Vetor Interviews: Negraconda

Rooted in Guadalajara and heard on dancefloors worldwide, Negraconda reimagines the Hard Latin Club — her music marries protest with pure dance. In this interview she explores influences, activism, her label NACA WORLDWIDE and her chosen family. An editorial by Erick Achang, shot in Barcelona, follows.

Text and interview by Efe Çilek

Photography by Erick Achang

From the heart of Guadalajara, Jalisco, to dance floors across the world — Hannya Danielle Torres, known boldly as Negraconda, defies every expectation. DJ, producer, multidisciplinary performance artist, and proud founder of NACA WORLDWIDE, you might hear her spin anything from wild, jungle-flavored tech house to jazz-infused house, hard Latin club, gabber techno, RKT, reggaetón, cumbia, salsa, and more. Each set is a fearless sonic journey, seamlessly fusing protest chants, orchestral grandeur, and raw rhythmic rebellion into the powerhouse style she proudly calls Hard Latin Club.

Photography by Erick Achang

Photography by Erick Achang

“I firmly believe that being in the music world constantly makes you an explorer of new auditory experiences. I love music made for the club with all kinds of Latin influences: syncopated rhythms, influences from regional or traditional Mexican music — also, tribal, which completely breaks the club structure. To the refined ears of techno purists, this may sound like ‘trash,’ but it’s still music. For me, it’s a form of expression, a way of bringing certain roots to the club.”

Photography by  Frank Tinjaca

Negraconda’s beat runs deeper than basslines. Over a decade ago, she pioneered drag in Guadalajara’s nightlife, long before the city was ready to embrace it. What began as performance quickly became resistance: creating spaces for queer and trans people to exist safely, to dance without fear, to be loud in their truth.

Vetor: How does your work as an artist intertwine with your activism?

Negraconda:“It’s interesting because ten years ago, when I began this artistic exploration with Negraconda, I felt a compelling need to express something beyond mere beauty. I realized that within the nightlife scene, people didn’t have a genuine interest in understanding the everyday lives of dissidents like me.

Activism became a part of my daily life: in every comment, every project, every performance. Today, my primary focus is creating safe spaces for dissidents, trans people, and members of the LGBTIQA+ community. Because safe spaces don’t exist by default, they are created, and it’s up to us to manage them.”

Photography by Erick Achang

Photography by Erick Achang

Her role as Mother of the iconic Kiki House of Minerva embodies this commitment. Inspired by the absence of a mother figure in her chosen families during adolescence, she stepped into that role herself.

“Let me clarify: I’m not perfect. Like everyone, I learn more from my mistakes than my successes. This personal exploration has helped me build myself as a human being and, from there, create spaces that offer something meaningful to anyone who finds an answer to their needs in me — whether through my actions, my art, or the spaces I inhabit.”

This chosen family provides shelter and creative nourishment for young queer artists, serving as a living, breathing haven in Guadalajara’s ballroom community. It’s a place built from the heart, reflecting values of solidarity, artistic expression, and unconditional support.

Photography by Erick Achang

“Kiki House of Minerva has become a meeting point in Guadalajara where art, chosen family, fun, and the ballroom community feel protected and supported. I hope it sets an example for other houses to build from the heart, becoming shelters and homes for their children.”

Photography by Erick Achang

Internationally, Negraconda’s influence grows with every set she spins. Blending deep cultural roots and personal narrative with electronic innovation, pioneering a global conversation where Latin club rhythms intersect with potent social commentary. Her performances are testimonies of queer resilience and joy. At the heart of her art are identity, empowerment, and resistance. Proudly identifying as a trans woman from the hood, her very existence is activism.

She has become a representative voice of her community, openly sharing trans and LGBTIQA+ lived experiences and challenging norms across Latin America.

Photography by Frank Tinjaca

Collaboration is foundational to Negraconda’s artistry — she continuously works with creators from music, fashion, and performance art, both locally and internationally. With her collective and label, NACA WORLDWIDE, she not only nurtures emerging queer artists but empowers them, launching ambitious projects like fully-funded international tours for trans musicians — an initiative affirming queer autonomy and independence in a scene historically dominated by cisgender gatekeepers.

“We aim to support our projects, aspirations, and dreams as a label. We have a scholarship-type project planned for trans artists covering all expenses for a month-long tour: flights, food, lodging, documentation, transport, and insurance. The pilot will be funded by NACA’s earnings and the support we can gather for the label and its members: Adly Muff, Torina Moreno, DJ Weed, Bruja Prieta, and myself.”

Photography by Erick Achang

Photography by Erick Achang

Vetor: For young queer and trans creatives just starting out, especially in contexts with limited infrastructure, what advice or lessons helped you the most on your journey?

Negraconda: “I love talking about infrastructure because I don’t come from privilege, but I’ve always tried to build what I have through my artistic work and personal search. Like every human being, I want to live off what I love, be myself despite adversity, and have a peaceful, sustainable, and balanced life. These points make a huge difference:

• Be certain about your project. You are your biggest fan, your best salesperson, and your most critical customer. It’s the Holy Trinity of self-managed projects. In ballroom, they teach us to ‘sell the category’: nobody offers something they don’t believe in. Nobody sells bad.

  
  

• Never fear receiving a ‘no.’ We must pursue our goals determinedly, no matter the obstacles. If you need to ask, ask. If you have to sacrifice, sacrifice. But never stop being yourself or betray your ideals. Don’t feed others’ egos: everything must be built on your determination and love for what you do.

  
  

• Be open to continual growth, exploration, and improvement. Observe, listen, and use mistakes as tools for learning and rebuilding. But also celebrate achievements and don’t be too hard on yourself.

  
  

• Most importantly, follow your heart. That inner voice, even if sometimes scary or mistaken, always seeks the best path for your happiness.”

Photography by Erick Achang

Photography by Erick Achang

Her journey hasn’t come without struggle. Inked permanently into her skin is the stark phrase Siempre lista para morir (“Always ready to die”) — a powerful acknowledgement of the brutal reality trans women face daily in Mexico.

“As a Mexican trans woman, life expectancy is very short. Mexico is the second country worldwide for transfemicides, making me a constant statistical target.”

Photography by Erick Achang

Negraconda’s rhythm is fierce and tender at the same time, rooted in community yet reaching global ears. She’s a guardian, educator, mother, and rebel — embracing every contradiction of her identity to amplify marginalized voices. Her story, her music, and her existence are a declaration of intent: We are also here.

In a scene often commodified by superficial interests, Negraconda remains defiantly authentic, standing as a vital force of Guadalajara’s queer history and embodying the potential of self-expression.

Footage by Frank Tinjaca | Edited by Erick Achang  | Track: 'Diosa Potranca' - Jenny Rivera Edit (DNB/LatinClub) by Negraconda

Photography by Erick Achang

Starring Negraconda

⁠Creative Direction & Photography  Erick Achang 

​​Photo & Video Assistant Frank Tinjaca

Makeup Alex Jesusi Ascurra

Nail Artist Albani Fuentes 

Styling Isabella Mena

Hair & Styling Misss Diabla

Hands bra Erick Seca

Belt Rafael Muñoz

PR & Production Tom Pipol Escobar