Ricardo Baez has always had music running through his veins. His Italian dad filled the house with blues and jazz records, while his Venezuelan mom played her ‘80s pop cassettes. That mix of cultures and sounds shaped Baez’s wide-open approach to music.
Since 2010, he’s been behind Tropical Animals, which has been one of Florence’s most loved club nights and a key party of Italy’s electronic scene, known for breaking boundaries and bringing fresh sounds to the dance floor.
Ricardo’s DJ sets are all about energy and emotion — blending genres, technically sharp, and full of unexpected turns. His deep knowledge of electronic music and contagious enthusiasm quickly earned him attention beyond Italy, with gigs at clubs like Tresor, Watergate, and Renate in Berlin, Robert Johnson in Frankfurt, House of Yes and Le Bain in New York, and XOYO and Corsica Studios in London.
As a producer, Baez brings that same open-minded spirit to his own music, with several releases on labels like Running Back, Correspondant, Mule Musiq, Permanent Vacation, Bordello A Parigi and Live At Robert Johnson. In 2018 he started his own imprint Tropical Animal, hosting releases from Whitesquare, The Cyclist, Robert Owens, Rebolledo, and Italian disco legend Daniele Baldelli just to name a few.
Watch out for his next release “LTMP : SDAS” on Live At Robert Johnson – out in November 2025!