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The Tempo Latino Festival is Back

The major European festival of Latin and Afro-Cuban music will present Los Van Van, Pacific Mambo Orquestra, Interactivo, and Minyo Crusaders (H2)

The benchmark Festival of Latin and Afro-Cuban music in Europe, Tempo Latino, resumes its activities after the forced cessation of its activities for two years due to the Pandemic.

From Thursday, July 28th to Sunday, July 31st, on the main stage Les Arènes, the whole family, heterogeneous public, and inveterate traveler will enjoy the performances of Los Van Van, Pacific Mambo Orquestra, and Interactivo, as well as an exceptional set & exclusive presentation on Saturday, July 30th  at 11 PM of “Con Tumbao All Stars” with the winners of Best Traditional Tropical Album at the Latin Grammy 2021 for their album “Chachachá…Homenaje a lo Tradicional”, Issac Delgado and Alain Pérez, as well as Oscar Hernández, Robby Ameen, Tony Succar, and many more.

Minyo Crusaders rediscovered the songs associated with the working classes.

The festival to be held in Vic-Fezensac, the heart of the Gers de Gascony department (France), will open its doors on Thursday, July 28th, with Tempo Latino Social Club on the stage of its satellite “Geo-rhythmic” Conga with a special performance by the Tokyo band, Minyo Crusaders.

This Cumbia band with a Japanese identity aims to make reversals between the traditional and foreign rhythms. Guitarist Katsumi Tanaka was in charge of bringing together the twelve musicians to perform these magnificent melodies with a fusion of the Caribbean (Reggae, Cumbia, and Cuban Salsa), Africa (Afro-Blues, Afro-Funk, Ethiopian rhythm), and Asia (Thai Pop) after of the Fukushima accident in 2011. The ticket for this show costs €15.80, and the opening is at 6 PM.

Pacific Mambo Orchestra is the only active Latin Big Band on the West Coast of the United States.

Continue on Friday, July 29th with the concerts of the Pacific Mambo Orchestra and Los Van Van together with the Cuban trumpeter, composer, singer, and leader of the band Havana D’Primera, Alexander Abreu.

The first orchestra to perform at the festival in its twenty-eighth edition at 9 PM will be the Pacific Mambo Orchestra. This North American band, a winner of the Grammy Award in the category “Best Tropical Album” in 2014, is the revival of the Latin sound of the Big Bands of the 40s with the combination of Mambo, Pop, Cha Cha, Timba, and Bolero. Pacific Mambo Orchestra founded 12 years ago by the Mexican pianist Christian Tumalan and the German trumpeter Steffen Kuehn has collaborated with renowned artists such as Carlos Santana, Poncho Sánchez, Pete Escovedo, and Arturo Sandoval.

Currently, this Latin Big Band performs on the West Coast of the United States with elite musicians from the Bay Area, and their repertoire is in English and Spanish. Their third album “The III Side” (2020) fuses the traditions of the Mambo of the 50s with the musicality of the moment. This Latin Big Ban considered one of the best in the United States will also is at the prestigious San Francisco Annual Jazz Festival on Wednesday, June 8th from 7:30 PM to 9 PM. Address: Miner Auditorium, 201 Franklin Street, San Francisco (EEUU).

“Legado” is an album in homage to the legacy left by maestro Samuel Formell.

The second orchestra is to take the stage on Friday at 11 PM and will be Los Van Van with their special guest Alexander Abreu. The emblematic Cuban music orchestra will celebrate its more than 5 decades of history.

Los Van Van known by many as the “Rolling Stones of Salsa” was founded in 1969 by bassist and composer Juan Formell, a legend of Cuban music, who accompanied by José Luis Quintana, known as “Changuito” and César “Pupy ” Pedroso, invented the “Songo”, a Cuban rhythm predecessor of the “Timba” or “Salsa Cubana”, which generated the “Salsa – Son” with a Cuban sound that has made generations dance.

In 2018, they recorded their first record production “Legado” since the physical departure of Juan Formell in 2014. This tribute album has 14 songs with 3 new versions of the international singles Te extraño, Por qué lo haces y Amiga mía.

On the third day of the Festival, Saturday, July 30th, the Latin sound will be awakened by the performances of the Interactivo group and the exclusive presentation of “Con Tumbao All Stars”. On Sunday, July 31st, Tempo Latino will close its doors on the Les Arènes stage with London Afrobeat Collective and Alain Pérez & La Orquesta Bassiste.

Most of the members of Interactive are representatives of currents such as Nueva Trova, son, and Cuban jazz.

The avant-garde collective, Interactivo, is one of the most representative bands of the current Cuban generation and will take to the Tempo Latino stage at 9 PM.

This emerging orchestra of international stages brings together the most brilliant and eclectic composers and producers in Havana. Each member contributes their specialty: Timba, Funk, Jazz, Hip Hop, Rock, Rumba, traditional Cuban music, and Soul for a result of great richness, where individual originality, musical creativity, and avant-garde ideas enrich the group.

London Afrobeat Collective has hypnotic flashes and powerful percussive beats.

Similarly, the addictive London Afrobeat Collective has been offering festive music based on Jazz, Funk, Rock, Dumb, and African Vibes for ten years. Its international DNA made up of nine members from England, Italy, France, Congo, Argentina, and New Zealand with the powerful voice of the Congolese singer Juanita Euka has made its rhythm addictive music with powerful and committed messages. The London-based band will open the night of concerts on Sunday, July 31st at 9 PM.

Alain Perez and the Bassiste Orchestra will offer a mixed show of Salsa, Son, Timba, and Latin Jazz

This musical evening ends with Alain Perez, bassist, singer, arranger, and who composes his orchestra of 13 young musicians on stage to offer a mixed show of contemporary Cuban Salsa, Timba, and Latin Jazz. His talent has given him wonderful experiences with internationally famous orchestras and musicians such as Los Van Van, Irakere, Issac Delgado, Paquito D’Rivera, and Celia Cruz. Always accompanied by his elephant-headed cane, in homage to Cuban musician Benny Moré, Alain has been influenced by flamenco through his work with Cuban artist Paco de Lucía.

The versatile artist born in Havana was twice-nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards in the category of Best Traditional Tropical Music Album with “El alma del Son, tribute to Matamoros” (2015) and “ADN” as Best Salsa Album. (2017).

El Cuento de la Buena Pipa (2020) is his most recent record production, and you can enjoy it on the main stage of the festival at 11 PM.

You can get the tickets for Tempo Latino 2022 on their official site http://www.tempo-latino.com/ for a four-beat tempo. The Tickets for the four nights of concerts are €86.70.

And while you wait for the Tempo Latino Festival (28th edition) you can enjoy its free predecessor event Clutcho at La Grainerie this May 4th. This place is emblematic of the circus and itinerant disciplines that take place with a large space that involves a large open-air square, and a performance hall with a capacity for 230 people through an “interior street” that serves for creative studios and workshops.

You will hallucinate with these 4 Salsa clubs in Spain

Barcelona is the second destination city with the major Salsero movement in the Iberian Peninsula

After the Spanish capital, Barcelona, ​​Galicia, and Alicante are the main cities with the greatest salsa identity.

During the 90s this tropical rhythm began to be adopted in the territory and the first cities to put aside the prejudice toward Latin music were Madrid, Murcia, Cádiz, and Galicia, although Salsa was always heard in the Canary Islands but that is a story that we will tell later.

Currently, Barcelona is the second city with the most salsa movement and there are many options where you can enjoy an amazing dance experience in combination with tropical music and amplified energy. So, we will give you a guide to four clubs that have left their mark in Spain with Latin rhythms and which we assure you that you will love a lot.

Mojito Club

Mojito Club is 100% Salsa & Bachata on Thursdays and Sundays

If there is a place where you can go dancing Salsa and enjoy an unforgettable night out, that place is Mojito Club. Indeed, this club is a reference for Salsa in one of the fascinating cities in Spain with architectural landmarks and where more people like this Caribbean rhythm, Barcelona. On its dance floor, you can have a great time until dawn. Thursdays are from 11 PM with the usual Salsa and the most current Latin sounds with local DJs. Does it surprise you? Wait, there is still more to celebrate. On Fridays and Saturdays, they play the most international Latin music and on Sundays, it’s student day from 8 PM.

Mojito Club also has a dance school where they teach classes of Salsa and Bachata to start or improve. These lessons are entertaining, educational, and fun. Each course is 10 hours long and the lessons are from Monday to Friday. It’s not necessary to attend as a couple. Registration is free and costs € 29 per month.

The charm of Mojito Club https://mojitobcn.com/ is located at Rosellón Street, 217. 08008 Barcelona.

Sabor Cubano Sarrià

Luis Alberto Díaz “El Negri” plays the big hits of traditional Cuban music on salsa nights

It’s true Barcelona is almost the cradle of Salsa in this European country. Sabor Cubano Sarrià is one of the town’s Salsa clubs. This Night Club offers live music with the virtuous Cuban pianist, Luis Alberto Díaz “El Negri” also you can dance to the melodies of Cuban Salsa, International Salsa, Bachata, and urban rhythms with DJs. Here, you will find Salsa and Bachata teachers who give free lessons for beginners at 8 PM every Sunday with minimum consumption. Sabor Cubano Sarrià https://www.facebook.com/saborcubanoclub is one of the clubs where you can have fun with the two most widespread Latin dances in the world. It opens its doors from 7 PM to 12:30 AM and you can find it at Calle Marià Cubí 4. 08006 Barcelona.

Baby’Oh

Baby’Oh is a meeting point for lovers of Salsa, Bachata, and Kizomba

Baby’Oh is another fantastic club to enjoy Salsa and is easy to locate in Alicante at Calle Sabadell, 16, 03203 Elx. It is characterized by having a large room to dance and slide with quick movements and turns. It has a terrace for smokers, V.I.P and Reserved areas, as well as Table Service. Additionally, Baby’Oh https://www.facebook.com/babyohelche/ offers monthly events, workshops (Saturdays), and live performances with stars and emerging Salsa and Bachata artists.

Salason

This cultural platform is designed with exceptional acoustics and cutting-edge technology.

The last stop in this guide with the four Salsa clubs in Spain with which we assure you that you will hallucinate is Salason. Of course, you will learn Cuban-style Salsa and Rueda Casino as well as traditional Bachata lessons with maximum fun, coordination of movements, and body language.

You can practice on Tuesdays in two groups: Students (intermediate level), the Salsa lessons start at 8 PM, and the Bachata group starts at 8:30 PM.

Thursdays are classes for beginners with two choice times: 8 PM and 9:30 PM.

Salason https://salason.es/ is a structured building with three independent rooms but complementary to each other and is located in the northwest of the country at Calle Lirio, 30 Cangas Do Morrazo, 36940, Galicia.

La Sonora Ponceña Returns To Salsa County

The only performance with Yolanda Rivera & Mario “Mayito” Rivera will be at the Lehman Center

The name “La Sonora Ponceña” is in honor of the Cuban band La Sonora Matancera and its hometown (Ponce – Puerto Rico)

La Sonora Ponceña “National Treasure of Puerto Rico” together with its leader Enrique Arsenio “Papo” Lucca returns to Salsa County (The Bronx) with the special guests Yolanda Rivera and the Cuban singer Mario “Mayito” Rivera (former member of Los Van Van) onstage at one of New York’s leading non-profit performing arts centers, Lehman Center.

This unique presentation, long-awaited by its fans, will be on Saturday, May 14th at 8 PM at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts located at 250 Bedford Park Blvd West, Bronx, New York 10468 and the online price per ticket ranges from between $45 – $100. https://www.lehmancenter.org/sonora-poncena

La Sonora Ponceña gained popularity in 1960 during its trip to New York City to give a series of presentations and established itself as one of the most demanded orchestras among Hispanics.

The legendary band, for more than 65 years, has made uninterrupted performances and has been recognized as one of the best Salsa orchestras for its fusion of traditional Cuban sounds with the modern style of Latin Jazz.

In 1967, under the direction of Papo Lucca, they released the first LP Hachero Pa’ Un Palo with the Inca label (a subsidiary of Fania). This album was an overwhelming success in New York as well as its second record production Fuego en el 23 (1969). The famous band from Puerto Rico recorded 29 more albums for this record label, including eight with the singer Yolanda Rivera, La Ceiba with Cuban singer Celia Cruz (1979), and in 1980 New Heights from which they began to establish the internationalization of the orchestra.

Musical Hegemony consists of 8 tracks including Caminando Con Mi Padre, Nadie Toca Como Yo, and Borrachera

This last year (2021), during the pandemic period, La Sonora Ponceña launched two new record productions: Hegemonía Musical (June 2021) and Christmas Star (November 2021).

The last one is the fourth Christmas-themed album in his career. “Thirteen years after our last Christmas production, we seek to present a record work that is a true reflection of the sound and musical quality that we always want to offer our audience”, Papo Lucca told digital media.

While “Salsa Que Cura To” is the first single taken from their most recent album Hegemonía Musical and whose authorship and interpretation is by Jorge Nicolai Avilés (vocalist of the band) with musical arrangements by Papo. Musical Hegemony, nominated in the Tropical Album of the Year category at the Billboard 2021 awards, was made with great dedication and professionalism as indicated on its official social media. “…We thank the public for the support they have been giving to this latest album that was worked with much love and dedication to the memory of our always remembered Enrique “Quique” Lucca Caraballo (RIP) and all our dear followers… And we will continue working as we have been doing for 67 years to place in your consideration what best of our music, soul, perseverance, and professionalism that seek to bring joy and enjoyment to all our dancers… Thank you very much!”

The song “Borinquen” (1980) with Sonora Ponceña becomes her a famous Salsa star

Yolanda Rivera will also perform at this event. She was born in Ponce (Puerto Rico) and moved to New York City with her family during her childhood. Her first opportunity as a singer was in 1969 in Willie Rosario’s band. In 1975 she returned to Puerto Rico and performed in several orchestras, including Joe Rodríguez’s La Terrifica. Her career reached its peak when she joined La Sonora Ponceña in 1977. The song “Borinquen” from the album Unchained Forcede (1980), a musical tribute to her native country (Puerto Rico), made her a Salsa star. Yolanda Rivera is considered one of the main and most famous singers of La Sonora Ponceña with songs like “Rumba en el Patio” and “Madrugador”. Her repertoire includes Salsa, Plena, Bolero, Guaguancó, Son Montuno, and Guaracha.

Mario “Mayito” Rivera (El Poeta de La Rumba)

The second special guest tonight will be Mario “Mayito” Rivera. His vocal skill and masterful interpretation of Cuban music in modern and traditional styles earned him the nickname “El Poeta de La Rumba”. Mayito was born in Pinar del Río (Cuba) and has training degrees from the National School of Art and the Higher Institute of Art. After his educational training in Cuba, he joined the band of the Cuban singer Albita Rodríguez and played bass in the Moncada group. From 1992 to 2011, Mayito was the lead voice and face of the successful Cuban band, Los Van Van, earning a Latin GRAMMY® and two nominations with them.

Current news in the San Francisco Bay Area

What is happening now?

Tito Garcia-The Doctor of Salsa, the renowned colorful bandleader and timbalero of Tito Garcia y Orquesta Internacional passed away on Saturday, April 23rd after a long battle with cancer.  Tito has performed Salsa and Charanga in the 1970’s with the seminal SF based bands Ritmo 74 and later Charanga Rene Del Mar. He later spearheaded the band “Orquesta Salsa Dulce” in the late 1980’s which morphed into the first edition of his band La International featuring a young Julio Bravo on coro in the early 1990’s.  La Internacional were remembered for their explosive performances by dancers and aficionados.

Tito was a staple at the late, famed salsa palace Cafe Cocomo with his monthly “Mambo Saturdays” during the early 2000’s. I often was the DJ during those hot nights. His band featured fine musicians and vocalists such as former Batachanga vocalist Ricky Rangel, congueros Eddie Borrero and Sandy Perez of Los Muñequitos De Matanzas and keyboardist Coto Pincheira who relocated to New York.

Tito García had been fitghing against, cancer, which took his life at the end

Tito resurfaced after his bout with Cancer in 2020 to relaunch La Internacional but the comeback was short lived due to his health issues. He later hosted some outdoor rumba sessions near his new home of Vallejo but those dates were limited due to COVID restrictions. He relapsed during his recent trip to Costa Rica and died due to complications with his recovery.  He will be sorely missed.

Don’t forget coming up on Friday, May 6th at 8 pm with be the tremendous Cuban music double bill of “El Tren De Cuba”…Los Van Van and Alexander Abreu y Havana d’Primera at the UC Theatre, 2036 University Avenue in Berkeley. Two of the powerhouses of Cuban Popular music are appearing together for the first time in the US and on only certain dates of the tour…SF Bay Area residents are blessed to have this double bill play here!  DJ Antonio will spin in-between sets.  I will be your MC for the evening. Run to get your tickets because they’re going fast!  For more information, go to jaffeevents.com

Salsa superstar Oscar D’Leon and his orchestra will visit the SF Bay on Saturday, May 21 at Roccapulco, 3140 Mission St. in San Francisco. Oscar is still one of the dynamos to watch perform live…a tremendous show!  Guayacan Orquesta from Colombia will also play on Friday, May 13 at the Mission Street hot spot.  Also coming to Roccapulco Sat. June 11th…the Homenaje A La Musica Cubana featuring Mayito Rivera, Alain Perez, Yeny Valdes, Lily Hernandez “La Amaona” and Julio Cesar “JC Five” plus DJ Walt Digz (SF) and DJ Jimmy Rumba (LA) and on Thursday, July 7th…the explosive sounds of Pupy Y Los Que Son Son direct from Cuba.

Oscar D’ León will be in the San Frrancisco Bay Area on 21 May

SF JAZZ and the San Francisco Jazz Festival are featuring an impressive array of Salsa, Cuban and Latin Jazz starting Wednesday June 8 with Pacific Mambo Orchestra.  Followed by Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Grammy nominee Aymee Nuviola 6/9; Chucho Valdes with Dianne Reeves and Joe Lovano 6/12; Changui Majadero 6/13, Danilo Perez Global Messengers 6/14; Issac Delgado’s Con Tumbao Project w/Miguel Zenon, Oscar Hernandez, Pedrito Martinez, Alain Perez, Tony Succar and more 6/18.  SF JAZZ and Stanford University co-presents Eddie Palmieri and Arturo Sandoval at Stanford’s Frost Amphiteater on July 23.  Info: www.sfjazz.org.

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival will begin Saturday, May 7th from 1 to 2:30 pm with a free concert featuring local treasure Jesus Diaz y Su Habana Afro-Cuban Ensemble featuring a lineup of heavyweights from Cuba and the SF Bay including Ariacne Trujillo Duran, Leider Chappotin, Raul Pineda, Roberto Junior Vizcaino, Karl Perazzo, Jeff Cressman, Melecio Magdaluyo and Julio De La Cruz.  The Yerba Buena Gardens is located on Mission Street between 3rd and 4th Streets in San Francisco.  Visit ybgfestival.org for more information.  There will also be an after party featuring Jesus Diaz and the Habana Afro-Cuban Ensemble and DJ Carlitos Way at the Elbo Room, 311 Broadway in Oakland.

The San Francisco Carnaval and much more

The annual Carnaval San Francisco is back on the streets of San Francisco on Sat, May 28 and Sun. May 29th with the theme Colores De Amor.  The two day festival will take place on Harrison between 17th and 22nd Streets from 11 am to 6 pm.  The grand parade will take place on Sunday, May 29th starting at 9:30 am on 24th and Byrant Streets.  Scheduled to perform will be Jesus Diaz y Su QBA, Momotombo, Sambada, Javier Navarette & His Socially Distant Friends, Dos Four, Puro Bandido, Namorados da Lua, Annette Aguilar & West Coast Stringbeans, Susanna y Orquesta Adelante, Magna Fresq, Los Allegres Callejeros, Aqua Pura, Mariachi Juvenil, Azul Latino and more.  Headliners TBA.  Food, Beer, Crafts, DJ areas and Cannabis gardens on the grounds.  Free!   For more information: carnavalsanfrancisco.org.

There is a new Salsa scene happening on Thursdays starting May 12th at Charley’s LG, 15 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos presented by your friends at International Salsa Magazine.  Opening night at this state of the art club will feature the swinging sounds of the multi-talented vocalist/conguero Edgardo Cambon and Candela.  I, Luis Medina from KPFA/WSR and International Salsa Magazine will be your DJ.  World Salsa Radio DJ El De La Clave will also be in the house. Dance lessons by Migi & Angel starts at 8:00 pm.  Music starts at 9 pm.  The upcoming schedule is the following: Julio Bravo and Salsabor 5/19, Manny Martinez and La Rebeldia 5/26 and the Charanga sounds of Orquesta La Moderna Tradición 6/2.  Thursday nights just got hotter in the South Bay…be there!!

Edgardo Cambón at The Seahorse Restaurant, Sausalito

The Ramp at 855 Terry Francois Blvd in San Francisco continues to present Salsa orchestras on Saturday afternoons starting at 5 pm.  The night is closed on June 7th for a private event, The Ramp’s first Salsa festival featuring 2 bands: Gary Flores y su orquesta Salsa Caliente and Eric Rangel and Orquesta America 5/14, The Latin Rhythm Boys 5/21 and Louie Romero and Mazacote on May 28th.  DJ Mendy spins in-between sets and after the live music from 9 to 11 pm.   The Ramp has a great patio overlooking the SF Bay and serves food and drinks.

The Seahorse located at 305 Harbor Drive in Sausalito features live music plus KPOO-KPFA DJ Jose Ruiz on Saturday and Sundays.   Sat, April 30th features La Clave Del Blanco, Rene Escovedo Salsa Band with Ric Feliciano Sun 5/1; Edgardo Cambon & Candela Sun, 5/8; Orquesta Timbalero Sat, 5/14; Louie Romero & Mazacote Sun, 5/15; Susanna y Adelante Sat, 5/21; Orquesta La Original w/Alexis Guillen 5/22; Pepe Y Su Orquesta Sat. 5/28; and Orquesta Taino Sun. 5/29.  Enjoy the fine Italian cuisine, beer, wine and ambiance both indoors and the outdoor patio at this scenic spot just crossing the bridge to Marin County.

The Cigar Bar, 850 Montgomery St. in San Francisco is a favorite spot to dine, have drinks, enjoy a cigar in the courtyard and dance to hot Salsa music.  The calendar for May includes Manteca 5/6, Orquesta Timbalero 5/7, Somos El Son 5/13, Josh Jones Latin Jazz Ensemble 5/14, N’Rumba 5/20, Edgardo y Candela 5/21, Orquesta Taino 5/27 and La Clave Del Blanco 5/28.

René Escovedo will perform at the Seahorse Restaurant, Sausalito, on May 1

DJ Walt Digz has a hot Wednesday night Cuban scene “El Timbon” happening at the Slate Bar, 2925-16th Street in San Francisco.  Digz also hosts his own livestream called “El Timbon” featuring the latest Timba, Cuban Salsa and Cubaton videos every Tuesday night from 7 to 9 pm on Twitch.  He also keeps busy by hosting the monthly Fresquecito Saturday nights at La Furia Chalaca in Oakland and the outdoor El Timbon En El Callejon Sundays from 3 to 8 pm at Vida Cantina, 56 Belden Place in San Francisco.  Digz also continues his original Friday La Tropi-Cal monthly at Il’ Pirata in SF with Añejo Productions now going on their 21st year!

Berkeley’s Ecology Center will present the Berkeley Farmer’s Market Salsa Festival on Saturday, May 21 from 10 am-5 pm.  This free event will feature Christian Pepin and Orquesta Bembe, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Peruvian keyboardist Erick Peralta and Band, Berkeley High School Youth Ensemble and the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble.  Dance performance and Dance lessons by Rebecca Galindo.  Food, crafts and more. For more information, visit www.ecologycenter.org. 

Don’t forget to check out my radio programs: Con Sabor now in it’s 25th Anniversary Year on KPFA 94.1 FM every Saturday night from 9 to 11 PM PST and Sabiduria Con Tumbao every Wednesday night 5 to 7 pm PST on WorldSalsaRadio.com.

That’s it for this month!  Ciao 4 now!

Incredible conversation with Felipe Martínez about his career in the SF Bay Area

Here is the conversation 

We are here with Felipe Martínez. He is a dance instructor, broadcaster and event organizer. Good afternoon, Mr. Martinez, how are you today?

Very good afternoon. Thank you very much for the invitation.

How did you start your way in the world of music? Did you do it in your native Colombia or there in the United States?

It officially started officially here in the United States, but Colombia also played an important role in this process. In my country, I played soccer and many of my football buddies came from the coast or north of Colombia. I am from the center of the country in Bogotá. When it was our turn to meet in the bus that would take us to our place of practice, each one of them carried a cassette tape to listen to salsa or music from the Colombian Caribbean. That is how I was gradually introduced into the world of music and got interested in salsa and Caribbean music, but I grew up listening to rock and pop.

Felipe Martínez in his studio

So, we can say that your taste in music started in Colombia, but you developed professionally in the United States, is that right?

That is correct. When I came to the United States, I started dancing professionally.

You started working as a dance instructor and then as a DJ when you arrived in the United States. Meaning that you had no experience in these things from your country, but you gained it in your new country of residence.

That is right. In the case of locution, I worked as a radio host for about three years in Colombia. I hosted a show with my friends while attending high school, but we were dedicated to rock because it was the genre I listened to the most. When I came to the United States in 1998, I started dancing, working with several dance companies, and studying for a while before I started teaching, so it did not happen immediately. I studied for about four years, and after that, I decided to teach. As for my work as a DJ, that almost happened immediately. In 1999, I started making music in a little club called Café Caracas in Berkley. It was by pure chance because the hired DJ didn’t show up, so the owner of the club asked me to play for a while to cover that space. I replied yes, so I started playing music that night and it all worked out. They proposed me to keep doing it permanently, I accepted and that’s how my career as a DJ began.

Luis Medina told me in his interview that he is sometimes forced to play music he doesn’t really like, but it’s what the public wants. Apart from salsa, what other genres do you play or mix?

Salsa is just a general term for all these rhythms we have. I usually mix salsa with bachata, merengue or cha cha chá. However, I don’t usually include reggaeton in my repertoire despite its popularity.

Felipe Martínez in his work as a DJ

How World Salsa Radio started

How did World Salsa Radio start? What drove you to found it?

Worldsalsaradio.com (www.worldsalsaradio.com) started as an adventure alongside a friend at another radio station. The main idea was to educate listeners about the history of records and what they include such as singers, artists, musicians, etcetera. These days, you buy an MP3, but all you can see is the name of the song and the picture, so you lose all the album information such as credits, recording place, among other details.

In my travels around the world, I have known many DJs, whom I contacted when this project started to get them to this station to do shows. Remember that the main objective was to educate the public, then, the guy with whom we started the station took a different path because we had artistic differences, so we decided to separate.

That’s how World Salsa Radio started. During the pandemic in 2020, I was here at home for about three or four months arranging everything. I invited two other friends from the Bay Area, one of them was DJ Orlando Felix, DJ Boricua, and Ivette Fuentes, DJ La Coqui. The three of us started shaping the idea of World Salsa Radio with the same goal of educating as in the beginning. I take care of all the technical part, invite DJs to play, teach them to use the software and tell them what to say. We are already 27 DJs from all over the world and, at the moment, DJ Boricua and I are the ones who run the station.

Indeed, you have DJs from the five continents. How did you manage to unite them all in the same project?

I think the idea that brings us together is the goal of educating the public that listens to us. We want to play great music, but we also want to educate people about what we play. This is something that attracks music collectors because all that information is being lost due to the digital age. I know many who are on World Salsa Radio in person, but I heard the rest of them by other means such as a Facebook Live or YouTube. I contact the ones I like, we exchange ideas and it is explained to them what they should do.

Cuban singer Omara Portuondo and Felipe Martínez

What have been the most noticeable differences in the team?

Each DJ has a different style. We all have a different style even though we are playing Afro-Latin music. Everything played here in California is very different from everything played in Lithuania. Although we all collect the same music, everyone plays it differently.

How dod the public receive World Salsa Radio?

At first, the audicence reception was very small. The first month, we had barely 300 listeners, but we have a very large group of listeners who stay tuned to us despite the time. There are about 100 listeners who are permanently connected with us. We started the project during the pandemic, which was very good for us because everyone was home. So, people who enjoy this music, dancers or musicians listened to our shows on a recurring basis. Two years later, there are already 16,000 people who tune us in every month.

There are many people supporting us without any profit motive because we do this for free. No one is paying us to move the project forward, so we are financed by donations. We also have great support on the advertising side, which has helped us grow.

World Salsa Radio is now ruled by Felipe Martínez

As a dancer and instructor, what do you think people are most passionate about in your classes? What rhythms do they enjoy the most?

As to how I teach, I use percussion much. Since I play the conga, I use this tool to give my classes. I try not to give so much importance to numbers. Many instructors use counting to teach their students, but I try to keep out of it and use percussion. For example, I use the clave and the tumbao.

I think this method works best. If you go to a club with an orchestra playing, the singer is not going to be counting on you to dance, he’s going to be focused on making his music and providing entertainment. For the same reason, you must learn to follow the music without counting.

What have you done to balance all your activities in music?

My activities are linked, but they are separated at the same time. My personal projects have nothing to do with World Salsa Radio. However, when an event invites several DJs from the station, the World Salsa Radio logo joins that production. However, I try to take things apart most of the time.

Your pages, social networks and links to financially support the station.

You can find all the information through worldsalsaeradio.com. In the main part, there is a button that says Donations, which takes you to the station’s PayPal account. People can donate whatever they want to help us, but nothing happens if they can’t. In that case, they can spread the word about the station. In that case, they can show what we do through their social networks and give us publicity.

Felipe Martínez does not combine his activities

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