| DJ Carlos "El Cacique" - Washington DC |
 “Lo que se hereda no se hurta”…that’s the best way to describe the origin of Carlos Raúl Castera’s, better known as “El Cacique”, love for Latin music especially salsa and Latin jazz. Son of a very talented musician, Carlos very well remembers listening to the salsa classics at a very early age and accompanying his father to music practices. It is here where everything began for Carlos…It is at home listening to LPs and going to music rehearsals where he meets and falls in love with the music of Willie Rosario, Rafael Cortijo, Ismael Rivera, Bobby Valentín, Eddie Palmieri, and many others...
Carlos “El Cacique” was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico on June 19, 1970. In addition to PR, Carlos has lived in the Dominican Republic and New York. Therefore, Carlos has been exposed to several music genres ranging from house music to hip hop. As a note of interest, Carlos became very well known for his breakdancing moves during his NY days. He actually won many contests as a breakdancer! But what he didn’t realize at the time was that all this exposure to different music genres made him gain an appreciation for good music and an understanding of how music influences and shapes people’s lives. In 2001, Carlos moved to the DC area. While in our area, he has worked quite actively for the immigrant community. He has gained quite a recognition organizing national campaigns for immigrants’ rights. Currently he works as a Union Account Representative for a local union fighting for workers’ rights. It is in our area where Carlos comes in contact once again with his first love – music love we should add- salsa. He quickly became an avid supporter of salsa events and in the meantime continued collecting salsa music…so it was just a matter of time for Carlos to somehow follow his dad’s footsteps and play the music that he listened so much when he was still a very young child. As soon as he was given the opportunity to show what he got Carlos took it and became a guest DJ at a local venue. Habana Village gave Carlos “El Cacique” the space to demonstrate his djing abilities for the first time. In addition, other seasoned DJs in the area, including DJ Bruno and DJ Mike, and many promoters, including Shaka Brown and Eileen Torres, have seen his talent and have also showed him tremendous support. Currently, he’s a resident DJ for Habana, a regular guest DJ at Zanzibar and special guest DJ at many other venues throughout our area. Carlos maintains his own blog at http://djelcacique.blogspot.com. There he keeps his followers up to date about where and when he’s playing. He also offers and receives weekly recommendations and suggestions about salsa CDs, songs and videos. Carlos is a true music lover…he has a genuine passion for good salsa and is committed to entertain salsa lovers and expose them to just the best music. So follow “El Cacique” around and soon you will also be chanting: “¡Seguro!” |