Ovy on the Drums
Daniel Echavarria Oviedo, known as Ovy on the Drums, is a Colombian record producer and songwriter from Medellin who became the primary architect of Karol G's sound after first working with her as a touring DJ. Largely self-taught and steeped as a kid in everything from Bob Marley to salsa to European synth-pop, he built a signature style of minimalist urban-fusion beats stacked with dramatic strings, edgy keyboards, and hard-hitting drums. His production on Karol G's 2023 album 'Manana Sera Bonito' won both a Latin Grammy for Album of the Year and a Grammy for Best Musica Urbana Album, and hits like 'Tusa' and 'Provenza' made him one of the defining producers of 2020s reggaeton.
Ovy has cited Dr. Dre as an inspiration, pointing to the multi-hyphenate model of producer, artist developer, and label head that he mirrors with his own Big Ligas imprint. You can also hear Dre's influence in the drums: the hard, punchy low end and crisp, meticulously mixed percussion that give Ovy's beats their weight.
listen forPlay Dre's 'Still D.R.E.' and then Karol G's 'Bichota' and listen for the same clean, heavy-hitting drum programming and confident, uncluttered swagger, where every kick and snare is placed for maximum impact.
Ovy works in the melodic, atmospheric lane of reggaeton that Tainy pioneered, the move away from purely percussive bangers toward cinematic mood, airy pads, and pop-song structure. The lush, spacious productions Ovy crafts for Karol G share Tainy's instinct for wrapping a dembow beat in ambient texture rather than aggression.
listen forCue Tainy's hazy, sun-blurred 'Callaita' and then Karol G's 'Provenza' and both float a relaxed vocal over a soft, roomy beat, trading reggaeton's usual punch for a warm, drifting groove.
Ovy's productions are built on the dembow foundation that Daddy Yankee pushed into the global mainstream; the insistent snare-and-kick pattern that anchors nearly every Karol G single descends directly from the reggaeton template 'Gasolina' cemented. Where Yankee's beats hit blunt and relentless, Ovy keeps the same rhythmic skeleton but drapes it in strings and negative space.
listen forThrow on 'Gasolina' and then 'MAMIII' back to back and the same insistent dembow tresillo drives both, but listen to how Ovy strips out the clutter around the kick so the drop lands with sudden, cavernous space.