The word mixtape has plenty of different interpretations. It used to be that mixtapes were actually DJ sets recorded on cassette tapes, but with the coming of the digital music age, the name remained the same, but the definition expanded. Nowadays, people call mixtapes many different things, some of which are not necessarily mixed and most of which were never taped. Here we try to cover them all. In this column, Juan Data gives you a worthy one every week.
DJ: Sonny Cheeba (Empresarios)
MIXTAPE: Playa Maravillosa Mix
I’m always eager to review anything new by DC-based Empresarios. These guys have been working very hard in the last couple of years releasing tons of new original music and remixes that can please the most selective Latin Alternative fans as well as the commercial-radio-listening party-goers with a wide repertoire that goes from ñu-cumbia to reggaetón, dub, funk and all the way to dancefloor-smashing Latin house.
Besides playing with Empresarios, Sonny Cheeba also DJs in DC area and beyond, and through his mixtapes you can appreciate the variety of music genres that influence the characteristic sound of his band. In this, his latest mixtape, however he focuses exclusively on the party music side of the Empresarios’ spectrum that became the center of by their latest release Bestia and it’s remixes (as opposed to their debut album, Sabor Tropical, that leaned more toward the dubby side).
The big surprise, for me at least, was finding not one, but two of my own Bondi Blaster songs featured in this mix and in such prime locations (the opening track!). I already loved these guys before, but now that I know they love me back, I’m excited like a 12 year old boy who finds out the hottest girl in the class has a crush on him. I just hope things don’t get awkward now like they used to back when I was that age.
Oh, and if you happen to live in the DC area, don’t forget to go check them out live and tell them I say hi (but don’t make it too obvious, I don’t wanna look desperate).
Playa Maravillosa Mix (April 2012) by Empresarios