I began my adventure into the Seattle Salsa world in 1989 in what was then the Hollywood Underground. There had been a few Salsa places before this one, but at the time this was the only place to go. Salsa night was only on Wednesday’s. One week Latin Expression would play and the next week Bochinche, a popular salsa band at the time, would play. The DJ was DJ Gregorio from Panama. There were also two ladies, Sharon and Theresa Cronin, who would teach everyone how to dance. I would help them a little every now and then.

I was going to Venezuela, where I was born, every year for 4 months at a time, so I was more updated with the music and ideas than most people here. I continued to go to Hollywood Underground for a couple of years until another DJ, Gustavo, started Beso Del Sol around 1990 or so on Saturday nights. I immediately started helping him out, bringing music from Venezuela and playing. Gustavo is also Seattle’s top MC so between him and me we had Beso rockin’ for a few years. I started getting a huge following and reputation for the music I played and my style. Hollywood Underground stopped having their latin nights around 1991 and so Beso del Sol became the only place to go Salsa dancing.

In 1991 I went to Venezuela for a few months and when I came back I wanted to open my own place. In February of 1992 I started Latitude 47 on Wednesday nights. Immediately it became so popular that people could not fit so we opened on Sunday’s. The extra day became just as popular. Many people around the latin music scene today first came to Latitude 47.

I started doing a lot of advertising all over town and my name was becoming very popular with latin music. I stopped playing at Beso Del Sol and just kept Latitude 47, but both places were too small for the popularity of latin music. Finally in 1994 I was offered to play at Sharky’s on Shilshole Bay in Ballard. This was a great opportunity for me because Sharky’s was the one of the biggest and most popular nightclubs in Seattle. I started Sharky’s on Friday, November 4, 1994 and I had 300 people the first night and then the average was between 350 to 500 every Friday. For the first time Salsa was being introduced on a bigger scale to the American public in Seattle.

I then started the Red Lion Hotel in Bellevue, now the Doubletree Hotel, in March of 1995 on Tuesdays. This night started slow for a couple of years, but has since become a very popular place for Salsa on Tuesday nights. We always get lots of new faces here.

I have gone on to be interviewed by many newspapers and magazines, played in many nightclubs and events in Seattle as guest DJ, and organized the Joey Cora annual Salsa Concert Benefit Dances. I am also known by many artists and promoters in the New York City area where I visit and work sometimes to bring back the newest ideas to Seattle.