Category: Alex Gutierrez

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Alex Gutierrez Blog Music

The Crew is on Deck

DJ Alex Gutierrez Rewind 1039

Some people like music , Some Love music Yacht Rock Miami’s new program ” The Crew” has assembled a group of ” SUPERFANS” that Live, Eat and Breathe the sophisticated, smooth and silky music known as ” Yacht Rock” but they don’t stop there . These experts go beyond the genre and discover tracks that many missed during their initial release. Many names unfamiliar to the casual listener. The Crew members are spread throughout the United States and Canada and were hand picked from Michael Atilano’s Yacht Rock Facebook Group the largest on the internet. The 60 minute program is assembled at Yacht Rock Miami studios by Captain Juan Luv and Captain G. Crew members submit their song picks which range from standard classics to obscure treasures that always demand repeat listening. The pilot episode recieved an enthusiastic reception from hundreds of fans who E mailed us from as far away as Brussels, Belgium and Singapore as well as many artists who were delighted to have a platform for their music .” The Crew” can be heard exclusively on Yacht Rock Miami & Pacific Coast FM Check the Facebook pages for times and dates.

Here is a sample  The Crew Program #1

The Crew
THE Crew Promo 2
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Alex Gutierrez Blog

What Changed?

DJ Alex Gutierrez/SFDJA/ Yacht Rock Miami / Rewind 1039/Miami Beat 305

When the Pandemic hit and everything shut down, alot of us were left wondering how this would affect our business , since ” Our Business” is all about the one thing they told everyone to stay away from…..CROWDS . DJs all over South Florida at first tried going ” Live” on Facebook many asking for donations , when Facebook kept taking down Livestreams for Copyright issues, most had no choice but to find ” Real” jobs. It was hard for many of my friends.  Drive by Birthday parties became popular but the DJ was taken out of the equation. Clubs and Bars began to close permanantly.  By January, February of 2021 some establishments began calling DJs offering 30-40% less than pre-pandemic fees. Some turned down these offers but most took whatever came their way often for markedly reduced fees.

Attendance at these establishments were weak, most people still feared exposure. Gallons of Hand Sanitizer on the bars and tables did not convince many. Slowly as vaccines rolled out and cabin fever was at a peak weddings and events began to resume. Parties began to look like parties again , except of course everyone was wearing a mask and there were little hand sanatizers with the couple’s name next to buuter and rolls on the tables. But why did it feel weird? Something had changed. People had changed. The way we played began to change , our delievery had to be modified. I called it ” Musical Distancing” the customers at the clubs I performed at were more concerned with ” CONTENT” than they were with my DJ abilities on the decks , back to back mixes tired them out quickly. Microphone interaction were now more important than ever. The key to keeping crowds engaged was becoming part of the entertainment. It worked for me. So I started thinking, how many of my fellow DJ friends have noticed this change and how have they adapted since Covid kicked our businesses ass.

https://www.facebook.com/djalexgutierrez

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Alex Gutierrez Blog Music

TOP 10 DISCO COUNTDOWN ( Miami Edition)

DJ Alex Gutierrez Miami / Rewind 1039/SFDJA

We’re a little more High Energy here in the Magic City. North of us in New York and Chicago back in the day , Disco music was grittier and more urban. Lower BPMs dominated the dancefloor. Here is my choice based on reaction at the time and throughout the years.

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Alex Gutierrez Blog Music

Someone Left the Cake out in The Rain

LIVE AND MORE ALBUM COVER

DJ Alex Gutierrez/Rewind 1039/SFDJA

32 years later it’s still there

Today, November 11 back in 1978 Donna Summer started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with her version of Jimmy Webb’s ‘MacArthur Park’, also a hit for actor Richard Harris in 1968, (made No.5 in the UK). Also on this day Summer went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Live And More’. MacArthur Park” was composed by Jimmy Webb. Richard Harris recorded it in 1968 .This track was covered by many artists, including a 1969 Grammy-winning version by country music singer Waylon Jennings and a number one Billboard Hot 100 disco arrangement by Donna Summer in 1978. The 18-minute version of Donna’s “MacArthur Park Suite” incorporated the original songs “One of a Kind” and “Heaven Knows“, all huge nightclub hits for her.

In 2013, the song was remixed by Laidback Luke  for the Donna Summer remix album Love To Love You Donna , not my favorite . I much prefer the  Ralphi Rosario version which was true to the original vision of Moroder and Bellotte, having a successful peaking at No. 1, giving Summer her first posthumous No. 1 .

 

https://youtu.be/LY4AMZsIDE8

 

 
 

 

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Alex Gutierrez Blog Music

Rewind 1039 : BATTLE OF THE HITS Honey Moon in Puerto Rico vs Shine On Silver Moon

DJ Alex Gutierrez / Rewind 1039

Battle of the Hits is a popular feature on the Rewind 1039 Facebook page created by DJ Alex Gutierrez seen and commented on by over 20,000 people daily. Two tracks from the 70s and 80s are selected and the audience is given the difficult task to select just one.

Paul Jabara, also known as Paul Frederick Jabara, (January 31, 1948 – September 29, 1992) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter of Lebanese ancestry, born in Brooklyn, New York City. He wrote Donna Summer‘s Oscar-winning “Last Dance” from Thank God It’s Friday (1978) as well “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” her international hit duet with Barbra Streisand. He also cowrote The Weather Girls iconic hit “It’s Raining Men” (with Paul Shaffer).

The song Shine on Silver Moon was written by Gene Allan and Gary Knight and was first released by Adam Wade in 1977. It was covered by Gloria Gaynor and Ron Libby. It became a huge Disco Hit for McCoo and Davis in 1978.  McCoo is married to 5th Dimension bandmate Billy Davis Jr. On July 26, 2019, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

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Alex Gutierrez Blog

KYGO Remix of Donna Summer’s ” Hot Stuff ” is Warm

It’s not terrible, it’s actually OK, but if he had access to the master recordings was this the best he could do? I would kill ( calm down…not like really kill ) to be able to remix any Disco classic with the original masters in hand , let alone a Donna Summer track. Let’s just blame his age he’s only about 29 years old. The video is cute . An obvious attempt to entice young listeners . They even dance Disco briefly , before they take off their clothes ( not that there’s anything wrong with that )

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Alex Gutierrez Blog Music

Yacht Rock Miami Celebrates it’s 4th Year ” Smooth Sailing”

Two guys in Hawaiian Shirts and captain’s hats playing soft rock from the 70s and 80s is the way we pitched our show to local bars and clubs. Needless to say , we got a lot of funny looks, but a few decided to take ” The Plunge” into the cool , refreshing waters of Yacht Rock Miami. The are rules in Yacht Rock , set by the mighty Yacht Gods somewhere in California. We adhered , we studied the ” ways’ , the sound, the mood , we faced the devil himself and were not tempted with the empty promises of ” Margaritaville and even though the sailors said ” Brandy ” we were strong. Then we began searching deep within our own ” Yacht Souls ” searching for those songs that were present on our Yacht here in South Florida and re-discovered a treasure chest of tunes that we had to bring on deck for all to hear.  Sweet Freedom !! Yacht Rock Miami was born, the sound unique , calming , and so so SMOOTH. Captain Juan Luv at the helm created a station where all Yacht Rockers all over the world could unite and partake in Audio Stimulation . Captain G at his side , sometimes steering course to uncharted waters where together they would discover beautiful and tranquil melodies that would soothe and heal humanity who was headed towards a musical apocalypse.

Now the Captains with purpose, Ride like the Wind  provide a steady stream of Certified Yacht, Smooth Classics, and Contemporary Cool Vibes available on a variety of platforms Roku, Tune In Radio, myRadio, as well as on www.yachtrockmiami.com

Available for Club and Bar Dates Call or Email juan@volksmusikdj.com djalexgutierrez@yahoo.com 786-201-5070 or 803-999-SAIL

 

Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/yachtrockmiami

 

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Alex Gutierrez Blog Events Music

Los 3 Feos Entertainment presents ” Fania All Stars Live in Africa”

Alex Gutierrez/ Miami

 

In 1974, at the peak of New York City’s Salsa explosion, the Fania All-Stars, a group that brought together several of the Fania record label’s most popular artists, were invited to perform in front of 80,000 people at a stadium in Zaire, Africa the Stadu du Hai in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) as part of the build-up to the Muhammad Ali / George Foreman fight.With performances by Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, and an incredible dance demonstration from Roberto Roena ( Which is one of my favorite moments Click Here ) and of course the All-Stars’  which include Johnny Pacheco, Santos Colon, Cheo Feliciano, Larry Harlow, Bobby Valentin, Ray Barretto and more. Captured on film by director Leon Gast with help from Albert Maysles originally released in 1986. Live In Africa is great film to enjoy with the whole family and an excellent teachable moment to share with younger generations who may not have been exposed to this caliber of musicianship. 

If you missed them then, Don’t Miss them now !!

Live in Africa will be shown on Friday September 25 at 8pm at The Dade County Youth Fair Grounds located on Coral Way and 109th Avenue, and has space for 150 cars. Large video screens will be set up in corner areas, and there will also be an outdoor stage for live performances and concerts.

DJ Alex Gutierrez ( ALCAZABA , Mezanotte , Cafe Iguana , 609 ) will perform a Classic Salsa set before the start of the film , showcasing some of the hottest Salsa of the Era.

Drive-In at The Fair showcases classic motion pictures and family-friendly movies, live performances, events, concerts and theater, all at a social distance that allows visitors to enjoy al fresco entertainment from the safety of their cars.

You can pre-order food for delivery to your car. The menu includes traditional movie concession options like hot dogs, popcorn and nachos with cheese among many others. Prices range from $2-$6.

 

Movies are showing Fridays through Sundays at varying times. Tickets are $11 person, but admission is free for kids 15 and younger. Click here to see movie titles and showtimes. 

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Alex Gutierrez Blog Music

Mayer Hawthorne “Someone Like You”

http://www.yachtrockmiami.comI

t’s the kind of music that we secretly prayed would be produced again. It took a lot searching but about 2 years ago I discovered Mayer , since then I’ve been hooked. Check out this and other smooth classics on www.yachtrockmiami.com

Official audio of Mayer Hawthorne’s “Someone Like You” from his new EP, Party of One (BMG/Vagrant 2016). Download the “Party of One” EP now: http://smarturl.it/PartyOfOne Listen to “Party of One” EP (full album) here: http://smarturl.it/PartyOfOneYT Text Mayer: +1 (323) 402-5291 Subscribe to the official Mayer Hawthorne Channel here: http://smarturl.it/MayerYouTubeSub

 
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Alex Gutierrez Blog

We Like To Party: The Future of Going Out

DJ Alex Gutierrez/ SFDJA/ Miami

While many businesses are suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are many challenges that put small music venues in a particularly tough spot. As DJs we see no end in sight to all the venue closures. Many full time DJs have been forced to look for ” Real” jobs as many in the industry call work outside the music biz. We look around and see those establishments that have supported us, in serious trouble and there is nothing we can do to help. Reopening with a reduced capacity for many of these bars and clubs ( if and when that will be possible) just won’t cut it. The business model has always been ” Pack the House” Social distancing and nightclubs are about as compatible as dogs and cats  Event venues and banquet halls have all shut down, some even closing their doors permanently. In an attempt to get creative, DJs have loaded their gear on pickup trucks in order to capitalize on the ” Drive By” party trend. Some ask for donations while playing music on Facebook Live only to be disconnected after 15 minutes because Music Companies have identified songs that belong to the them. The Service ” Mixcloud” has now created a ” Legal” platform for DJs to Livestream and slowly the DJ community adapts to the ” New Norm” in a business that thrived on sweaty bodies , packed side by side at concerts and clubs.

Most people in the industry I’ve spoken to seem to agree that a vaccine could be the only hope. “We open our doors, hire bands or DJs to bring people together for social interaction. If they don’t feel safe, they won’t come. If cases in our city spike , they blame bars.While we are shutdown to protect employees and customers , overhead costs such as rent and insurance will surely put us in debt and chances are we will not be able to open again. At least a vaccine would give a person a little more courage ” said one club owner I spoke to recently

The reality is most who frequented the clubs and bars before are ready to go out. House parties are thriving here in Miami., usually held earlier to avoid local curfews. Social Distancing ” Light” In the local Latin culture Handshakes and kisses on the cheek  are still the norm for most. Hand Sanitizers are close by, next to the Mistolin and Fabuloso

 

They are out there, waiting to celebrate the end of the pandemic, and at that moment, those bars and clubs that survive  deserve our support.