I should have been clued in when Fania Records promised to be a sponsor for a club called Anda! that I do with fellow deejays Gazooo, Ray Ricky Rivera and Mando Fever. The folks at Fania suddenly backed out on their sponsorship for no apparent reason other than to say that there were going to be "changes in the company." Then I read this today: according to an announcement made on Decarga.com, Emusica, who had purchased Fania in 2005, has sold Fania to Signal-Equity, a company that, according to their website, specializes in “leveraged buy-outs, roll-ups, restructurings and secondary purchases of investment portfolios in the media and technology sectors.”

Also according to Descarga.com, it seems that Signal-Equity intends to be respectful of the catalog and “appears to be committed to doing the right thing with this historically significant material.” Formal announcements and future release dates are planned for late summer or early fall.

What does this mean for the fans of Fania Music? Signal-Equity seems like it’s one of those companies that takes failing businesses and turns them around for a profit. The best-case scenario is that Signal-Equity will improve upon what Emusica has started with the catalog. Emusica did a great job reissuing and re-mastering the classic titles that have been out of print for decades. However, my criticism is that there were way too many compilations, including ones aimed at people new to Fania Records that neither appealed to new fans nor Fania enthusiasts. Also, there were way too many “Greatest Hits” packages, many from the same artists. Currently, there are five different Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe and Celia Cruz “collections,” most of which contain the same songs. Perhaps Signal-Equity will focus on the many titles that were still in the Fania vaults rather than barrage their customers with endless greatest hits packages?

Another legend has left us. Joe Cuba, who was known as “The Father of Boogaloo," passed away on Sunday, February 15. He had many hits during the 60's and 70's with his "Boogaloo" style, a mixture of Latin music and R&B sung in both Spanish and English. It was the perfect marriage between Motown and Fania, which were the sounds of New York at that time. It was the kind of music that got Afro-Americans listening to Latin music and got Latinos into soul. He had a number of hits, such as “Bang Bang,” “Push Push,” “El Pito,” “Ariñañara,” and “Sock It To Me Baby,”

He also helped launch the careers of many great singers, including Ruben Blades and Cheo Feliciano.

I got into Joe Cuba from the infamous bodega scene with RuPaul in the movie Crooklyn. In the background was the song "El Pito" and it knocked me out. I slowed down the VHS tape so that I could read the credits at the end of the movie. If you don't think you know Joe Cuba's music, maybe this scene from Crooklyn would refresh your memory:


I knew about Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria, but discovering Joe Cuba opened a door into the world of boogaloo and from there, into all the great Fania artists. Joe Cuba was instrumental in helping me to develop a deep love of Salsa and Afro-Caribbean music in general.

Thank You, Mr. Cuba, for helping all of us who were into your music expand our horizons.

This is our opening night. Ray and I will be spinning selections from the Discos Fuentes, Fania, Tico, SAR, and Allegre labels. Also we will play some great music from obscure South American, Mexican & Central American groups from the 70's & 80's.

We will have a performance by the best Cumbia/Vallenato group in L.A. right now, Buyepongo. On top of all that, there is no cover charge.

We hope to have that dance floor moving. I think we should enforce the Midnight Star "No Parking On The Dance Floor" rule that night. Maybe we could have someone in a cop uniform go up to someone who's not dancing and say:

Excuse me, madam
You’re standing still in a no parking zone
You don’t get a move on that body
I’ll be forced to give you a ticket
So get with it

Wednesday, June 4th
Mal's Bar
2331 S. Hill Street
Los Angeles, Ca. 90007
213-746-2177
Starts @ 9 p.m.
21 and over
FREEE!!!!

Art Don’t Sleep has been putting together some incredible shows over the last four years. Tonight was no exception. The show was a record release for San Francisco DJ Sake 1, who is part of the Fania Live CD series released by the newly reformed Fania Records. Los Angeles was blessed to hear a set from Sake 1, whose Fania Live release is the best of the series so far. Master percussionist Francisco Aguabella, now 83 years old and still going strong, followed Sake 1's set.  Aguabella's first set of Latin Jazz and Salsa kicked into high gear when Chuchito Valdez, piano virtuoso and son of the infamous Chucho Valdez joined in on the keyboards. His thunderous keyboard playing shook the audience out of their seats and on to the dance floor. After Aguabella's first set, the infamous Bobbito from New York went on the ones and two and rocked a great DJ set full of Fania classics and remixes by the likes of The Candela All Stars and others. I know Bobbito is a great Hip-Hop and Soul DJ so I was anxious to hear what he could do with Latin music. He did not disappoint.

The dance floor was full of all types, from the Salsaheads who look like they are in competition with each other to the Fania geeks like myself that have no Salsa dance skills whatsoever. I was better off snapping photos and having drinks. Salsa is tricky. Take a person who looks great dancing to Hip-Hop and R&B and put them on a Salsa dance floor.  Most of the time they look like they have to go to the bathroom.

I left the show before Aguabella's second set. I wish I could have stayed longer but that’s the pitfalls of working Sunday morning. I’m sure as I write this the show is still going strong.