DJ Saoko Bio

DJ Saoko was born and raised in the oil town of Cabimas, Venezuela. In the 1970s, the decade of the “Salsa Boom”, salsa was part of his life as an elementary school student.  Salsa was playing almost everywhere: in TV shows, buses, neighbors’ houses, parties, barbecues, and the “esquinas”. Esquinas were neighborhood corners where guys would often gather to hang out and to listen and talk about salsa.
His father frequently bought some of the most popular salsa vinyls at that time, and they were played in the house often. Those vinyls included artists such as: Federico y su Combo, Nelson y sus Estrellas, Los Blanco, Dimension Latina, Ray Perez, Los Satelites, Fania All Stars, Latin Bothers, Ray Barreto, Angel Canales and many more. In 1978, at the age of 8, he remembers chipping in with his sisters to buy his first album, “Siembra”, by Willie Colon and Ruben Blades.

The house DJ Saoko grew up in Venezuela. It is also the present residence of his family.	DJ Saoko with his childhood friend Hilmer Martinez.

DJ Saoko’s childhood friend and neighbor Hilmer Martinez was a big influence on him. Hilmer is a respected Venezuelan band director, timbalero, singer and radio show host. He would always share his newest records at that time with DJ Saoko and neighborhood friends. Sometimes he, Hilmer, and other friends would spend hours and hours in listening sessions. Since DJ Saoko’s teenage years he has liked to share his music with others, and his favorite way to do this is by being a DJ. He was first a DJ in his senior year of high school when he put together a small DJ mobile station he used when a DJ was needed for parties. After high school, he moved on to college and earned an Accounting degree. In 1998, he was transferred to Houston, Texas for a job with an energy services company. In 2001 he moved to Rhode Island with his music collection. He was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a good-sized salsa scene in Rhode Island and Boston. In 2003, he said to himself “why not become a DJ?” and he started doing what he has wanted to do since he was a teenager. Things started with him DJ’ing a few times in 2003 and 2004 at the dance club Platforms in Providence on Salsa Sundays, as well as at some private parties. Between 2005 and 2006, he was a rotating DJ for La Cabana night club in RI. From 2006 to the present time he has DJ’ed in events for the Venezuelan Association of New England. DJ Saoko has DJ’ed in several Salsa Socials for JJ Latin Dancers from 2007 to present.
DJ Saoko has also DJ’ed in several other salsa events, including “Salsa Night” at Showcase Live in Foxboro, MA in November of 2008. Since the spring of 2008, he has been part of the regular rotation of DJs for Salsa Sundays at Platforms. Starting in early 2009 he has been DJ’ing regularly at Club Caribe and Havana Club, two of the top Salsa Clubs in the Boston area. He was recently a Guest DJ at the Christmas party of 2009 at Iguanas Salsa Tuesdays in New York City. DJ Saoko has also recently DJ’ed at the Houston Salsa Congress in January and Salsa Fever Thursdays in RI.
DJ Saoko is known for selecting great tunes with flavor and the right beat for the moment, keeping the dancers excited on the dance floor. His extensive Salsa collection and his music selection at the right time of the night has made DJ Saoko, one of the top Salsa DJs in the New England area.

DJ Saoko in his hometown of Cabimas-Venezuela, near a Maracaibo lake's shore.	DJ Saoko in December of 2008 at a San Benito's celebration in his hometown.