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Latin Music

Fidelis Studio

Latin America / Venezuela / Caracas

The Fidelis studio is located in Caracas Venezuela, Urb. El Cafetal, El Morao street, Qta. Tere, is an excellent recording studio, where national and international artists and groups created their records; An example of this, Maracaibo 15, Billo’s, Los Melodicos, Salserin, Los Adolentes, Oscar D’ León…, the Latin Dimension recorded 8 of its 20 albums.

Fidelis Studio - Photo 1
Fidelis Studio – Photo 1

Currently those in charge of the study are Javier and Francisco González, who succeed their father Antonio José González “Gonzalito” founder of the Study in 1952 with great professionalism; who, despite being a professional photographer, had the inspiration and musical taste that led him and his friend “Toro” to go to the United States where he studied audio, upon arriving in Venezuela he was recognized as the pioneer of Recording Engineering since he did not This race exists to date in Venezuela.

Fidelis Studio - Photo 2
Fidelis Studio – Photo 2

Javier and Francisco González narrate how the recording of music was at that time, where it was recorded on a “Reel” tape where the channels were previously mixed in the matrix and then passed to the “Stamper” which is a metal disc where it was kept. the information to the factory and later this information was transferred to the acetate disc through electromagnetism.

Fidelis Studio - Photo 3 of Reel Tape
Fidelis Studio – Photo 3 of Reel Tape

As the years went by, recording equipment was modernized, going from “vinyl” to analog cassettes, and now it is digitized to CD’s, and digital formats such as FLAC, mp3… to send over the internet through a computer and with this new technology the artist has higher quality and content capacity than the 33 ½ rpm LP disc to record their songs.

Fidelis Studio - Photo 4 sound program
Fidelis Studio – Photo 4 sound program

Now if the artist wishes to transfer an acetate disc or tape that he had, to a current digital format, the studio is able to make the transition without losing the quality of the music recorded on it.

The current recording equipment has 72 channels, usually 24 are used. With each channel the instrument or voice of the artist(s) is recorded, and with the program they are unified, adjusting the appropriate volume levels where the artist or group listens to it and sees if it is to their liking or not, having the ability to modify it.

Fidelis Studio - Photo 5 - instruments and sound program
Fidelis Studio – Photo 5 – instruments and sound program

The studio and especially the room where the singers or members of a band or orchestra are placed has been designed in such a way that the sound that is produced has no alterations such as echo, making the sound that is generated the most pure possible.

They also make recordings both inside and outside the studio, since they have the right equipment (portable studio, headphones, microphones, amplifiers, recorder, among others), so that there would be no difference in the recording either inside the Fidelis Studio or in the outside.

Fidelis Studio - Photo 6
Fidelis Studio – Photo 6
Fidelis Studio - Photo 7
Fidelis Studio – Photo 7

And they tell us that their experiences over the years have been very lively, fun and interesting at the time of making the recordings since each singer or band has their own personality when playing and producing their music, whatever the genre they play, that in the studio all types of music are recorded today.

Fidelis Studio - Photo 8
Fidelis Studio – Photo 8
Fidelis Studio - Photo 9
Fidelis Studio – Photo 9

The most significant artist for the studio and especially for “Gonzalito” according to his children was Alfredo Sadel whose voice ranged from opera to the popular rhythm of Venezuela, later it was Simón Díaz, Mauricio Torrealba… although they are all very important.

Fidelis Studio - Photo 10
Fidelis Studio – Photo 10
Fidelis Studio - Photo 11
Fidelis Studio – Photo 11

The Grammy Awards are a distinction given by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize an especially outstanding achievement of the music industry to a specific artist, obtaining this award is a great honor since an extensive study is carried out to the CD where sound engineers, producers and other specialists participate to determine the physical and sound quality of the CD created and to participate in this award you must register in the academy to participate.

Fidelis Studio - Photo 12
Fidelis Studio – Photo 12

The Studio currently has 2 Latin Grammy Awards:

1st Recording “Treasures of Venezuelan Music” with Ilan Chester (2010).

2nd Recording “Maria Teresa Chacin Canta Cuentos” with María Teresa Chacín (2012).

Fidelis Studio - Photo 13
Fidelis Studio – Photo 13
Fidelis Studio - Photo 14
Fidelis Studio – Photo 14

Where the team that makes up this renowned recording studio feels proud and happy for the work they are doing.

It should be noted that despite the situation in the country, they continue to provide the best service to singers and musical groups, whether national or international, being a strong competition for other recording studios in other countries, in relation to cost / quality. .

Fidelis Studio - Photo 15
Fidelis Studio – Photo 15

My person who had the opportunity to visit and interview its members, see, know and appreciate the type of study that is Fidelis I can say that the following:

“There are many recording studios in Caracas, Venezuela, but if you want your songs to be recorded with excellent audio quality in a recognized center, don’t think twice and choose them, they are the best”

Fidelis Studio - Photo 16
Fidelis Studio – Photo 16

For more information:

  • WebSite: http://fidelis.com.ve/
  • Teléfono: +58-212-9860722
Fidelis Studio Flyers
Fidelis Studio Flyers

5 years to the Son of La Salsoteca of the moment, Lavoe

Latin America / Ecuador / Quito

On April 14, 5 years ago, a trend arrived in Quito. We will talk about a space that came to fill the great void in the salsa dancers of this beautiful capital, an alternative that became fashionable, a fashion that became customary and customary has become culture, how not to refer to Lavoe the site of meeting of Salsa in Ecuador.

This great Salsoteca has the perfect environment for lovers of good salsa and bachata, a context armed with paintings of the most important figures of Latin Caribbean music in the world, many of them autographed during their visit to this palace of dance, Well attenuated colors for an incredible freshness, a first class service that makes you the main artist of the night, we are talking about a 100% safe environment full of friendly people and ready to give you a fascinating moment.

Lavoe opens its doors from Tuesday to Saturday to offer you a week full of options, Tuesdays with romantic salsa, Wednesdays with the best of salsa brava with tributes to those great salsa singers of all time, Thursdays and Saturdays with Salsa and Bachata and Fridays with concerts by national and international orchestras, every day from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. with access only for adults.

In this same order of ideas, Lavoe maintains an annual festive calendar where we can count on special events during the year, concerts, talks, great festivals of orchestras and dance schools for 3 months of the year, closing with the great anniversary party where we can delight in the best rumba of the year.

Salsoteca Lavoe
Salsoteca Lavoe

This Salsoteca has earned the affection and appreciation of all of Quito not only for its excellent services and large spaces, but also for being an icon of contribution to the professional growth of all schools in the city, generating support activities for trips and participation in festivals. and congresses in the world where they manage to position Ecuadorian talent, already demonstrated by reviewing the trajectory of this beautiful country in congresses and salsa world championships.

Lavoe makes donations and imparts a culture of union and joint work among all these academic entities dedicated to the dissemination of Latin music in the capital, all guided by its main objective, to make the visitor enjoy a space dedicated to dance.

It is incredible to see how hundreds of people can enjoy good music, share and enjoy an environment adapted to this great discipline, from a professional dance floor made of eucalyptus wood with an air chamber to protect the dancers, to the perfect selection and location of furniture, tables and chairs, leaving the entire center of the premises for the main goal to be covered day by day, to ensure that visitors enjoy an ideal space to move their bodies.

Upon entering the venue, friendly staff who are happy to be part of this project welcome you, locate you and serve you from early in the evening. impossible to take risks in a family environment and friends who already have this night space as their great dance house, you can see adults from all walks of life, dancers, dancers, relatives of dancers, parents, grandparents, families themselves complete that can easily enjoy dance shows and night shows without having to have special conditions for it.

Our friend Diego, owner and main helmsman of this festive boat, tells us “… Lavoe was created with the concept of family, of a given space for sharing and dancing for all sectors of the city, we are inclusive, everyone has a place in this my house, your house…” and boy, do they take it seriously, there are no special conditions in clothing, nor preferences of color, creed or social race, everyone is welcome, yes, the only condition is to come wanting to dance, do it well, do it wrong, whether you know it or not, don’t worry the space is ready for it.

The surprises are present throughout the night, we can see the Barthender and waiters dance with the attendees, well yes, here every human being must participate in the atmosphere, how not to do it if even the staff that works is obliged to accept their invitation to dance, and beware, accept theirs, they know how to do it, they are great characters in this space, in a moment they receive you or serve you a cocktail and in a few minutes they could be enjoying a good piece of music with you.

Attend and join the great choreography that can be performed when listening to Salsa Choque, or enjoy listening to the crowd chant a good song or the show that is put together at the bar, it is an environment for the enjoyment of all generations, grandparents , parents, children and grandchildren, all together in a space of enjoyment, that is how Cristian Pérez, the founder dancer of Lavoe, told us, he has been attending for 5 years and does not stop doing so, he says ”

… during his 5 years he refers to a meeting space of the salsero of the city, I attend up to 3 times a week since there is no cost to enter, I can come with any of my friends, we all had a great time.”

Iñaquito and United Nations is located next to the Primax gas station, you can find it on Facebook as SalsotecaLavoeQuito, website www.salsotecalavoe.com and by Phone +593 993210464 do not stop attending, join the fashion of the capital of the center of the world, be part of this beautiful experience, there are two floors of pure enjoyment Lavoe awaits you.

For more information:

  • WedSite: https://www.salsotecalavoe.com/
  • Facebook: SalsotecaLavoeQuito Twitter: salsotecalavoe

John Leguizamo Returns to Broadway

North America / USA / New York

John Leguizamo returns to Broadway with the super production LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS for only 16 weeks, a comedy theater that will teach the audience the story of Latino immigrants in North America that you won’t find either in books or in the education provided in the schools of the country.

John Leguizamo returns to Broadway with the super production LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS
John Leguizamo returns to Broadway with the super production LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS

This sympathetic actor, comedian, and Colombian – American producer created this monologue due to the situation he faced a long time ago with his son. The child was being bullied in the private school that he attended in NYC for being one of the few children of Hispanic origin there. For that reason, and using homework of heroes assigned to his son, John began to teach him some Latino leaders who played big roles in American history. “Things were getting kind of rough out there…

And then, all of a sudden, we were in this dark episode where Latin people are being maligned and we’ve become the whipping post for the president. They even tried to pass the – show me your papers- law in Texas, basically profiling Latin people”, said Leguizamo to an American media.

After 4 years of research, this Emmy Award-winner actor, very happy, created this dramaturgy in which he reveals the struggle of 10,000 Latinos in the American Revolutionary War, the brave AfroCaribbean women in Virginia who sold their jewels to feed the patriots in the wars. The shocking truth of the Cuban woman, Loreta Velasquez, who joined the army in New Orleans and fought the front in three battles of the Civil War disguised as a man. And not in accordance with it, John will continue walking for 3000 years of history, he will make us cross three continents and tell us about different empires, Mayas, Aztecs and Incas.

John Leguizamo - Latin History for Morons - 3
John Leguizamo – Latin History for Morons – 3

He will speak of Montezuma and Menudo, Yes! You read well, “Menudo” and he will close the acts with traditional dances like the Cumbia and indigenous rituals without censorship. “I was so ignorant of my own history because it is not taught in schools. It was a huge hole in my education and it shouldn’t have been, because without us Latinos, America wouldn’t be the country that it is”, Leguizamo explained to an American media.

John, who acted in series such ER (Dr. Victor Clemente), films such as: Super Mario Bros (Luigi) and more recently Wick 2 (Aurelio), besides, the voice of Sid (the laziness) in Ice Age, he in Latin History for Morons has a very unique style, a mixture between a stand up and a traditional dramaturgy. “There are other characters on stage, which I play; I do scenes with them and there is a narrative moving forward… I like to take people there with mime, dance, and music – it is very physical… It’s amazing what the audience will allow you to do.

John Leguizamo - Latin History for Morons - 4
John Leguizamo – Latin History for Morons – 4

They will go with you anywhere as long as you stick to the rules that you set up at the beginning. That’s the beauty of theater. And that’s what makes me keep coming back. Anything is possible on stage. It seems to be the most democratic and egalitarian place in America for entertainment. Where else would Hamilton have happened? It couldn’t have happened in Hollywood, or on cable or the networks”, said Jhon Leguizamo in an interview.

John Leguizamo - Latin History for Morons - 2
John Leguizamo – Latin History for Morons – 2

For his solo work of 45min of duration and which began since the third week of October he had to prepare himself in boxing as well as in dance. Hard work he had to do every day. “I’ve learned to consolidate my storytelling and be more of myself. To not just be an entertainer, but allow my anger, my edgier sides – and allow people to be even more uncomfortable. I never wanted my shows to be just Pollyanna shows,” he also said, “Latin comedy is a full emotional experience.”

Latin History for Morons (a satirical History Class) back to John Leguizamo to Broadway, under the direction of the famous theater director Tony Taccone, who owns 36 years of Career and who currently is the artistic director of Berkeley Repertory Theater in Berkeley, California. Moreover, John made his first Broadway presentation in 1991 with “Mambo Mouth” winning an Obie and he was nominated several times for Tony Awards for “Freak” in 1998.

“Broadway is just a culmination of a lot of work, and it always feels so celebratory. It’s the gaining of the highest prize.” John Leguizamo.

John Leguizamo - Latin History for Morons - 1
John Leguizamo – Latin History for Morons – 1

Venue: STUDIO 54. 254 W. 54TH ST., NEW YORK, NY. Tickets: $79 – $139 To get more information like them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LatinHistory101/ or buy the tickets online through https://www.latinhistorybroadway.com/

Vinny Rivera releases his New Kizomba Hit “Compatible”

North America / USA / Massachusetts

The sensation of Kizomba music of all time, Victor Vincent Rivera, better known as Vinny Rivera, releases to the musical scene his new Kizomba single “Compatible” off the upcoming album “La Cosecha”. An album that will be centered in big melodies, the explosion of rhythms and the Tropical sound characteristic of Kizomba music and whose genre we have become accustomed to hear in his sweet and melodious voice.

Vinny Rivera
Vinny Rivera

The #1 Latin Kizomba Artist in the World who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, during his total successful European Tour where performed songs coming off of his album “La Torre”, Vinny achieved to conquer audiences of all ages, cultures and languages, falling in love to the international public.

Vinny has arrived this year with this new video of his most recently hit “Compatible” taking beautiful footage the Nederlands and starring with the international model Lillyann heaven, scenes in marvelous landscapes with a romantic history based on Rivera seducing a beautiful lady to establish a loving relationship with her. COMPATIBLE is destined to establish itself among the best song in the billboards of popularity in the world because it mixture sensuality with a cadence that invite you to dance softly with your dance partner to the rhythm of the Kizomba so popular in festivals and special events currently.

Vinny Rivera continues to shine in the music entertainment scene in America and the rest of the world increasing his fans between knower and professional dancers of this Latin Kizomba music, and if the LA COSECHA album will be so excellent like COMPATIBLE song, no doubt, he will be one of the artists with fruitful career and major projection nowadays…

art
 

Los Boleros Latin Band Bandleader Rudy Furlan kindly talked to us

Cuban music has managed to conquer so many hearts around the world that even many who were not born on the island have come to feel a great fascination for it. Such is the case of the bandleader and leader of Los Boleros Latin Band, Rudy Furlan, with whom we were able to talk for a few minutes about his career and his band.

Rudy playing the guitar
Rudy Furlan playing the guitar for the camera

How Rudy got started with music

Although Rudy was born in Guatemala, he moved to the United States when he was just three months old and has lived in the country ever since. His parents loved music and having parties at home, where various members of the family brought out guitars and broke into song to lighten the mood.

Most of his parents’ friends loved to sing boleros and the Latin classics of the time, which Rudy found pleasant and enjoyed musical activities of the adults around him to the point that he wanted to participate in those impromptu gigs within his means.

Soon after, he started taking guitar lessons at the age of nine, but it was at 16 that he started to take music more seriously and realized that he wanted to play the genres his parents always listened to such as bolero, cumbia, Cuban son, danzón, among others. Only drawback he found was that he could not find boys his age who wanted to play that kind of music, added to the fact that the communication possibilities that we enjoy today did not exist. 

So, Rudy had no choice but to start forming small bands with kids who lived on his block and play rock and other local genres that were normally played back then. However, this whole situation changed when he placed an ad on Craigslist (online classified company). That is when he finally managed to get the people he needed to play what he finally wanted to play and how he wanted to play it.

Rudy at the museum
Rudy Furlan at the Motown Museum in Detroit

Los Boleros Latin Band

Rudy finally fulfilled his dream of playing his parents’ favorite music as an adult and managed to recruit a group which he named Los Boleros Latin Band. The artist chose this name as a tribute to the genre he liked to listen to since his childhood, plus he likes how the name sounds.

In the early 2000s, he set up the band’s website to have an internet presence, which was not very common for Latin bands in Northern California in those years. There was so much rock and soul in that area, but Latin music did not have the boom that it has acquired today.

Practically from day one, they managed to have a lot of work in many events, which led several talented musicians to contact Rudy to work with him. One of them is vocalist Felix Samuel, who comes from Cuba and joined Los Boleros Latin Band in 2009. Felix comes from a family of professional musicians, so it was easy for him to integrate into his family’s craft and exercise it with the same talent and momentum as his relatives.

Something interesting to say about Samuel is that his talent began getting noticed, so he was recruited by an HBO producer to soundtrack the film ‘‘Hemingway & Gellhorn’’ with Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen.

Another important member of the band is Zareen Tangerine, who is also a vocalist in the group and joined it in 2000, making her one of the first to join Los Boleros Latin Band.

Another fundamental part of the band is David Somers, who is currently the group’s saxophonist, although he also plays the flute to perfection. 

Among other members, we can also mention bassist David Pinto, percussionist Dominic Cabrera and Oswaldo Carvajal, who also plays for La Moderna Tradición. 

Dominic, David, Felix, David, Rudy, and Zareen
Percussionist Dominic Cabrera, singer Felix Samuel, saxophonist David Somers, bandleader Rudy Furlan, and singer Zareen Tangerine

Great references and inspirations for the music Los Boleros Latin Band makes

A few years ago, Rudy bought an album by Buena Vista Social Club, which he says changed his life completely and made him change direction in terms of the music. He listened to the material every day for months, to the point that he even memorized the songs and started playing them with his guitar.

When forming Los Boleros Latin Band, his musicians played many songs from that album and other great artists such as Eliades Ochoa, Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Omar Portuando and many others. 

Those already mentioned were some of the greatest inspirations Rudy and the members of the band had for their project, this being the vision with which the artist wants to go on through time as far as possible.

Read also: Producer, composer, and guitarist Oscar Almonte innovates with Dominican music

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International Salsa Magazine (ISM) is a monthly publication about Salsa activities around the world, that has been publishing since 2007. It is a world network of volunteers coordinated by ISM Magazine. We are working to strengthen all the events by working together.