sonidero The beginnings of the movement
Interview with Ramón Rojo
Ariel Ruiz Mondragón
Mexico City has just over a quarter century low vibrating power chords of music-mainly Afro-Caribbean, Farewell but not exclusively, by powerful sound systems that have occupied rooms and, especially, the streets, to accommodate and benefit to young dancers most popular neighborhoods, which has been called sonidero movement, which has spread many other areas of the country and even the United States.
From small player that set the party, the apparatuses of the sonideros were becoming increasingly large and sophisticated not only in terms of audio, but also light, which made them win many followers. So, sounds like "Amistad Caracas", "Condor", "Fascination", "Rainbow" "Conga", "Caribalí", "Pancho" and, on another front, "Polymarchs" have become a necessary presence of the urban cultural scene in recent decades.
One of most important founding fathers of this movement, who remains in force after 40 years of intense bustle sonidero-making it the most representative example of this cultural expression, "it is the owner and director of the King of Kings Sound" La Changa "the tepiteño Ramón Rojo Villa, who spoke with us about the beginnings of his own legend.
With you, "Chchchchangaaa !!!".
Ariel Ruiz (AR): When and where were you born?
Ramón Rojo (RR): I was born on June 2, 1948 in the populous neighborhood of Tepito, just across the street from Charity 25 interior number 4, in a neighborhood that still exists, along with a very famous film, the " Morelos, and later became the Art Film Tepito.
We had the good fortune to be born in that neighborhood, which has given boxers, footballers and now sonideros.
AR: You started with the sound about 20 years old. How do you like the music began tropical, especially the Sonora Matancera?
RR: I was a restless young man in question dance. I liked the guy dancing from, since the days of Bill Haley and His Comets, Carlos Campos, the Marimba Cuquita, Sonora Santanera danzones of Acerina, and most of all I was struck by the music of the Sonora Matancera with all the singers, like Celia Cruz, Nelson Pinedo, Daniel Santos, Bienvenido Granda, et cetera.
At that time the economy was like that, I think, we will begin to suffer here. Having a TV was having a lot of money. There I started dancing worm. Every weekend, there was a man on the street for Charity 13 that had a record player (because before there were sounds, but record players) and rented every week for teenagers and for weddings. I was tickling go dancing, and was looking for that sir, "they called" The Morsolote "- to see where it played. I wanted to be your friend, but he felt artist, he was uff ª! I approached to see the disks that was playing and at that time not spent talking or songs like this, just stood acetate disk 33, 45 or 78 revolutions. I stare at her assistants, and I ran very ugly.
What I wanted was to feel the atmosphere of the Lord, until I got to accept me as your friend. Then I started to help, carrying the horn, trumpet, the disks. It was going to play every week to the vicinity of the neighborhood of Tepito.
My mother scolded me because I was very late, I was a kid who had to be, when too late, at 10 pm at his home (now there is that, already lost the moral and respect, laughter -). My mom told me: "Here you have to be, at best, at 10 and fourth, just not you come and shut the door, and see where you get to sleep." Then, I danced two or three pieces and as I returned to my home.
But knowing that man, I liked the atmosphere, and I became like a vice and dance music, and started to accompany him. So we arrived at one or two o'clock, and rather than go home, because I was in hers. The next day her mother made us lunch. And so it began this movement.
I did not do it in an effort to give me a salary, but to go with him. I helped my uncles used to buy things for home: old bedrooms, closets separable, moons of Louis XV French antique things at the time, people did not know their value and sold them. My uncle always used the Bisno with a partner.
AR: How started playing in public?
RR: At that time I was going to streets of Argentina, where there was a movie called "Alarcon," that no longer exists, and in front there was a nightclub. I approached the tent, listened to records and I spellbound listening to music, so much so that the lord knew me there. "Do you like music?", "Yes", "What kind of music do you like?", "For the Matancera. Played records of Matancera, and I loved it. I sent orders, and took me for listening to music.
One day, this man made an announcement: "Leasehold disco, discs and furniture." He said: "I will finish However, I'm tired and want to go to bed. "" Hey, and how much you want? "" Sixty thousand pesos, "at that time there were millions. I turned on the focus, I went with my uncle, and said, "What do you think? Selling a closed club, all drives and all the furniture, consoles, televisions. " "Where?", "Facing the film Alarcón." "How will", "For 60 million." "" And what you see? "" Well, okay, "" Let's see. " Total
we went to the record store, there was the lord and presented it to my uncle. This is encouraged and bought the discs and the store closed. He said: "Changa, go to the van." I went to rent one and we lay like five-disc trip down here and I aside those of Matancera. "Quiobo, quiobo, quiobo, what you're away? Just look, yet not a fucking hard sell and it's you're away. Shove them over here. "Were the discs Matancera which interested me, until my little heart beating, put them in a box of" Rome ", a lot of jewels that I started making my collection. We
Tepito market to download apparatus, and my uncle stacked disks, which were sold on the ground. We got off the aircraft, including a subwoofer, and when I loaded it, you could hear something loose, and was a speaker. I screwed, take a cable and said: "How do you hear?".
For this, people passing, but did not sell records. Then I said: "If you ask the amplifier provided to members of the White House?" So I went, "Hey, sister, lend me your amplifier," Why? "" Well, I dropped my uncle baffle and I want to try, to see how it sounds, "" Rain, you bring me a little while. "
I took the amp, I bought cable, and being on the ground in the markets, as I said to a creamery to let me connect: "Yes, what will you wear?", "Music." I connected the subwoofer with speaker Philips 12-inch, with a Purmo of 25 watt bulbs out, and began to test the discs. You could hear very cool. People started coming, "Hey, kid, how much is the disc you are playing?", "For 20 pesos," "Let's see, échamelo. Put another. " And began to approach people, and since then was a record Trocadero. Unwittingly, it was vintage. That gets my uncle, "Quiobole, What? "" Well, I'm testing the discs and am selling them, "Well, okay, follow him playing, ching."
Then a brother of the members, and saw that I was doing business with the appliance envy you came and went and told his sister: "What do you think? This bastard is doing business with the machine that will lend "," No, Vesela to ask. "Arrived this man," Hey, my sister says that if you return your device. " I said, "Here, there is." Then my uncle told me: "What happened to music?", "No, they have already taken the amp, "" How, then who was it? "," For the members, "Ahh," must cost as much those monsters? "" Do not know "," What now? "" Well now what if there is no device. "
But I nailed my records and I nailed my wool. When the harvest ended, I called my uncle, I paid 35 pesos. But they grab it and tell them about my Clavelitos, and they were 800 pesos, which in full swing!
I had already located a device like the Hidalgo Market, the Doctors, in one accessory of a man who bought tool Monte de Piedad and everything that came in the auction, and sold it in place. There I saw the amp. Then I get retempranito, was just opening the curtain on sir, I had my 800 pesos to and my return ticket. I see the price of the amplifier: 950 pesos. "What did you want?", "How much is the amp?", "There it is: 950. It is brand new, do you want to hear? "" Yeah, right? ". He grabbed a trumpet horn unit, and connected. "How do you see, what are you wearing?", "No, do you know what, I'm short," How tag, "Eight hundred dollars," "No, because what has happened. Put 900 and you take him, "It's because I do not bring money," and that I take the wool. "Rascal, I'll give in eight and a half, just pa'persignarme." "In the eight", "Well, just because I'm going to cross themselves with you, see, check it." I gave the amp, I threw in a box, tied with ropes and came very happy with my bill and everything. I got retempranito
market until my heart beat; I found a bench, put the amp, I plugged the speaker, got the records, I asked the light at the creamery, and sell. Was my uncle, "What happened?", "For this amplifier provided me," Let's see if they are not to screw it back to. "
Days passed, I passed a pepper and said, "Hey, how beautiful you hear that baffle", "No, it is that it is an amplifier" "And you, apart from selling here, you also rent your turntable ? "," Yes "" And how much they charge an hour? "" Why, how far? "," I live up to the colony Claveria, in Azcapotzalco, "Wow, is relax and I have no transport "," I pay the taxi, but how much you charge? "menso and said," Five dollars an hour. " Not interested me the business and did not know what to charge. "Hey, it's cheap. I about five short hours are 25 pesos, here are 10 pesos, I give the address. I pay the taxi to and from coming. Is this Saturday, is the presentation of my three years. "
No, because I well contentote," left ten pesos to me. " But it was not the money Bisno, now everybody grab the sound Bisno to make money, and this is born, not made. When God says: "You are going to be a carpenter" because is a carpenter, but my God gave me the gift of being sonidero. And so I started.
Saturday came, and my mother (God rest her soul) I was rather embarrassed: "Now what you got?" "Is that going to play", "To play what?", "For the record player "" You reloc. "Yes, a lady hired me to Azcapotzalco, to Claveria," "And how much?" "Well, I will pay the taxi to and from coming to take the speaker, the amplifier and discs. For this, and I bought a trumpet. Five dollars an hour. " "What, five pesos time? You reloc, man. How many hours are going to play? "," Five "," Twenty-five pesos to reveal all night? Not crazy. Do not know or charge, would have claimed more than mens'. But my boss helped me get the equipment and discs. What I wanted was music, not the end of doing business, as now.
I took a taxi, climb things, and brought the address: "Take me to this street of Claveria. We arrived at home, which was his own house with a corridor that overlooked the street. There were balloons, and heard, "and was the player", was not sound, "things went down and asked: "Is not the lady?", "Yes, I'm young, pass. What do you need? "," For a table to put the amplifier, "as it did the other gentleman. Focote went out to buy a 300, I connected and everything, and started playing, but played the Matancera pure, that was my repertoire. He left the lady and said, "Hey, what can not touch anything else? When I see you put Tepito rancheras, danzones "," Those are for sale, ma'am, "" Well, those are the ones I like, this music as it is a bit unrefined. Please even the Beatles or the Creedence " "No, they just bring you one of Mungo Jerry," In the summer, '"" Well, that touch your. " Got that, and put another disc Matancera, and then the lady took from Ray Coniff, Creedence, and several more. There, the situation began 40 years ago.
AR: And how do you spread your fame?
RR: Then I started doing popular in Tepito, there were some girls who was late on Sunday behind the church of St. Francis, in 18 of La Rinconada, a girl named Alejandra. "Do you have your player", "Yes", "To what cobras time? "," Ten bucks, "What do you play?", "Pure of Matancera" that was my simple mole. "Well, we want to go play on Sunday," "Yeah, right", "I want five hours," "All right."
arrived on Sunday, arrived with the girls, I put my focus, my trumpet, my amp, my subwoofer and my records. At that time no-Locuto or not, sent greetings, just ran the disc. I started there, and they liked the girls. For this, they began to spread the word among friends in the neighborhood and the next Sunday he started going a little more people. But I did not know that these girls were placed in the hub of the hall, and the person charged for entering you get to dance, they were not stupid.
For this, every Sunday was an evening that PRI organized the street González Díaz de León and Ortega, in the cube of a building, and had several turntables, and pulling people from the colonies Guerrero, Santa Julia, Buenos Aires, Mexico Farms, people came from other neighborhoods. But fame began to grow.
For this, I thought to name the player. I came the name of "Birds of the tropics," but to me the whole neighborhood knew me as "The Change." This nickname came because I was a kid active, restless, precocious, I climbed to the roof like a monkey, I was skinny, and I started to fly kites. That was my hobby. They said: "Where goes the Changa?" "Well, up there on the roof, as always, flying kites." And the neighbors were angry, because I was jumping on the rooftops, saying that the leaks caused brincadero them at home.
fame began to grow, and then I sent to the amplifier, which had a cover, an ad beveled mirror, and put my "Birds of the tropics." But I said: "Instead of 'player', you must put another topic. Then we put 'sound', it is a sound. " Hence derived the question: Sonido Birds of the tropics. And there began the issue of sounds and sonideros name.
reputation grew I played discs of the Sonora Matancera was not heard on the radio, as "The Tibiri Tabara," I am not handsome, "" The Bus ", Miguelito Valdés with" lard rice " "Linda caleñita." I started to find more music to motivate the Sonora strange. In Tepito chachareros came the crockery that would change by chatter in residential areas, and I was on the lookout for records they sold, and there was the jewel jewels I say to rare records, Cuban or American brand. There was the gold ground in music. Both
I made the hobby that I said, "Someday I have to know the Sonora Matancera." It was my concern.
remember I started doing the dances of these kids, who began to charge more at the entrance because I saw that started to get more people. I started to pull people who had the PRI. By organizing these dances that he got the information that they were doing some dancing behind the church with a guy they called "the Change." Then, he grabbed a Sunday and I will see, and I said, "You bastard, I did not think it was you who were playing. And no people left me, you bastard, do not stain. Here how you get paid, "" You're paying 80 bucks every Sunday, "" I'll give you 100, dude, but move over there with me, "Really?" "Yes, if you pay once and you but go for Sunday. " I said, "Oh, dude, 100 pesos to!, And rose." "I do not know how you gonna do, dude, but you get me. From Here to eight days and want to see you there. "
Total, that Sunday will I told the girls: "You know what? This business is over. " Yes, I saw growing up every Sunday afternoon, and saw that all the time changing clothes, buying shoes, which came from the shows. "No, we do not do that because we gave you to know", "No, I did not get to know you, I myself known for my music, you hired me, nothing more." I thanked them and went to there.
No, because in the new place I started to pay 100 pesos, and then I went up to 150, 200, and it was a fortune. People heard me and the Doctors of Santa Julia, Mexico Farms. "Hey, how cobras time? "," No, for it dearly collection: 50 pesos per hour "," No, because we have about 15 years. " I started making my schedule, and I started going out to these and other colonies: New Atzacoalco, Buenos Aires, and so on. I started to let me know and in other neighborhoods.
AR: How started playing elsewhere?
RR: In the colony where I live, Gertrudis Sanchez, was a man, Enrique Torres, who came and said, "Hey man, how you charge the time", "100 pesos", "Aww, man!" "Yes, because I have to pay for transportation," because then I hired a guy who removed the seat of his car and got my equipment there and my subwoofer, and my albums, trunk, and it was paying transportation every eight days. "No, because you need at a christening," "Where?", "In the Gertrudis Sanchez."
Then there was a program on Radio Onda, from 8:00 to 21:00, called "Idols Matancera. I heard the program, and heard that put pure Matancera, but the catalog: "Yerberito modern," "Burundanga", "At Sea", all Peerles catalog. I had some jewelry not heard on the radio, Seeco Records, U.S. and Panart, Cuba. The announcer said José Luis Almada: "Thanks to the company Peerles, we have the fabulous collection of Matancera, consisting of twenty as LPs, and I do not think there are more records of Sonora." No, because I said " sesentaitantos I bring. " I dialed the phone: "Hey, mister, how many albums have the Matancera?", "We have a fabulous collection of twenty LPs", "uuuhh, I will win: I have more than sixty LPs", "No, I is you kidding " "No, I have them. Do you know 'I am not handsome, "with Vicentino Valdes? Do you know the 'Tibiri Tábara' with Daniel Santos? Is a collection that I have "," Just seeing if you come and bring us this collection, "" Tomorrow, "" Really? "," Yes. " Total
, radioed: "We just spoke to a person claiming to have a collection of sesentaitantos Matancera discs. Actually, I do not believe him, but let's see if it is true, he said that tomorrow comes. "
I go to another day, carrying my crate, truck truck, and came to the Core Radio Insurgentes Mil. I came in with the receptionist and the Cajot sweating of the LPs sesentaitantos Matancera, and said, "Who comes to see?", "Mr. José Luis Almada, of the 'Idols Matancera'" " By whom? "and I told you my name. And beneath that: "Let's see who is the person bringing the discs?" "I", "You're the one who spoke yesterday? Come on, show me the disks, and beginning: "Here is Miguelito Valdés, 'The Bus' with Celia Cruz ..." "No'mbre, you have a good collection. This is important, you have to spend in the air. Let's see, get your box. "
Once in the air, said:" Do you remember someone told me I had more disks Matancera? Well, what have we here, what is your name? ", And you interviewed me. "Let's see, how we started," and I start with "The Tibiri Tabara" and from there I went up the program and more, because they lent the music and they paid me announcing my dances. Total
arrived the day of baptism, and announced through the radio, and no'mbre, it was a sea of people at six in the afternoon, the street was filled from corner to corner. I put a trumpet in front, and also a speaker. I said the party: "Hey, brother, if the party is ours, not yours", "No, is that the radio announced," Well, what the ads. Just look at what people, there is more to my guests. Well, you touch her. "
then that Mr. is set on the focus, as was the police, he said, "What if we do afternoon here outside, you disperse them?" Then later he saw the business, and I said yes.
AR: That is the origin of the shows on the street?
RR: Yes, that was the first time. He got permission to be late, then worked with the police. Every week and ads, and we did Friday and Sunday afternoons, and full, here on the street.
A wife of mine, who has already died, and the wife of Mr., were charged by those who were dancing, they put a listoncito and charged them for dancing, at five dollars per person. It was a world of people ... I started to pull
people of all colonies of the City, is heard on the radio, and began to be popular. After that there were "Birds of the Tropics", but "La Changa". In fact, when I started doing popular, I made my cards with my e-Charity 25. I played in the neighborhood, and I rented for weddings or 15 years, and people came while my grandmother was watching television and playing it. My grandmother, who was already big, replied: "Who?", "Do not know where to play Ramon?", "Ramon does not live here, go look at your house!" And got angry.
So I said, "How do I get that knock on the grandmother?". Then I buy a board, and there read: "Played in such street, hung it and I was going to play. Already reached the people, not the grandmother played and I was to follow.
AR: How much to private parties?, Where else started playing?
RR: Up to private parties, forget it. Then I came and fixed Afternoon special: it started out the show "Los Pepes", the Eastern Agricultural Wednesday, and Saturday I got in the Hall "FBI", which was a yard where Mr. Fernando Briones raised pigs. This man sold pork tacos, and they arrived the guys dancing on Wednesday of "Los Pepes" had a jukebox and they would dance. They said, "Hey, why not a few evenings ago here in your land? "," No, it is that I have my pigs, "it holds the pigs," "But who bring" "Well, La Changa", "What's that?" As a sound plays. Bring it, and will pull a stream of people. "
One day was Don Fernando to hire a "Los Pepes", "How do we work?", "For the fifty-fifty." Sent to their propaganda, I rented for the first time, and it was a llenazo-we are talking about 500 people.
Usually I played every day, not only on Saturdays. When I started to leave the "FBI" on Saturday, I went out and went to events 15 years or weddings, and all the kids with their cars, they followed me, was like a caravan behind me to see where I was going to play. Were chopped and chopped the ball of suck, and they continued to "Change."
AR: What years are we talking about?
RR: In the seventies, early eighties, which was the golden age of sound, when little was invested and earned more, far more is invested and earns little.
Well, Mr. Brown worked "La Changa", so much so that left the business of pork, pigs and sold everything he earned he began to throw cement floor and roof construction for a living.
were a tremendous smash, "Los Pepes" on Wednesday, the "FBI" on Saturday, Tuesday went to Santa Anita, Iztacalco, then moved on to COYU, to show "Mirrors." They played, until finally the day came that I was to venture to the United States.
AR: Matancera Besides, what other music playing?
RR: I started playing cumbias the coast of Colombia, Andrés Landeros, Alfredo Gutierrez, the same Sonora Dinamita - "It I lost my chain "was an album that I brought. I started traveling to Colombia since 1978 and was twice a year for music. Spend from my pocket for a plane ticket and money for organizing my hotel, taxis and purchase music. Thus began the movement of "La Changa".
also began to travel to Toluca, Puebla, Pachuca, Leon.
AR: Where he began to get out of Mexico City?
RR: A Toluca, Puebla. In Puebla, the first time I was six in the afternoon and the place was called "The Cuescomate" in the neighborhood of La Libertad, was completely filled. I came this time with a camionetita "I thought I was coming with a trailer, with my wardrobe, my trumpet, my twitters and a beacon of light aircraft with a spinning motor. They already had a pyramid of baffles little ones, like home, and that is coming "La Changa" with two wardrobes and their trumpets: "What, that's" La Changa "? Uuuhh, because we're going to turn, we have a lot of speakers. " But they saw what kind of horn brought me a 22 for bass. When they start to sound the changazos "Chchangaaa!" And start talking, because people liked. There
started having success in everything that is Puebla, motivation for all young people of that time, and so began to grow, "La Changa".
AR: Within the Republic, until it has come to play?
RR: I've been in Tijuana in the Hall "The Flea", Acapulco, Oaxaca, people always respond.
AR: What other sounds did you start switch?
RR: Going back to when I played in the afternoon in the Gertrudis Sanchez, who was a success, one day a girl came up to me and says, "Hey, bro, do you know the sound 'El Rolas'?" " No "," This is a guy who plays well father is Beyond San Juan de Aragon. I'm going to bring for now and in eight days, to get it there, "" All right. "
anything I did not speak in sound, a microphone brought those of the tamale. Sunday came, and she told me: "Look, I present the 'Rolas'," "Hello, nice taste." The girl continued: "Let him speak." "Here I am presenting to the Sound 'El Rolas'." And caught 'El Rolas "and said:" Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, I spoke XRHH Sound' Rolas', straight from Las Lajas, Penon de los Banos. And I said, "Aahhh! I want to talk like this bastard. "
started doing a head to head between 'El Rolas' and 'La Changa' the eight days he played cumbias pure Majagual Los Corraleros, and I played pure Matancera. From there we started to do a dumbbell that lasted 11 or 12 years.
AR: That meeting gave you for speaking into the microphone.
RR: For me to talk, and him to get the music I had. We dumbbell, and we play every Friday and Sunday in a movie called "Cinco de Mayo", here by Eduardo Molina. I premiered music, and getting eight days him, but I already took out another one. Then, the winning was the audience.
That was nice, because now it has lost the essence, glamor sonidera to music. For example, "El Condor", which already has its way, we do not know if rock and roll, if disco ... He spends a lot of the Leper, rudeness, so no, that's not my style. The public deserves respect, I say bad words, but in disguise, do not tell lipped mouth, and I say so strong nor direct. For example, this "fuck your mother who does not dance!", For what it is? And gets rock and roll music. Formerly the mental itch to music: if you I play a track, I have a better one, to see if you have it. That was nice, and coming out winning was the audience.
AR: With what sounds did you start switch?
started doing that dumbbell "El Rolas" and "Changa", and we did that motivate people. Began a cronyism, but as always when there is money, there are problems. There came a time when "El Rolas" and felt more than "La Changa", and then decided that everyone on the other hand, everyone grabbed their way and doing better. One day we went wrong with the "Cinco de Mayo" became a dance on November 2 with a Super Group Colombia and more, plus sounds like "Fascination", "crystallite Porfis", "Leo." The dance was beautiful. But all the money it took "El Rolas", I did not give me a dime. He told me that because I "what I did," for what he did, because I always come to work, I said. "But you hit her or advertising, or did you get permission, and I did all that work. Or hire orchestras, what did you do? "
I said," So I do not touch anything "," No, and do it like you want, I'm not going to give anything. "From there we drifted apart Mr. and me, and that we were buddies. But everything has a punishment: over time, where he is and where I am. That night of the dispute saw competition, which was the Deportivo Leon, in New Atzacoalco, and Sound "Festival Latino" spoke to me and said, "Why do not you come here?" "Well yes. "
announced by microphone So I was going to change for Deportivo Leon on Sunday, and no longer would be to "Rolas. People followed me there, and left without people. And then he dropped the price of the ticket, and at one point that even for free, and even then the people came. He took "La Changa".
also alternated with "crystallite Porfis", "Fascination" Sound "Maracaibo", "Caribalí", "Rainbow", all those people of yesteryear.
* A shorter version of this text appeared in Replicante , no. 18, Spring 2009. Reproduced with permission of the publisher.
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