Varra

Twenty-four minutes. That’s the full runtime of “IV” — and all Chilean producer Varra needs to send your pulse into the red.

Behind the name is Vicente Barra, a streamer from Concepción who’s become a minor cult figure in the online nu jazz ecosystem thanks to his hyperkinetic sound and a very specific visual language on social media: low-poly 3D renderings floating over vaporous skies, surreal environments that feel like a Windows 98 desktop frozen in time. After three albums, a handful of EPs, and two Minecraft shows held last May, he’s back with a fully homemade record, seemingly played entirely by himself.

Sonically, “IV” is a dense, high-definition kaleidoscope. It speaks to music nerds raised on digital loops, internet memes, and bedroom virtuosity, but also to listeners tracking the flashier mutations of contemporary math, the shape-shifting beats associated with Planet Mu, or the synth-funk interlocks Brainfeeder has been orbiting in recent years — think Louis Cole, Knower.

Across eleven ultra-short instrumental sketches, everything rushes forward and collides, without ever losing a pronounced sense of play. “Hello Cro” kicks things off with a squarepusher-ized samba, chopped up and hyper-saturated like a bonus level in a Nintendo platformer. On “Bonemaxxing”, mathematical hiccups and electronic whistles suggest what Battles might have sounded like if they hadn’t lost their way before they even took off.

What ties the record together is a nervous but weightless mobility, built on sudden detours, ricochets, and constantly shifting surfaces. “Birdo Lite” dives headfirst into a tangled, hyperactive, ultra-bright jazz-funk mode, nodding straight to Azymuth’s “Light As a Feather”, while “Birdo 3” doubles down on the same vibe with a shamelessly liquid guitar solo, peppered with slowdowns and speed-ups that push the album’s videogame feel even further.

“IV” is digital fusion at tachycardia pace: short, ultra-dense, designed to overstimulate rather than sit politely in the background. Press start — you’re already out of breath.

(English version created with AI-assisted translation)

01/01/2026