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The latest MixCloud session highlights the piano in contemporary salsa in a range of styles. Eighteen songs, track list included. Click below to listen.

The latest project is done! I had great fun making this 90-minute mix comprising solely 7" records made for The Drop Vinyl subscription servce as part of their promotional mix series featuring DJs from around the world. (Check out all their mixes here). For my contribution to the mix series, I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and do something different than usual (salsa) -- this time, I focused on Afro-funk. Included are 4 Japanese tracks unavailable outside of Japan, as well as newish and older releases from both international and African artists of the genre. Needless to say, there are lots of electric guitar riffs, pounding djembes, and scorching vocals! The launch is coming soon -- it will be available for listening on both Soundcloud and MixCloud, with a track list. Stay tuned... Thank you for your support!

SOFRITO 2/27 will carry on. I was going to cancel this online event due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine because I didn’t want to “be entertaining” while the world watches in horror Putin’s brutal display of force, killing Ukrainians and possibly dragging the world down a dangerous path through escalation. But I have reconsidered… My guest DJ (Atsushi A-Chango) and I will play music as planned; however, we will be mindful of appearances and intentions. Let me be clear, then. I condemn Putin’s invasion and all acts of aggression—including the underreported conflict in Yemen—but, in my current capacity, I choose to demonstrate some effort in the promotion of cross-cultural understanding, namely through the sharing of music (as trivial as that may sound) and thus be doing something, rather than nothing. And so SOFRITO 2/27 is a small, if trifling, contribution towards the desire for worldwide unity and peace. We don’t have tanks, guns, and spite. All we have are music and some resolve to share it. We do this in order to celebrate humanity, certainly not the opposite. In light of recent events, I think this is warranted; thus, I do not want to give up, show despair, or seem to be ignoring what’s going on. I will add that my original plan for this SOFRITO was to include a small tribute to KONISHI Eri, pianist for Copa Salvo, who recently passed away. I now also include the border guards on Snake island whose demise should never be forgotten. Event info: https://fb.me/e/3fWv2YtH7

This most recent session was great fun, and I was pleased with the show of solidarity for Ukraine among the viewers. Here is a short highlight video…

It’s a thrill being a part of the "45 mix series" sponsored by the The Drop Vinyl subscription service. Episode 6 is my contribution: a 90-minute afrobeat/funk session (all from 7” records). Click here for the track list and other mixes.

The other day I had a lovely time camping with my family in Chiba. The weather was perfect and it was a great repreive from work and current events in the news which had been weighing me down. I also took the opportunity to do a salsa set marking two years with CoBeatParty, a Facebook group comprising salsa DJs from around the world who streamed live DJ sets duing the COVID lockdowns. I'm really grateful to be involved in this fantastic community, both as a DJ and audience member. So here's my one hour and twenty minutes of thanks marking the occasion. My track selection is from what you do not typically find on digital platforms. It was an interesting challenge because I was streaming on cell data from a remote setting -- this meant the video connection and quality were not the best. And there were other issues, as it was the first time running a mobile setup from a solar-powered battery. Due to a hodgepodge of gear, the mic volume ended up too high. Nonetheless, please enjoy. Click below to watch.

This coming Tuesday (April 5) is my birthday and I am celebrating with a FB live stream with 4 invited DJs: DJ Dmitri (Jordan/Germany) DJ Rem (France) DJ Takeuchi081 (Japan) DJ Tojo (Japan) We will be fundraising for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)... Everyone is welcome to join the party. Donations are welcome via my donation page. SCHEDULE (Tuesday, April 5 2022) 03:00-08:00 - Pacific 06:00-11:00 - Eastern 11:00-16:00 - United Kingdom 12:00-17:00 - Central Europe 19:00-00:00 - Japan For more details, please see the Facebook event page.

New salsa mix! This one features selected tracks from Episodes 1 and 2 of my radio show Encanto Tropical, reprogrammed and without commentary in high quality audio. To listen, click on the player at the bottom of this page. Encanto Tropical is a part of World Salsa Radio w/ DJ Angel Figueroa Broadcasting from Chiba, Japan 2nd & 4th Thursdays Click 'subscribe' (below) to get email updates about Encanto Tropical! Visit World Salsa Radio for more shows

The latest mix features selected tracks from Episodes 3 and 4 of my radio show Encanto Tropical, reprogrammed and without commentary in high quality audio. To listen, click on the player at the bottom of this page. Encanto Tropical is a part of World Salsa Radio w/ DJ Angel Figueroa Broadcasting from Chiba, Japan 2nd & 4th Thursdays Click 'subscribe' (below) to get email updates about Encanto Tropical! Visit World Salsa Radio for more shows

I am in Okinawa for a short visit… And I brought some 7” salsa records. Come say "hi" on 6.25 (Sat) at the record shop "Good Music Records”, where I will spin for 2 hours in the late afternoon (16:00-18:00). The event is called “Manteca” — it is just BGM (no dancing), but it will be a fun set while you can relax, enjoy some tunes, and look through the shop! There is no cover charge. 'Manteca' 6.25 (Sat) 16:00-18:00 No Charge Good Music Records 388, 1-2, Naha City, Okinawa Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/LJtbPmUgX8xTbLxJ6 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/good_music_records/

In case you missed it on Sept. 8th, Episode 11 of Encanto Tropical is available for replay (2hr18mins, 26 tracks). See the link at the bottom of this page to replay. This was a special edition with two guests: dancers Frankie Martinez and Lia Robertson, who both gave very intesting talks! It was so great to have them on the show. Show Highlights: Intro (old school salsa set): ~50:05 featuring a range of artists, such as Pepe Moreno y Su All-Star Band, Pijuan y Su Sexteto, Frankie Figueroa and Orquesta Cábala. Spotlight 1 (New salsa releases): 50:06~ featuring Fresto Music, El Nene Leon, and Steven Brezet. Spotlight 2 (Latin music by Japanese artists) 1:04:41~ featuring Ayumi Suzuki, Orquesta del Sol, and Corona. Spotlight 3 (Covers of Cuban music): 1:21:43~ featuring Orquesta Tabaco y Ron, Calle Vapor, and Jimmy Sabater. Spotlight 4 (Guest talk):1:35:15~ featuring our guests, Frankie Martinez (dance choreographer & educator) and Lia Robertson (dancer and dance coach), who talk about their backgrounds, inspirations and goals -- with key messages for the audience; they also choose 3 songs for us to hear. Closing tracks are by CSAN-II and Agustin Nava & Shekere Latin Band. REPLAY EPISODE 11 Next EPISODE 12 Guest: Sr Ortegon Encanto Tropical is a part of World Salsa Radio with DJ Angel Figueroa Broadcasting from Chiba, Japan 2nd & 4th Thursdays Subscribe for email updates about Encanto Tropical Visit World Salsa Radio for more programs

Episode 12 of Encanto Tropical is ready for replay (2hr06mins, 25 tracks). See the link at the bottom of this page to replay. The show's guest is Sr Ortegon, a DJ, musician, composer, and producer based in Cali, Colombia. The Latin Grammy Award-nominee provides Latin-themed sound and music for film, TV, and commercials. For examples of his work, see the pre-show post. ​ Inspired by our Colombian guest, I feature Colombian salsa in addition to salsa fusion and boogaloo -- two sub-genres Sr Ortegon has been focusing on recently. Show Highlights: Intro (mostly Colombian salsa set): ~49:06 featuring a range of artists, such as Grupo Galé, Cali Aleman, Contento, La Misma Gente, and La Maxima 79. Spotlight 1 (New salsa releases): 49:27~ featuring DJ Fabrizio Zoro & Dani De Santis, Edwin Perez, and Alexander Guerra & D'Nuevo Son. Spotlight 2 (Latin music by Japanese artists) 1:05:14~ featuring Hisayo Yamada, Yoshiro, and Salsa Swingoza. Spotlight 3 (Covers of Cuban music): 1:38:50~ featuring Nacho Sanabria, Estrellas Cobo, and Santiago Ceron. Spotlight 4 (Guest talk): 1:49:04~ featuring our guest, Sr Ortegon, who talks about his background, work, and inspiration -- with a key message for the audience; he also chooses 3 songs for us to listwn to. Throughout the show are tracks by Sr Ortegon from his recent albums 'Tropical Fusion' and 'Latin Boogaloo'. Replay Episode 12 Next Episode 13 Guest: Felipe Martinez Encanto Tropical is a part of World Salsa Radio with DJ Angel Figueroa Broadcasting from Chiba, Japan 2nd & 4th Thursdays Subscribe for email updates about Encanto Tropical Visit World Salsa Radio for more programs