DJ LOCA – Interview – Thanks for Asking!

DJ Loca – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: You’re originally from Colombia. When did you come to the United States? How old were you? Did you spend a majority of your musical life there, or here?

DJL: I was 18 when I first moved to the US for college. I was born and raised in Colombia in life and music. But I started playing shows with original music mostly in the US.

RRX: Coming here, you noticed that there wasn’t a lot of Latin influence in the local music scene. Yet there is a sizeable Latinx population in the Capital Region. Do you think this community is underserved musically, or is there a original Latin music here that isn’t able to get a foothold?

DJL: I’m not sure I can speak for other latin artists in the area, but as far as DJ-ing there’s very limited options for people to go and dance to what’s playing in bars in Colombia or other Latin American countries. Most places that do, will play classic Latin genres like bachata or salsa, but as far as Latin pop music like reggaeton or trap, there’s not a lot. There’s definitely an audience for it, I think it is more a matter of promoters seeing this venture as an opportunity to widen their audiences and allow us more spaces like these to pop up.

RRX: Your bio says that you’re revitalizing Albany’s club scene, and if you talk to enough people, it’s needed. There aren’t a ton of clubs that are well known. How do you revitalize a scene that may be in need of infrastructure?

DJL: More than infrastructure, the city of Albany needs to support small businesses and bars that are trying to open up their spaces for nightlife without continuing to impose restrictions using historically racist tropes like the cabaret license, for example. Small bars and clubs are begging for an environment to be welcoming but they often face backlash from neighborhood associations, from the city government or even from the police. I just wonder, what is the motive? Isn’t a city supposed to have a vibrant nightlife? Especially the capital city of the state of New York. Sometimes it feels like these forces of power want to turn Albany into a suburban town, instead of embracing the magic that is having a vivid city that can also thrive during night time. We have plenty of quieter towns and suburbs around Albany, but Albany isn’t and shouldn’t serve that purpose.

RRX: You were in Canella before becoming DJ LOCA. Are you still in Canella? Are there any unique opportunities coming from being in a popular band to doing something solo? Any unique challenges?

DJL: Yes! We are releasing a new single with Canella called ‘Cookie Sweet’ on October 25th. I see my DJ LOCA project as more of an adjacent adventure that comes from my passion to dance and play music. I didn’t realize how much I value playlisting and curating songs until I tried it for the first time and realized this is something I could do on the side of writing and performing music.

RRX: Reggaeton, trap, and house – you play these. I know that a lot of our readers are in different musical sets. There’s a lot of rock and alternative, and genres like the aforementioned may be hard to distinguish from what might be just called “club music.” Can you pick one of those genres and describe what just separates it from just “club Music.”

DJL: I think these genres can all be considered club music, especially if you’re in a Latin club. These are the genres you will hear. Much like house or dance music, reggaeton and trap use rhythmic repetition and a base beat that allows DJs to easily transition and create an environment for dancing that is seamless. I suggest diving into Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Young Miko if you want to get more acquainted with these genres.

RRX: This sort of taps on a previous question, but in terms of, raves, and clubs, where can people see you? Let’s talk the next month or two: where are you going to be?

DJL: I’m going to be DJ-ing a Latin Music Night at Wolf’s Biergarten in Albany on November 27th. It is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so if you have off from work on Thursday, you can come through to grab a beer, dance, and let loose before the holiday activities! I promise you it will be  a blast.

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