10122005Cchwnn: exclusive interview con DJ RITMO: HELLO RAZA como estan todos I am el General fideo vermicelli con a very special interview with a DJ ritmo. We are more than sure that everyone on the tejano scence has heard or read about his views on la onda tejana. So let us go con our good friend Bill Diaz who will conduct this interview. Hello raza como estan I am bill diaz here in topeka, kansas hanging out in front of the famous greasy spoon known as Harold’s Prize Package in the hood on East 6th St, con our friend for sometime DJ RITMO. AND now lets go to that interview: Bd : hello mr DJ RITMO, how are we doing today? Dj: I’m doing fine. Today is another opportunity to do something great in this world we live in. Bd: first of all we are more than sure que your real name is not DJ, BUT can you tell us how you got DJ RITMO name? Dj: Over ten years ago when I decided to start my mobile dj business, I was looking for a Spanish moniker that had something to do with music. I studied music and played percussion and piano for several years. So, I started looking at musical terms in English and translated them to Spanish to hear how it sounded. Ritmo sounded weird at first because I never heard the word before. But I decided rhythm was a good name because of my percussion background and ritmo would stand out as a unique name in my area. When I began visiting the Tejano Journal in the mid 90s (around the same time I began my business), I realized that the word ritmo was a little more common than I thought. But, I stuck with it. Bd: being a dj in the mid west, does la onda tejana influnce you in the stlye of music you mix?
Dj: La Onda Tejana is an immense influence on my mobile dj business. I created the business with the Tejano niche in mind. There is a Tejano market here and I cater to it. I also dj hip-hop, old school r&b, and 50s and 60s with a heavy emphasis on the browner side of music i.e. Motown, Commodores, Earth Wind and Fire, Kool and the Gang, Marvin Gaye, Isely Bros, etc. Lately, I’ve been trying to expand into classic rock from the 60s and 70s and the radio pop of the 80s. Bd: I am sure you have read the battle that many tejano are having here in texas con the differences of tejano music y norterno music. What differences do you see if any in the two styles of music? DJ: There is a tremendous difference in the two genres. I believe Norteno music is more musically simple and the subject of the lyrics are different than in Tejano. I don’t listen to Norteno a whole lot so that’s about the extent of my analysis. Bd: in promoting dances in the mid west. What kinda of crowd does one get? Mexicanos or tejanos? Dj: We have two distinct crowds to cater to in our area, the Mexicanos and the Mexican-Americans. The group I am associated with puts on dances marketed toward the Mexican-American crowd but anyone is welcome to attend our events. When a Tejano band comes to town, you will not see too many Mexicanos there and vice versa. When we book bands for the Fiesta, we book both Tejano and Mexicano bands and both crowds stay pretty much separate. If we book major crossovers like Ramon Ayala, K1, etc., then we’ll see both crowds together. Bd: I am sure that lots of big chicano or tejano groups have performed in your area, have you had a chance to interview any of them? Dj: I’ll hook up with some bands when they are here to pick their brains and talk shop about the industry. It’s a great opportunity to get a pulse on the industry. But, I am still awestruck when it comes to legends like Little Joe and Ruben Ramos and I will hold back sometimes. I’ve made some good friends in the industry and it’s always good to see them once in awhile when they are here. I’ve had a few artists at my house or gone out to the mall or find something to do or go out to eat. I don’t do any interviews per se which is good because we can talk more candidly and honestly about the business without a worry about their word being on the record. Bd: I am more than sure that in Topeka you do have some Hispanic bands. If you do, what type of onda are they into? Rock, Jazz, Tejano, Banda, etc? Dj: Most of the Hispanic bands play either Tejano, Norteno, or Duranguense. Rarely do these bands crossover into the others’ genre. The Tejano bands also play R&B. There are some Tejano band members that also play in Jazz bands and Blues and Rock bands. Bd: I am sure that you have heard of crazy chuy y Frankie firme, do you plan on hosting your own radio inter net show one of this days? Dj: Uhm, I’ve been doing some thinking the past couple of years about a radio show. But…well…let’s just say that I recently had an idea that I feel comfortable pursuing and I am doing the research right now and deciding whether I want to proceed with a business plan. I don’t want to pull the lid off of my idea just yet. But, if I decide to go this direction, I will put a lot of energy and passion into it and part of the business plan is to advertise aggressively. So, you’ll hear about it if the plan comes to fruition. I’ve done a lot of work locally, but I want to have an impact nationally. Crazy Chuy has been an inspiration but I don’t want to do what everyone else on internet radio is already doing. I want to complement what is already being done out there by adding a product that will give a different perspective and deliver it by filling the Tejano fans’ needs. Bd: of the record, I you know lots of my family members, los ruiz from Topeka, Kansas, can you tell us what kinda of impack have la raza de Topeka made on la onda tejana there< if any? DJ: I believe we’ve made a huge difference in keeping La Onda Tejana alive in our area. Without 24 hour Tejano radio in our area, we need to let Tejano fans in our area know that the industry is still kicking. We do this by booking Tejano bands for events, dj’ing the new music at parties, and I personally sell Tejano cds to a group of very loyal Tejano fans here. I also have an e-mail list of nearly 100 Tejano fans in our area (and a few across the nation) where I update the fans about the latest releases, latest performances in our area, and the latest news in the industry. We also have a few djs with 2-3 hour Tejano radio shows in KC and Emporia. Our local Tejano bands learn the latest music and play the covers at their gigs as well. It’s a huge effort, but without it, Tejano would probably be dead in our area. Bd: to end our interview, what do have to say about la onda in your part of the world and would like to share with us here in texas? Dj: If anyone out there hasn’t been to our five-day Fiesta, yet, then I encourage you to do so. It’s a great way to showcase several artists and bands in a short period of time. The networking opportunities are huge, too, during this time. We are holding our own out here with very little infrastructure to support Tejano. We do not have any Tejano clubs, no 24-hour Tejano radio, and stores have a limited variety of Tejano cds. Somehow we make do with what we have and Tejano is alive and well here in Northeast Kansas. Bd: once again DJ ritmo we want to thank you for this interview and taking time off your busy schedule to do spend sometime with your fans? Dj: Fans? I have fans?! Actually, I am very busy and I would like to apologize to anyone out there that I haven’t responded to via e-mail, telephone, etc. I am not a rude person, but, I have to prioritize or else I won’t get anything done. If I don’t respond to an e-mail within a day or two, it gets buried and lost by other incoming e-mail. Once that happens it’s literally out of sight, out of mind. One person in particular is DJ Liz G. She had some nice and encouraging words to say to me and I never responded back. But I want to say I appreciate what she had to say and I’ll make it a priority to touch base with her very soon. To everyone in La Onda Tejana: Keep fighting the good fight! Que sigue la onda Tejana!! Bd: well raza there you have it, from somewhere in the mid west, I am bill diaz for chicano cable hot wired news network< good day.
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