8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 12-18, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 Pop and Hiss in Pacific Grove is a venue with an original layout. Between a front room that is a record store and a spacious patio at the back, there is the heart of the venue that holds a warmly illuminated bar with old movies playing on screens, plenty of seating options and a little stage, where there is always something interesting going on. Every second Friday of the month fans of Latin heritage music on vinyl gather, listening to tracks from the 1960s and the 1970s, from countries such as Peru, Mexico and Colombia, and spanning genres including rock, funk, psychedelic, soul or cumbia. An effort to bring this trend—which is popular in Santa Cruz, San Jose and the Bay Area—to the Monterey Peninsula is spearheaded by a handful of local DJs. They include Oh-SoRitimico or Spencer Enriquez from Monterey who, on the night of this interview, is playing back-to-back with guest DJ Baybesoul. Both DJs are playing under the banner of Sonidos Latinos, a regional Latin vinyl collective. It’s early in the night and Enriquez, on the backdrop of a rainbow curtain, is moving to the beat in the priest-like solitude of preparing the communion. He is wearing a black T-shirt with a purple motif, a bright, yellow beanie; big headphones hang around his neck. He is planning the order of tracks he will play tonight. “I typically bring about a hundred records and play maybe 20,” he says during a break. That’s just one-fifth of his collection he started only a few years ago, picking up on the trend he heard in the Bay Area. It’s a hot, rhythmic music with vivid vocals. Some tracks played on this night are “La Muchacha del Desierto” by Los Grillos (Argentinian rock), “Mi Tamborera” by Los Beta 5 (a Peruvian chicha and cumbia band) and “Es lupe” by Los Chachiros, a regional Mexican band. It’s not the music Enriquez grew up with. His parents have Mexican, Portuguese and Irish background, but the family concentrated on assimilation. “I explored it on my own,” he says about the decades- and genre-spanning Latin music on vinyl. Much of this music was inspired by American rock and roll, and by The Beatles. While most of this music comes from the past, new artists, such as Salinas’ own Flaco El Jandro, are also picked up by Latin vinyl music DJs. “Every DJ has their own, unique collection,” Enriquez says. “Usually I play with a guest and we each play 40-minute sessions. Later at night, we will play back-to-back [taking turns playing tracks].” Low-key at first, the music becomes more intense with time. People, now a drink or two in, start to notice the music and soon their bodies are moving to it. After 8pm, the room gets crowded, with people sitting, standing around tables and dancing right in front of the stage. It’s a mixed crowd of mostly youngsters, many of them appearing to know one another. Many of these audience members come with memories of similar music heard in their homes; others just welcome a vibe of old things presented as fresh, without era or genre limitations. It’s simply exciting music to dance to. According to Enriquez, Monterey County is very much behind when it comes to contemporary vinyl scenes in cities such as San Jose, San Francisco or Oakland. “We have only a handful of vinyl nights,” he says, hoping the movement keeps growing. “But the community is expanding.” While Pop and Hiss offers many vinyl adventures and host many DJs, Latin vinyl nights by Sonidos Latinos is a unique gig when it comes to record choice. Other DJs involved in the vinyl collective are Caja Magica, Rixmantis, Discotera and others. Sonidos Latinos 7pm second Friday of the month; next on Friday, June 13. Pop and Hiss, 215 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. $3. info@popandhiss.net, popandhiss.net. Vintage Vinyl DJs from Sonidos Latinos bring genre-spanning Latin vibes to a growing Peninsula audience. By Agata Popęda Spencer Enriquez spins Latin music on vinyl monthly at Pop and Hiss in Pacific Grove. Sonidos Latinos brings tracks from the 1960s and ’70s to younger audiences, hoping to grow the local Latin vinyl scene. “The community is expanding.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS LET' S CELEBRATE! 2025 BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce GET TICKETS! BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2025 Celebrating Excellence in the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Business Community! Thursday, July 17, 2025 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Embassy Suites by Hilton Monterey Bay-Seaside VOTE NOW!
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