Crespo Teams with Ilegales for New Single “Guayo”

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Elvis Crespo is charting into illegal territory with his next song…

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning Merengue singer has joined voices with Ilegales for his latest single, “Guayo.”

The track has a sound that’s described as an EDM/tropical fusion.

“I’m going through an amazing moment in my career right now,” Crespo tells Billboard. “‘Bailar‘ was a huge success last year and the collaboration with Deorro worked so well. We took that song to places where no one even spoke Spanish, but they were singing and dancing to our song. I wanted to release a fun summer track, and ‘Guayo’ has that ‘Bailar’ vibe.”

This time around, the merengue superstar teams up with Ilegales for the upbeat track.

“I’ve collaborated with Ilegales before and there’s just a great chemistry between us. We created a song full of energy.”

Following the “Bailar” phenomenon, which peaked at No. 8 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, Crespo says he’s open to working with other EDM artists.

“I’ve always had an open mind when making music and I like getting out of my comfort zone,” he explains. “You have to in order to stay relevant. Actually, I’ve gotten a lot of messages from other DJs who want to collaborate, including Steve Aoki and Juan Magán.”

Crespo is currently in the studio working on his forthcoming album, which he says will include many surprises.

“I’m unpredictable. Later this year I’ll drop a new merengue/bachata album. The album will have nothing to do with ‘Guayo.'”

Dzeko & Torres Set to Play Insomniac’s Countdown for New Year’s Eve 2016 Event

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Torres will be sleepless in San Bernadino…

The Latino musician’s production and DJ duo Dzeko & Torres is set to play at Insomniac’s third-annual Countdown for New Year’s Eve 2016 event.

Luis Torres and his musical partner Julian Dzeko join a 40-plus roster that includes 4B, Zomboy, The Chainsmokers, Diplo, Steve Aoki, Morgan Page, A-Trak and Baauer.

There are actually so many heavy headliners, the festival is expanding to two nights.

The final Insomniac festival of the year will take place on Friday, December 30, and Saturday, December 31, at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA. Tickets are on sale now.

Dzeko & Torres, who hail from Toronto, Canada, have toured throughout North America and Europe, performing at festivals like The BPM Festival, Ultra Music Festival, Winter Music Conference, Coachella and Tomorrowland.

Torres handles the turntables, DAW, production and keyboards.

Alexis & Fido Record “Si No Tiene El Swing” for ESPN’s MLB Coverage

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a swing and a hit for Alexis & Fido…

The Latin Grammy-nominated Puerto Rican reggaeton duo have partnered with ESPN to release a Spanish version of “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” for the sports channel’s Major League Baseball coverage.

Dubbed “Si No Tiene El Swing,” the new version was recorded by Alexis & Fido, and features vocals by up-and-coming singer Eli Jas.

It was produced exclusively for ESPN and will be incorporated into ESPN’s cross-platform MLB game and studio coverage, including bumpers, teases and montages across all of ESPN’s baseball programming on all platforms worldwide.

It will include programs in Spanish, like ESPN Deportes, as well as in English, like Baseball Tonight.

This isn’t the first time ESPN tapped a Latin act to use Spanish music, but it’s the first time it’s been done on such a wide scale, according to ESPN music director Kevin Wilson.

“We do a good job of choosing music whether in English or Spanish that lyrically connects to the network and to the sport,” says Wilson. “As long as people know the message of the lyrics [it] works.”

In fact, the use of Latin music at ESPN has increased exponentially in the last couple of years. “Reaching our Hispanic fans became much more of a priority for the network,” says Wilson.

The use reflects the reality of the market. According to Major League Baseball’s site for last season, reggaeton is the third most-used genre for walk-up songs (only behind hip hop and rock). Additionally, Pitbull, Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam are among the top 10 most-used artists by players.

Alexis & Fido, who perform an uptempo brand of reggaeton, have already seen their music used in cross-cultural campaigns.

In 2014, they were part of a TV spot for Sol Replic Deck for Radio Shack that also featured Lil’ Jon and Steve Aoki.

“It’s been a wonderful process,” says Wilson. “We had the idea to create a reggaeton version of the classic record ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing.’ We contacted the guys and they were totally down to do it since they are big MLB fans.”

“Si no tiene el swing” is available via Alexis & Fido’s app.

Solano Named CEO of ID&T North America/Made Event

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Sebastian Solano is movin’ on up…

The Colombian business executive, best known as co-founder, CEO and president of Life in Color, as the new CEO of SFX Entertainment’s ID&T North America/Made Event.

Solano is responsible for Life in Color, the Miami-based company that began throwing extravagant paint parties across the US. After conquering the North American market, Solano expanded Life in Color to an international phenomenon in more than 40 countries.

He’ll continue to run the company while simultaneously managing ID&T and Made Events North American productions, which includes TomorrowWorld, Mysteryland and Electric Zoo.

SFX Entertainment hopes Solano will help improve the company’s image among dance music fans. Over the past few years these festivals have had some missteps, the most recent being the disastrous TomorrowWorld this past September. Since then, SFX and Robert Sillerman have struggled to keep the company afloat, as stocks and faith in the brand plummeted to record lows.

Meanwhile, Life in Color has shone brighter than ever, and will host Jack Ü, Steve Aoki, and a host of others for its hallmark Life in Color Festival in Miami this January.

In an exclusive interview with Billboard, Solano revealed that it was an honor to work for the company that inspired Life in Color’s exponential growth over the past 10 years, and he hopes to bring back the positive atmosphere of ID&T and Made’s events.

Mana & Steve Aoki Team Up for “La Prision” Remix

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Maná is going electronic…

The Mexican pop rock group, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan Calleros, has partnered with electro house musician Steve Aoki for a remix of the band’s breakup anthem “La Prisión,” the new video for which features plenty of tribal-themed action.

To the tune of Olvera’s empowering vocals, Aoki is seen crowd-surfing in Ibiza and Las Vegas, while Maná rocks different concert crowds as part of their current Cama Incendiada tour. Cuts of the original video, set in the Mojave Desert, are interspersed throughout.

The remix is a departure from Maná’s other singles from the same album, like the Shakira-assisted ballad “Mi Verdad,” but it’s definitely a club thumper.

Dev to Co-Host Thsi Weekend’s mtvU Woodie Awards

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

This weekend, Dev will be sharing the stage with Jersey Shore’s Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio.

The 22-year-old Portuguese & Mexican American “In The Dark” singer/songwriter—who recently released the music video for her latest single “Kiss My Lips”—and DelVecchio will co-host the 8th Annual mtvU Woodie Awards, according to the network.

The half-hour special will feature performances by Santigold, Mac Miller, Steve Aoki and some surprise guests.

“It’s pretty much live, so you can’t slip up and you can’t curse,” DelVecchio told Us Weekly before taping the special during the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. “It’s pretty cool because I’m actually doing two roles — I’m deejaying and hosting.”

“The Woodies are cool because it’s all about music and I love music. It doesn’t have to do with album sales or most popular people. It has to do with the performances and the music,” he adds. “Some of the greatest people started there. Wiz Khalifa started at the Woodies. Kings of Leon started at the Woodies.”

Vanessa Hudgens, The Vampire Diaries‘ Kat Graham, Mike Posner, B.o.B., Mac Miller, Cobra Starship, Chiddy Bang, J. Cole and MGK will also dish on their favorite up-and-coming bands during the Woodies.

The 8th Annual mtvU Woodie Awards will air Sunday, March 18 at 8:00 pm EST on MTV and mtvU.

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