What Reggaeton-House Music Means For Your Summer
Why your summer is about to bump harder than ever. And, yes, I’m baiting you with the old Bad Bunny pic.
On May 22, 2026, Alvaro Diaz released “MDF.” on his album Omakase. It’s the song of the fucking summer. It’s also a sign of things to come — and things already came. I’ve been saying this for months (possibly longer): it’s a reggaeton-house summer.
A SURPRISING & THRIVING MARRIAGE
For those unfamiliar, Bad Bunny does reggaeton. Your favorite club banger “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee? Reggaeton, baby.
House music bumps. It’s electronic, bass-heavy, and something your friends try to vogue to on nights out. (There’s plenty of ballroom influence in this new reggaeton, too.)
In theory, it’s difficult to merge house music and reggaeton. They both have distinct beats, with reggaeton more rhythmic and house music more…pounding. As reggaeton evolves, it’s become more electronic. Just look at DATA by Tainy. It’s a hallmark reggaeton album featuring Skrillex on an outstanding track.
But “MDF.” isn’t what inspired this article; “UNA NA MAS” by Myke Towers is really what drove me here. I’ve listened to his music for years, and this track stands out to me as a major turn in the genre. If Myke Towers is getting on this gay-vibes shit, it’s real.
This year, reggaeton has surpassed its electronic-only era and become more diverse, fun, and, well, fruity.
REGGAETON FOR THE GIRLS AND THE GAYS
My best friend (gay) and I disagree on basically every song we’ve ever sent each other. As a diehard reggaeton girl, this breaks my heart, but his 50/50 split of moody lesbian music and EDM bangers rarely speaks to me.
But even he’s had to agree with me on albums like DATA and Omakase. (To be fair, I’ve given up some ground, too.) They’re masterpieces that usher in an era of popular electronic reggaeton with speaker-ruining bass.
This isn’t an entirely new phenomenon. Bad Bunny’s “VOU 787” on nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana stands out with its ballroom influence. But that sound went back into hibernation until this year. We got “UNA NA MAS” but boy, oh boy did we also get Omakase.
AS THE GENRE GROWS, IT LOOKS BACK, TOO
What Omakase gets at is merging tradition with new sounds. Even as house-reggaeton grows in popularity, we’re also seeing more references to traditional roots, like in Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR Más FOTos. Omakase seems to know where it came from and steam straight ahead into the future of reggaeton.
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Before a revival in tradition came music like Tainy’s DATA, a masterpiece in pushing the bounds of reggaeton, especially in regard to EDM. Newer reggaeton songs have a more complex, crunchy bass sound than their predecessors. (And this is no shade to the oldies.) But the version of reggaeton/house music we have today has evolved even since DATA.
Omakase’s opening track “SICHEF.” at 1:56 minutes speedruns reggaeton sounds from the last decade. Bass-heavy bars. A sick rock drop. Then EDM. More traditional sounds. We fade out on beautiful guitar and drop right into “MDF.”
This is electronic reggaeton at its finest. “SELEDA.” gets real traditional with the beat and real untraditional with the application of said beat.
Omakase marks a significant shift in reggaeton sound that’s been building for years. While pop music at large dips its toe back into simpler sounds and 2000s-esque ballads, reggaeton is forging ahead into the future of music. Get on board, I say.
I mean, it’s just good fucking music.
SUGGESTED LISTENING FOR THE PARTY-INCLINED
- “perreON” by _SANTI_ and Samjgarfield (2023)
- “HIBIKI” by Bad Bunny and Mora (2023)
- “COLMILLO” by Tainy, J Balvin, Young Miko, and Jowell & Randy (2023)
- “P o l v o s Q u e N o S e O l v i d a n” by Omar Courtz (2024)
- “La Jumpa” by Arcangel and Bad Bunny (2022)
- “En Mi Cuarto” by JHAYCO and Skrillex (2021)
- “Cosa Guapa” by Rauw Alejandro (2021)
- While not technically within the scope of this article, “PACHANGA” by Martinwhite and King Savagge (2025) requires mention because of its absolutely nasty sampling of “Satisfaction.” (Also check out “Otra Cosa” by Cachirula, LOOJAN, Martinwhite, and Santiago Berrio. Released this year, it’s a hell of a translation of traditional rhythms to hell-fucking-year EDM.)
- For a classic, bumping mix, listen to both tracks on “Playero 37 ‘Underground’.”
