Search Results for: Salsa Fest

El Cerrito Studio

North America / San Francisco / California

The Cuban sound, mixing and mastering engineer, winner and multiple times nominated for the Latin Grammy Award, Oscar Autie together with his wife, producer and composer, Kenya Autie gave life to the most ambitious project of their lives, they established in the area of San Francisco bay, CA, one of the best and most recognized recording studio, mixing, mastering and production, El Cerrito Studio.

A recording studio equipped with the most advanced technology and equipment, three rooms of recording and a control room completely isolated acoustically treated to achieve a quality work for all styles and musical genres.

Oscar Autie was born in La Habana, Cuba. Since 6 years old he played the acoustic guitar and his formal musical training began at 9 years old through private classes.

Oscar studied musical composition, arrangements and production at the National School of Arts of Cuba (ENA) where he graduated with a Degree in Guitar Interpretation. He also trained in drums and piano, and holds a degree in Electronics and Acoustics in a Technical School in La Habana.

When he was 20 years old and while living in Cuba, Oscar worked as a Recording Engineer at EGREM (main recording studio and music distributor in the capital at that time). He was also the Sound Engineer during the Tour of prestigious Cuban bands, such as: Isaac Delgado, Síntesis and Arte Vivo, and at the National Theater of Havana. He provided sound engineering for live shows by world-renowned artists such as: Oscar De Leon, Astor Piazzolla, Sierra Maestra and Silvio Rodriguez, among many others. In addition to all this, this wonderful musician recorded many albums during his stay in this AfroCaribbean country.

This voting member, engineer from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy) and the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy Latino), a voting member of the P & E (Wing of Producers and Engineers), and member of the Audio Engineering Society moved to the US in 1992 in search of more advancement opportunities. Once installed in California, the talented Oscar Autie has been working on live performances, recording the mixes and mastering albums of a large number of industry musicians such as the nominees and winners of the Latin Grammy: Yalil Guerra, Mister G, Yosvany Terry, Diego El Cigala, Paco De Lucia, Fito Paez, and Mayito Rivera (Van Van) among other personalities of the artistic guild.

Integrants El Cerrito Studio - Photo — Integrants El Cerrito Studio – Photo

Also, he has been Technical Director and Sound Engineer for the prestigious Flamenco Festival of Bay Area since its inception in 2005. Oscar is currently recording and producing other albums for other artists.

In the other hand, the Cuban producer, Kenya Auntie studied guitar at the Conservatorio of Guanabacoa in La Habana and she was the first woman to play the guitar in a rock band on the island, being an inspiration figure for other women with the same musical interest. Kenya has participated in the production of projects such as: Arise Above Abuse, Clave:

Chamber Music, Vol. VI, Stand Before The Systems and Presidential Suite. Currently, this composer and co-owner of El Cerrito Studio continues to contribute her skills in projects with upcoming releases.

El Cerrito Studio operates under the label of El Cerrito Productions, a record company of licenses, promotions and publications. They make reservations to Artists from all over the world and from all styles of music.

They perform recording, mixing, mastering, production, composition, arrangement, transcripts, and promotion.

This studio represents the experience, creativity and professionalism that have made it stand out as one of the best recording studios in the San Francisco area. Prominent companies such as: Leap Frog, The Warner Brothers, Beyond Translations and Playsongs have made their recordings there. In addition, Deepak Chopra recorded and mixed his most recent album and book “Home” in this studio.

“I have been working as an engineer since my first 20 years. Engineering is a passion for me. I love music and being an engineer allows me to be part of many interesting and meaningful musical projects …” Oscar Auntie.

To more information, please visit http://www.elcerritostudio.com/ or like them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/elcerritorecords/

Asia / April 2025

Calibrated maracas

Directory of Asian nightclubs
HONG KONG
Graffiti LKF G/F, 17-18 Lan Kwai Fong, Central Central, Hong Kong	SOLAR LKF Central 2nd Floor, Ho Lee Commercial Building, 38-44 D’Aguilqr Street, Lang Kwai Fong Central HKI Hong Kong	Sole Mio Upper Ground Floor, 51 Elgin Street, Soho Central Hong Kong, Hong Kong
ISRAEL
	Havana Music Club Yigal Alon St 126 Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel +972 3-562-3456
JAPAN
Egoland Bar Akihabara Chiyoda City, Kanda Sakumacho, 4 7－3 2F Tokyo, Japan	Bar Mirage 5F VORT Roppongi Briller, 3-14-14 Roppongi, Minato-ku Tokyo 106-0032, Japan +03-5860-6946	Fiesta Latin Spot Bar 3F, 1 Chome-14-6 Kabukicho, Shinjuku City Tokyo 160-0021, Japan +81 90-1086-2878
El Cafe Latino 3 Chome-15-24 Roppongi, Minato City Tokyo 106-0032, Japan +81 3-3402-8989	Latin Club Leon 5-17-6 B1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0022, Japan	La Tropi Azabu 3F Roppongi Azelea Bldf. 1-3-6 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku Tokyo1060031, Japan
THAILAND
Bafros Sugar Club Complex Sukhumvit Soi 11 Bangkok 10110, Thailand +66 63 039 8700	Havana Social 1/1 Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 11 Bangkok, Thailand +66 2 821 6111
VIETNAM
La Habanera Basement 81 xuân diệu Tay Ho Hanoi 100000, Vietnam +84 35 320 7220	La Pachanga Club Saigon 3rd Floor, 39A Co Bac Street, Cau Ong Lanh Ward, District 1 Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam +84 93 855 79 21

Karina Bernales present

APRIL 2025

FESTIVALS

Latin Notion Dance Festival

Apr 17 / 20 2025

Pamookkoo Resort
70/1 Thanon Kata, Tambon Karon, Amphoe Mueang Phuket, Chang Wat
Phuket, Thailand 83100

From THB 5,912.50

Africa / April 2025

Directory of African nightclubs
ANGOLA
Casa da Música Talatona Avenida S8, Espaços Avenida, 2do anda, porta 36,Talatona Luanda, Angola	Marginal Lounge Avenida 4 de Fevereiro, Marginal de Luanda, Edifício Deana Day Spa Luanda, Angola	Restaurante Péd’Salsa Ilha de Luanda (ex Cais de 4) Luanda, Angola
SOUTH AFRICA
Pa Mi Corazon Suite 4, 680 Musgrave Rd, Essenwood, Durban, 4001, South Africa	Salsa addicts 47 5th Ave, Parkhurst Randburg, 2193, South Africa

Karina Bernales presents

APRIL 2025

FESTIVALS

Egypt World Dance Congress

Apr 09 / 19 2025

Cleopatra Luxury Resort Makadi Bay
Safaga Rd, Makadi، Red Sea Governorate
Hurghada, Egypt 84515

From € 280

Kiki Valera and his talented and special family’s great legacy

Cuba has an extensive list of talented musicians and a great musical and artistic tradition that are truly the envy of many countries, so it is impossible to cover all the exponents of this land of talents. However, in this opportunity, we talked to one who sets the bar very high among them all, the incredible arranger, composer, sound engineer and multi-instrumentalist Kiki Valera, whom we have been able to interview for the March edition.

Kiki playing the tres — Kiki Valera playing the Cuban tres live at Town Hall Seattle

How Kiki fell in love with music

The first thing to point out about Kiki is that he was born into a very musical family in the easternmost part of the island of Cuba, specifically in Santiago de Cuba, which is an area well known for the presence of the now world famous Cuban son. In addition to that, his father, Don Felix Valera, inherited from his family and ancestors those musical genes that came from his grandparents, great-grandparents and further back.

So much so that Don Felix was a music teacher in the small town of San Luis, which was 30 kilometers from Santiago de Cuba, while his mother was a dance teacher. Both were recent graduates of the first national school of art instructors that was founded in the country in the early 1960s, while Kiki was just being born.

Growing up surrounded by all this environment, music was the first thing he heard and lived, not to mention that the artist already had the necessary conditions and abilities to dedicate himself to this world professionally. When he was six years old, his father gave him a Cuban tres, one of the most iconic instruments of the son, and taught him his first songs, melodic motifs, tumbaos, among other things.

One thing to mention is that the Valera Miranda family does not consist of professional musicians as such, but rather empiric musicians who frequently get together at family events such as birthdays, Christmas, New Year holidays and vacations to play the tres, the bongo, the maracas, the guitar, among many other instruments.

As a child, this was all very normal for him until he realized that his interest in music was genuine and he entered the Conservatorio Esteban Salas in Santiago de Cuba to study classical guitar. It was thanks to his studies that he realized that his family’s thing with music was something really authentic that had been developing a very long time ago, more precisely since the 19th century.

Kiki and his family — Carmen Rosa Alarcón on the maracas, Antonio Rondón on vocals and clave, Félix Valera on lead vocals and guitar, Raúl Félix Valera on bass, and Kiki Valera on Cuban tres

It turns out that a now deceased musicologist named Danilo Orozco was conducting a sociological survey in the eastern part of the country and happened to be a good friend of his father. In one of their many talks, Don Felix told him much about the family history with music for several generations, which caused Orozco’s curiosity and he got to the rural area where the family had lived. These visits determined that the oldest ancestors were true carriers of the roots of son in the eastern region, to the point that this researcher even made a documentary and the Valeras of that time recorded two albums with a didactic approach to show the cultural phenomenon that happened in that family nucleus.

After all this, Kiki felt even more destined to continue the legacy of his ancestors in music, but with a little more academic training and more modern touches in keeping with the times. That was more than 40 years ago.

Fashion artists paying homage to old genres

There is a whole resurgence of genres, already thought forgotten, by the passage of time, but thanks to tributes by certain fashion artists, they have risen from the ashes to occupy the place that should never have been taken away from them. We have the example of Bad Bunny with his album ”DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”, which focuses on the cultural and musical heritage of Puerto Rico and makes use of salsa, plena, and boleros to show the musical richness of the Island of Enchantment. We can also mention Desorden Público’s upcoming album ”Salsa All-Ska” which pays homage to salsa as part of the celebration of its 40 years of musical trajectory. Not to mention the 2024 Latin Grammy Awards which paid tribute to salsa and counted with the presence of Oscar D’ Léon, Tito Nieves, Marc Anthony and La India among its guests.

Kiki and Coco — Kiki Valera and Cuban singer Coco Freeman close to the Don Miguel Matamoros’s sculpture in Santiago de Cuba

On this phenomenon, Kiki considers that artists in general are the reflection of their time and the manifestation of the environment in which they develop. For the same reason, he believes it is inevitable wanting to look back to understand where we come from, no matter how many years pass. ”After you study a genre such as reggaeton, you can tell that it has been nourished by other musical manifestations that preceded it. Moreover, when musicians are given the task of acquiring technical and theoretical knowledge of music, they always try to innovate by recreating the foundations of the genres in which they work” said Kiki on this interesting and important subject.

”There is a saying that if we don’t know where we come from, it’s hard for us to know where we are going and this is the case. Contemporary musicians generally provide their vision of music and create new concepts, fusions and rhythmic patterns, but all this always comes from the past to a certain extent. To build something new, you need a base” he continued.

When Kiki decides to settle in the United States

Changing the subject radically, we wanted to know when Kiki decided to leave his country to settle in the United States, specifically in Seattle, to which he replied that he arrived here on April 2, 2013. The main reason why he left was due to his partner Naomi Bierman, who convinced him to move to start a life together in another place.

With that decision, the musician had to make a total shift in mindset, since he had lived in Cuba all his life and came from a very close-knit family. He had to give up the closeness he had with his loved ones, culture, values and climate to adapt to a completely different way of life in a territory that was nothing like his own.

Kiki and his wife — Kiki Valera and his wife Naomi Bierman at the 2024 Latin Grammys

“DeBÍ Tirar Más Fotos” is not just an album; it is an invitation to reimagine music and the cultural impact it can have in an increasingly interconnected world

Bad Bunny was born as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 10, 1994. He is a composer and singer of urban music, especially trap and reggaeton.

Although he never took formal music classes or studied any instrument, he is a singer, composer and creator of his own songs. The first samples of his art were seen on YouTube, where he slowly began to gain fans.

In mid-2016, Bad Bunny joined Hear This Music, a label created by DJ Luian and Los Mambo Kingz, presenting the hit “La Ocasión,” an anthem of trap music. There he also recorded singles such as “Diles,” “Soy Peor,” and “Tú No Vives Así.”

Bad Bunny has also participated in songs with numerous artists, such as Farruko, De La Ghetto, J Balvin, Maluma, Nicky Jam and Ozuna, among other urban music stars.

In 2017 he conquered Europe, touring with more than 20 concerts in 20 days. Upon his return he sang “Si Tu Novio Te Deja Sola” at the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards with J Balvin.

In addition, he sold out concerts at the Luna Park in Buenos Aires on September 8 and 9. In November he released “Sensualidad” with Prince Royce and J Balvin.

The year 2018 began with great success.

On January 12, he released “El Baño”, a collaboration he recorded with Enrique Iglesias.

On February 6, he released “Salimos A Buscarte”.

On the 9th, he presented “Fantasía”, with Alex Sensation.

On the 14th, she released a version of the hit “Báilame” by Nacho, together with Luis Fonsi, Yandel and Daddy Yankee.

On the 15th, she released “Amorfoda”, a new single in which she says “no” to love.

She didn’t wait and on the 22nd, she released “Dime Si Te Acuerdas”.

On March 16, she released a song with Khea, Düki and Cazzu, titled “Loca”.

On the 23rd of that month, “Dime” was released, recorded with Revol, J Balvin, Arcángel and De La Ghetto.

On April 1, she presented “Me Rolié”. In the same month, she released: “Te Boté”, with Ozuna, Nicky Jam, Nio García, Darell and Casper Mágico; and “Explícale”, with Yandel, Noriel Cosculluela and Brytiago.

On May 5, she recorded “Contigo”.

Bad Bunny nació como Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio

On the 12th, 13th and 14th she presents her songs live, again at Luna Park. In between these concerts she releases “Sólo Avísame”. Then she releases “Quiere Verme”, together with Anuel Aa and “Diles”, with Ledy Medina.

On June 22nd she releases “I Like It”, recorded with Cardi B and J Balvin. On the 28th of the same month she releases the single “Estamos Bien”. She participates in Marc Anthony’s song “Está Rico”, together with Will Smith. On October 11th she releases “Mía”, in a spectacular collaboration with Drake singing in Spanish. On December 8th she releases the hit “Desde el Corazón” and on the 14th of the same month she presents “Sólo de Mí”, whose video reflects gender violence. On the 23rd her debut album goes on sale, under the name “X100Pre”.

On June 28, Bad Bunny & J Balvin present the eight-song album “Oasis” with the first single, “Qué Pretendes” (with special appearances by Mr. Eazi and Marciano Cantero of Enanitos Verdes)

Following the death of basketball player Kobe Bryant, Bad Bunny paid tribute to him with an emotional song titled “6 Rings.”

YHLQMDLG was released by the artist at midnight on February 29, 2020. The title means “I do what I want” and features collaborations with Daddy Yankee, Yaviah, Jowell & Randy, and Ñengo Flow. The album is a tribute to the marquesinas (garage parties) that Bad Bunny grew up attending, and features many nods to reggaeton from the early and mid-2000s

On May 10, 2020, he released his third studio album “Las que no iban a salir,” which features the participation of Don Omar, Zion & Lennox, Nicky Jam, Yandel, among others.

In July, after being the first Latin urban artist to be on the cover of Rolling Stones magazine, El Conejo Malo becomes the protagonist of the first digital cover of the legendary Playboy magazine.

On July 25, he releases the song and video: “Un día (One Day)” with Dua Lipa, J Balvin and Tainy.

On January 3, 2021, he releases the video for his song “Booker T”. That same year, he releases the single and video clip “Lo sentir BB” with Julieta Venegas and Tainy.

Throughout the year, he publishes several singles and video clips.

On May 5, 2022, he releases the album “Un verano sin ti”.

On June 2, he releases the video clip for the song “Tití mepregunta”.

On November 30, he releases the single “La Jumpa” with the video clip.

On December 22, he released the single “Gato de noche” with Ñengo Flow.

On February 15, 2023, he released the video for “Ojitos lindos” with Bomba Estéreo.

On May 18, he released the single “Where she goes” along with its video.

On July 21, he collaborated with Travis Scott on the single “K-Pop” with The Weeknd.

On September 25, he released the single and video “Un preview”.

On October 13, he released the album “Nadie sabe lo que va a pasará mañana” becoming a hit single.

Becoming the most listened to album of the year in a single day.

“What are we overlooking in Bad Bunny’s ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’? Beyond reggaeton, a lesson in artistic evolution.”

While social media is boiling with divided opinions about Bad Bunny’s new album, it is worth moving away from the extremes and analyzing “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” from a broader perspective.

Beyond being a reggaeton album, this work is an artistic, cultural and strategic manifesto that leaves valuable lessons for all musical genres, including salsa.

Bad Bunny has used his position as a global artist to fuse elements such as salsa with urban rhythms, achieving a musical dialogue that transcends generations and tastes. However, the impact of this project does not stop there.

I’d like to share five key aspects that other artists could learn from this release to innovate and connect more deeply with their audiences.

The power of nostalgia: plastic chairs as a universal symbol

The album cover, with the humble plastic chairs, connects directly with the everyday life of Latin American neighborhoods. These common objects evoke memories of family gatherings, celebrations, and moments of community. The message is powerful: simplicity can be deeply meaningful and resonate globally.

Exclusivity that generates value: “Residencia” concerts

Instead of a world tour, Bad Bunny is betting on “Residencia,” a series of exclusive concerts in Puerto Rico. With this strategy, he not only boosts tourism and the local economy, but creates a “FOMO” (fear of missing out) phenomenon in his fans. This generates massive advance reservations on hotels and flights.

QR codes: intelligent digital interaction

Integrating technology with music is something that Bad Bunny has done masterfully. QR codes in Puerto Rico allow fans to interact with the album in innovative ways, unlocking exclusive content and creating a bridge between the physical and the digital.

Incorporating traditional genres and sounds

Bad Bunny is not afraid to mix salsa with reggaeton, betting on musical arrangements that celebrate his cultural heritage. This shows that genres are not compartments or “silos”, but platforms for dialogue

Expectation and release strategy

From the announcement of the title to the release date, passing through a short film full of cultural references, everything in this project has been designed to create a narrative that maintains the interest of the public. The lesson here is clear: music is not just released, it is experienced as a complete cultural event.

Final thoughts: innovation and evolution

In a world dominated by technology, staying traditional is not an option for artists who want to grow. Tools like Web 3.0, Blockchain, NFTs to offer immersive experiences and AI are revolutionizing the way musicians interact with their audiences and generate income.

While some lose themselves in criticism, others take advantage of these tools to redefine their art and project themselves globally. The lesson is clear: you have to look ahead and dare to evolve.

“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” is not just an album; it is an invitation to reimagine music and the cultural impact it can have in an increasingly interconnected world.

Also Read: Sessions from La Loma brings together salsa fans from all over the world in Puerto Rico

Search Results for: Salsa Fest

Directory of Asian nightclubs

APRIL 2025

FESTIVALS

Latin Notion Dance Festival

Directory of African nightclubs

APRIL 2025

FESTIVALS

Egypt World Dance Congress

How Kiki fell in love with music

Fashion artists paying homage to old genres

When Kiki decides to settle in the United States

Bad Bunny was born as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 10, 1994. He is a composer and singer of urban music, especially trap and reggaeton.

In 2017 he conquered Europe, touring with more than 20 concerts in 20 days. Upon his return he sang “Si Tu Novio Te Deja Sola” at the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards with J Balvin.

On the 12th, 13th and 14th she presents her songs live, again at Luna Park. In between these concerts she releases “Sólo Avísame”. Then she releases “Quiere Verme”, together with Anuel Aa and “Diles”, with Ledy Medina.

On January 3, 2021, he releases the video for his song “Booker T”. That same year, he releases the single and video clip “Lo sentir BB” with Julieta Venegas and Tainy.

“What are we overlooking in Bad Bunny’s ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’? Beyond reggaeton, a lesson in artistic evolution.”

Bad Bunny has used his position as a global artist to fuse elements such as salsa with urban rhythms, achieving a musical dialogue that transcends generations and tastes. However, the impact of this project does not stop there.