, and put the track on the headphones while I am surfing the socials, I try and put myself in that situation where I am playing for that audience and the song is on and I try to envision where the drop may be more dramatic, or the vocals need to come in.

This usually gets me amped up enough to head back to the drawing boards and finish the project. The end result is hearing it live and seeing what I foreshadowed happen live in front of me. Nothing better than that personal ‘I Told You So’ moment, it makes it all make sense….