Latino culture meets the Downtown L.A. hipster scene. Minutes later, they dance the night away.
The view: Glowing red lights that project a burlesque-red hue on to the skin of every dancer on the floor. Hipster guys in jeans that resemble more Lycra less Levi’s. Girls in trendy attire and of course, glued to the hand of every single person-booze. (How else can you dance, right?) The D.J., Marcelo Cunning, spins the music of 70’s Spanish pop-themes. Mind you this isn’t Tijuana, Buenos Aires or even Mexico City. This is a typical Wednesday night at La Cita, a former Mexican dive bar re-invented as a hipster bar in Downtown Los Angeles, and like many other bars in the area, the music played has a Spanish twist to it.
The ringleader of this red-roomed circus is Cunning, whose musical choice for the soirée seems more like soundtrack homage to the Latin childhood. Juan Gabriel, cumbias, and according to Cunning “Spanish-sung alternative music” blast out of the speakers of the small club making even the pretentious scenester move there “culo” on the dance floor.
(photo provided by myspace.com/muchowednesday)
Spanish music is becoming more and more acceptable in the music/club scene in Los Angeles. The Corporate/mainstream radio has already felt the “Latin Explosion” and it seems now Los Angeles music scene can “feel it”…err, hear it too. The musical taste seems to be the “choice” du jour for Los Angeles club/music scene. But this shouldn’t come as a surprise either. Aside from Los Angeles notorious relationship with the Latino culture, (i.e. Cholos, Chicanos, low riders ect…) influential radio stations such as KCRW, has been supporting a new wave of Spanish alternative music. The musical director Nic Harcourt and Raul Campos have tried to incorporate in their play list Spanish music with the same likes of “Indie” English music.
Campos’ Nocturna, 8- 10 p.m. hosts 80,000 listeners, an impressive amount especially for public radio. Aside from radio support emerging Spanish alternative artist are rising in the Indie music scene in Los Angeles. These acts include Los Angeles bred electronic Spanish duo, Los super Elegantes, New York’s electronic multi-lingual Brazilian Girls and more internationally Colombian super folk-band “Los Aterciopelados” that frequently play in smaller venues here in downtown Los Angeles.
What exactly is Spanish-sung alternative? Large waves of Latin American’s immigrated to Los Angeles in the Late seventies early eighties and now their children want to party. What better way to grab these new partier’s attention than the music that they grew up with, the sounds are percussion driven that make it impossible for one to dance sober. (Like you need an excuse to drink) Late 80’s, early 90’s Spanish pop mashed up with electronic back up music with a touch of Latin immigrant kitsch is the best way to describe the music. Seems like a perfect recipe to keep a party crowd moving in Latino Los Angeles.
And Cunning knows his crowd. The Mexican D.J. grew up in like most children of 1st generation between his parent’s homeland and the U.S. “I focus on the crowd. Figuring out what sound makes em’ move”. And this sound happens to sound like if he borrowed records from the crates of the “quinceñera” DJ’s. Grabbing records of his liking. “[I listen to] Everything really. Even stuff I don’t like. Nowadays I listen to a lot of Spanish movida stuff along with new things like Javiera Mena, Electrica Miami, Porter, etc. When I really feel like dancing there’s always Raffaella Carra.” Says Cunning. Music is an art form that reflects human culture. It adapts to it’s surrounding and it the current surrounding on the East side of Los Angeles is the dual-culture that many Angelinos grow up with. “Rock n’ roll/party music is no longer just for a certain group of class. “It’s for a wider audience-it’s for different people” says Gabriel Covarrubias, 3rd year nursing student that often goes to dance at La Cita. “Not just rock n’ roll, but music is evolving to belong and adapt more to the Latino culture here in L.A.”
(photo provided by myspace.com/muchowednesday)
Other major cosmopolitan cities in the U.S. have also felt the Latino wave in their club scenes. Austin Texas and New York City. “NY is great!… It’s heavier on the Caribbean influence and people are very open. They’ll dance to almost anything,” says Cunning who also Dj’s in the likes of New York, Austin and Madrid, Spain. La Cita hosts a “Latin pop-dance party” every Wednesday called Mucho Wednesday and in March, Marcelo Cunning will return to host “Nacotheque”.
(photo provided by myspace.com/muchowednesday)
While other bars/venues, such as the Echo-plex and Automatico, play Spanish or Spanish influence music for their audience. So you’re feeling a wee bit “exotic” you don’t have to go far just take the next metro train to Downtown and party like if it was your Quinceñera all over again. Rumba like a rockstar!
-Khristian
