Words: Miles Holder

Berlin’s underground nightlife has always thrived on personalities who live at the intersection of community and creativity. Few embody that more than Elninodiablo, with the release of his debut album The Downey Groove on September 19 via his own imprint El Niño Diablo Music, he puts the groove, sexiness and queer joy into one FAULTLess package.

What makes this project stand apart is the way it was conceived. Stripped back to just a laptop, headphones, and a field recorder during a solitary stay in the mountains of Cyprus, Pantelas allowed instinct to guide the process. What began as loose sketches gradually became a cohesive eight track record, full of subtle shifts in mood and rhythm.

Starting with the slow and seductive opener Purple Hypnotic, the listener is drawn into a hazy soundscape that feels suspended in time. It sets the stage for the journey ahead without giving too much away, a gentle welcome before the album begins to unfurl. Misteriosa Noche sharpens the atmosphere, weaving in robotic and almost cyborg like textures that cut through the haze. There is something strangely nostalgic in its middle section, reminiscent of 90s platform games with its hypnotic vocal layers flickering just beneath the surface, otherworldly but familiar at the same time.

The Soul Monad steps up the energy. Angular rhythms and spoken word fragments add an edge, creating a tension that borders on unsettling. It is a necessary shift, though, giving the record bite where it could otherwise drift into comfort. That unease is quickly offset by Rodeotheque, which feels cheekier, more playful, and grounded in natural sounds. Its hypnotic female vocals keep continuity with earlier tracks, but the real triumph is its crescendo. The groove builds and builds until it bursts open into a track made for the dancefloor. For me, it is the standout moment of the album, unapologetically fun yet still intricately layered.

The title track Downey Groove keeps the momentum alive, carried by bongo like percussion that pulls instinctively at the hips. By this point, Pantelas is leaning into rhythm with abandon, experimenting freely as the album moves towards its closing chapters. Rise In Dub breaks form once again. It is chaotic, commanding, and impossible to relegate to background listening. The bass and field recordings create an almost physical sense of unease, the kind of track that forces you to surrender to it fully. I found myself having to close my eyes and let it take over to appreciate the full scope of its journey.

Finally, Operator Please! offers a soft landing. Built entirely with Ableton’s Operator synth, it is delicate and restrained, the calm after the storm. If the rest of the album plays out like a heady night of exploration, this track feels like the final gentle sway before the lights come up, blissful and complete.

I loved what Elninodiablo has done with this record. All albums should take you on a journey, make you feel something and at times, make you question the choices made in it’s development and this hits all those beats.

Elninodiablo’s path to this point has been anything but linear. He cut his teeth on pirate radio in Cyprus before relocating to London, where he found his footing in queer underground clubs like Fabric and Turnmills. His years spent representing artists such as Horse Meat Disco and Salsoul Records gave him an insider’s perspective on how culture moves, and you can see him put that experience into crafting this record. Alongside all that, he has been curating Lunchbox Candy, the Kreuzwerk based queer party that has grown into one of Berlin’s most in-demand nights, known for its radical performances, wild crowds, and unapologetic spirit.

The Downey Groove is a culmination of years spent building communities and carving out sonic space where intuition leads. It is messy in the best possible way, lush and layered yet never overthought, FAULTLess in how it captures the human instinct to release through rhythm.

Elninodiablo himself sums it up with characteristic duality: “It is a womb like slap in the face and a warm gentle cuddle.”

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