When Edgar Avalos, also known as BOLO, went to the HARD Summer Music Festival in 2018, he found himself mesmerized by the vibrant electronic dance music, live performances by Travis Scott and Diplo, and how the crowd cheered for the artists with totems and dances. He had dabbled with DJing off and on since middle school, but it was at that moment he really felt moved to pursue creating his own dance music. It opened his eyes to what becoming a DJ could be outside of weddings and private parties, and that the sound doesn’t have to be limited to one genre. Fast forward eight years, BOLO returned to play at HARD Summer’s main stage alongside big names like Kali Uchis and Zedd, and has become known for his high-energy, nostalgic approach to fusing techno with reggaeton and other Latine sounds.
“It still blows my mind to think that eight years ago, HARD Summer was the same festival that introduced me to dance music and raving,” BOLO tells Remezcla. “Being able to perform on the main stage, in front of 30,000 people, just feels surreal and took me a few days to really process the whole experience.”
As one of the few Latinos on the main lineup, BOLO wanted to bring the culture and a “a slice of home” to the festival. During his set, BOLO brought someone behind a BBQ with a smoke machine, people standing with red solo cups, a woman ironing the Mexican flag, another woman braiding someone’s hair, and compas dancing together for carne asada vibes. He also brought out special guests OHGEESY, Decoy, Chris Lorenzo, and more.
But back when he was getting into the space as an attendee, BOLO didn’t see a lot of Latine DJs on the lineup. It was odd to him, given most of the audience was Latine. He has played at HARD Summer twice before to thousands of people since then, but this year was his first time playing on the main stage. “My vision for the set was to highlight some elements of our culture, and bring them to the main stage for our set,” BOLO says. “My goal was to bring familiarity and nostalgia, while adding a modern twist to the records.”
Beyond his HARD Summer set, he is one of the pioneers innovating the EDM genre by bringing the music from our communities and expanding the Latine rave movement. While reggaeton and EDM might be siloed, BOLO’s approach to mixing upbeat electronic rhythms with Latine and Chicano cultural roots like “Vámonos De Fiesta” and “Like a Cholo,” as well as originals like “El Techno,” has caught the attention of fans nationally, leading him to play on stages across the country. His biggest influences are his love of reggaeton, the mariachi sounds his single mom would play around the house, and the EDM his cousins introduced him to later on.
BOLO knew he wanted to be a DJ since attending family quinceñeras and weddings growing up. His first gig was actually a quinceñera when he was middle school age. He didn’t give up and took it back up in college once he got introduced to EDM. Then, he realized most DJs either played EDM or reggaeton and hip-hop, but no one was mixing both. “I kind of found a niche that was good in being able to mix house music, which was really, really popular at school, into the different styles like reggaeton and hip-hop, which resulted in getting a lot of bookings,” BOLO shares, who went to Sonoma State University. “I feel like that’s kind of how I was able to shape my current sound.”
Breaking into the industry, BOLO says he was seen as a reggaeton DJ by EDM people, but an EDM DJ to reggaeton people. There were times he was told not to play music in Spanish, and he even lost out on gigs to be taken seriously as a DJ. “I stayed true to the sound and kind of experimented with it,” BOLO notes. “I’m grateful for how far it’s gotten us now. I think the scene accepts it and welcomes it. Now, I feel like there’s like a whole new category or genre almost in dance music.”
But even in the tough moments, his fans validated and inspired him to continue. He likes to think of his connection with fans as a community. There was a time when he was away from home for a show on his birthday, but fans brought him cakes and gifts. He has also experienced fans following him from different cities around the country to see his shows. One fan even made a totem that says “Lean like a BOLO” after a remix he did. “I didn’t really feel for the longest time anyone was paying attention until one day, you get like those little moments, which even to this day, those little moments keep you going,” he says.
At the same time, BOLO started the record label Vibraza, whose slogan is “the Latino rave movement.” It aims to be a platform that empowers and provides opportunities to younger emerging Latine DJs. While he has gotten pushback from other people in the industry for starting a record label so young, he feels it is important to open the door for up-and-coming DJs and support the fans as well. Through Vibraza, he has introduced new DJs to the scene like Juos, Close Friends Only, and Rommii, who have also gone on to play around the country and collaborate with artists.
BOLO also hopes to collaborate with more major artists and producers, as well as take his sound internationally. “I feel like it really is just the beginning, and I’m just grateful to be able to leave an imprint. So even beyond just me, we’re able to kind of open the door and kind of help create a wave of this next generation of talent, which is just gonna be beneficial for everyone,” he says.