DJ: Chris Read
MIXTAPE: Ritmos Latino #3
Chris Read is one of my all time favorite DJs that spin Latin music and I think that’s because we have a very similar palate when it comes to picking records. That may have a lot to do with the fact that he’s from England and didn’t grow up listening to Latin music and built his career around hip-hop and funky breaks, so when he selects Latin music he does so through the prism of a beat-head. Me, even though I was born in South America, I grew up pretty much turning my back completely to all Latin music and focusing way too much on what was going on in London and New York, I didn’t start appreciating our musical heritage until much later. So I totally get where he’s coming from.
I know many Latinos on the club’s dancefloor, who are more into the traditional tropical stuff or the lamestream sing-along hooks, would probably dismiss this as “Latin music for gringos,” and there’s definitely some truth in there. In fact many of the tracks he selects on this third installment of his Ritmos Latinos mixtape series are not even by Latin artists, and the ones that are, had been remixed or reedited by European or American DJs to make them more accessible to not-Latin crowds. What this means is that there’s a lot of emphasis on the funky breaks which make the songs more DJ-friendly and easier to beat match, specially for DJ’s who come from a hip-hop background.
Ritmos Latinos #3 came out recently to celebrate and promote the release of Chris Read‘s newest 7” vinyl single, which he obviously features on this mix–both sides of it (the b-side is a remix by Captain Planet!). There’s also music by our all time favorite borderline Latin digger/producer Quantic and many others on this 50 minute long set. Unfortunately it’s stream only, no download.