DJ EldelaClave

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 DJ ELDELACLAVE's FEATURE SET
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Intro
Felipe was born and raised in Colombia, in a small town south of Bogota called Girardo.  He grew up playing futbol (soccer) for the state team and eventually for a professional soccer team before moving to the US.   He tells us that in Colombia, Afro-Caribbean music was played everywhere—at home, on the radio, on the streets —and so it was always part of his life.  While in high school, however, he began listening to artists like Guns & Roses, Metallica, Nirvana, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, and The Rolling Stones.  This inspired him to take guitar lessons and he soon developed a serious rock hobby often playing with friends.

In high school, Felipe and some friends hosted a two-hour show 
called “La Honda del Rock” on the radio.  It featured guest musicians from the local scene and from Bogotá.  Memorable concerts they covered include a March 24, 1994 performance by INXS (with Michael Hutchence as lead singer), Aterciopelados, Poligamia, Ekhimosis, and Carlos Vives.  Felipe proudly reveals that he got to meet some well-known artists, like Shakira who was then an actress and inspiring singer.

Felipe credits his introduction into the mambo and to salsa world to his girlfriend at the time, who gave him his first salsa CD: Eddie Santiago’s Éxitos.  After that, he started listening to it all the time, pestering his uncle to share his extensive collection, which included greats like Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Henry Fiol, La Conspiración, Joe Arroyo, Grupo Niche, La Ponceña, Sonora Matancera, and Conjunto Nacional.   Playing pro-fútbol also helped feed his new addiction:  Since most of his team mates were from Cali, a city known for its distinct style of dancing salsa,  Felipe was exposed to salsa all the time—on the bus, during practices, in the locker room—salsa, mambo, chachacha, charanga everyday!

 “I guess some of that stuck to me, hehehe,” says Felipe.

EG: How did you get started as a DJ?

DE: I started here in the States , back around 1999, at a place called Cafe Caracas, in Berkeley.  I remember taking my first salsa class there with Naomi, who was a well-known local salsa instructor. I made friends with everyone that used to go to Cafe Caracas, from the owners of the restaurant to the DJ.  One Friday night the DJ called saying that he was going to be late, so since I used to carry my CD book in my car all the time, I offered to play my CDs till the DJ got there.  The DJ never showed up.  The crowd really liked the songs I played and so the owners offered me the gig. Since then, I went on to DJ the Mambo Romero socials (formerly at the Beat), Glas Kat, and SF Salsa Congress, amongst other venues.

EG: You are also a very accomplished salsa performer, having worked with reputable salsa companies like Mambo Romero and Salsamania.  Can you briefly talk about that experience?

DE: I’m one of the OG members of Salsamania—I did my first Salsa Congress in LA with John and Liz.  While at that LA Congress, however, I took classes with Felipe Polanco from Puerto Rico and that experience changed my view of dance.  So, I switched to dancing On2.

With Mambo Romero, I took my dancing to the next level and performed at many congresses, from San Francisco, LA to New York and Puerto Rico.

EG: To what extent did being a performer/dancer contribute to your work as a DJ? 

DE: It contributed A LOT.  Traveling from congress to congress opened my view of the effect of the music on the dancer.  I saw what dancers dance to and what they liked: hard salsa and classic salsa, not much commercial salsa.

EG: You have a unique DJ name—“EldelaClave”— that many in the salsa community can easily identify with.  Tell us about your thought process behind choosing that name.

DE: After taking classes with Felipe Polanco and learning to dance on the clave, I used to practice at home with the claves: dancing, doing my footwork, and playing the claves at the same time.   So from that, EldelaClave was created.

EG: How would you describe your style and how would you differentiate your approach from other DJs?  

DE: Mmmmm, all I can say is that I don’t play commercial salsa, or reggaeton. I will leave it up to you all to describe my style.  J

EG: What other genres of music inspire you?

DE: All genres except reggaeton.

EG: As an established and popular DJ in the salsa scene, what is your advice to the young aspiring DJs out there?

DE: Read, study the music and its origin and culture, ask lots of questions and talk to the musicians.  There is a lot more to learn beyond the Fania All-Stars.  There is a great book with tons of history and information that I always recommend to anyone that asks me about this: It’s called Cuba and Its Music, by Ned Subblette. 

EG: You have also donned the hat of producer/director for an exciting video project related to Latin music and dance.  Do you want to tell the readers about it?

DE: Wow, that’s my BABY!  TumbaoSF is a documentary film about the Latin/mambo/salsa scene here in the Bay told from my point of view since I have witnessed all the great changes in the scene over the past eleven years.  The salsa scene has grown so much!  Now, we are lucky to have salsa clubs and salsa socials all over and live music every night of the week.

I want to share something with you.  I was invited to a Santana concert last year by Karl Perazzo (one of the leaders of Avance, and Conjunto Karabalí, two local bands).  Karl is very well-known in the Latin rock scene, so it took us 30–40 minutes to get back stage from the main door.  In the SF salsa clubs, however, Karl walks around with no problems.  What this tells you is that people in the scene here often do not appreciate and do not value what we have here in our own backyards.

We have Louie “Timbalito” Romero, a legend who has recorded with Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon, Celia Cruz, Ernie Agosto, amongst others.  But when he is on stage—guess what??!!Everyone is dancing and not caring much about who is on stage. 

Orestes Vilato, another great musician also lives in the Bay Area and has played with Santana, Fania All-Stars, and many others.  When he plays with locals such as Benny Velarde or the John Santos quintet, almost no one really stops to appreciate his music.  Orestes maybe the best timbalero alive, in my book, and I’m sure many would say the same.

So, my film intends to show this great music and the dance and friendships we all have in the Bay Area.  I’ve been filming and recording concerts for almost three years now. I’m producing it myself and hope to finish it soon.  It is a project from the Bay Area, about the Bay Area and for the Bay Area, and I hope the rest of the globe can see it and appreciate what we have got.

EG: Is music your full time career or do you have another vocation that you pursue in addition to your role as DJ?

DE: Well, I would like to say that music is my main work and I certainly see it that way as I take it very seriously and with much respect.  Still, us DJs and musicians, here in the Bay, are not paid what we really deserve, so most of us also have day jobs.  You can see us as lawyers, doctors, payroll managers, and cashiers during the day but at night and when it comes to salsa, we all become someone else.

EG: As you know, Giju has established a new musical expression within the genre of salsa by crossing Latin with Indian genres to produce a sound that reaches beyond borders and cultures.. What do you think about Giju's approach to Latin music?

DE: It’s good stuff!  He is definitely on the right track.  Afro-Caribbean music blends well with many other types of music and rhythms.  Keep going Giju!  Do It!!!

EG: You have also worked with Giju when he started out in Salsamania.  Any funny or memorable moments you want to share from those early days?

DE: Mmmm, well Giju was always a cool guy.  We didn’t hang out much when he started dancing, but after some time we became good friends, and worked hard to get where we are now.  We danced together and always worked side by side with respect  (so if  anything funny and crazy happened, that stays between us).  ;-)  

Much love to Giju, keep going brother.

EG: Anything else that you want to share with the readers.  

Let’s keep this music, this feeling, this sabor, and this dance alive by going out to support the music, bands, and clubs.  Believe me, the Bay Area is the place to be.  Oohhh!  And check out www.UnderGroundMambo.com, the mambo salsa network. 

See you all on the dance floor!
 

You can contact DJ EldelaClave at
dj_eldelaclave@yahoo.com
You can also find DJ El De La Clave on Facebook and Myspace.
Photographs, Music and links in this feature provided courtesy of
DJ EldelaClave
Elena Gil, Editor (all rights reserved.)