DJ Rich
DJ Rich
London, UK
Latin / Timba / Salsa Cubana
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About
Richie Rich - the man, the myth, the music…the cap! A veteran of the London salsa scene, Rich first offered up his services as a teacher and DJ as the world entered the new millennium. Teaching and dropping tunes with his gorgeous Colombian wife, Sandy Sonrisa, at what was Bar Cuba in High Street Kensington was indeed an auspicious start to a glowing career.
Ferociously feeding on an ever deepening host of diverse salsa music and dance styles, Rich became an obsessive music collector and dancer. Though feast as he might, so tremendous was his appetite that he could never quite manage to satisfy his gargantuan hunger.
Until one happy day. Bam! He was deliciously assaulted and pulverised by the outrageously sweet and funky Cuban music they call Timba and he knew he had arrived home. This complex and ever-changing, uniquely Cuban angle on what the rest of the world calls Salsa has been his driving passion ever since.
Rich is an instinctive and experienced dancer, at ease dancing and teaching all styles, though his distinctive funky take on contemporary Cuban Casino and Rueda de Casino, teaching them both on the 1 and in contratiempo (Son timing), is what he’s best known for.
Rich’s two-year stint with dance troupe Cudance saw him performing a range of Cuban popular dances at events nationally and internationally, including Cuban Day at the Royal Festival Hall and The Festival of Cuban Culture in Paris.
Drawing on richly eclectic careers in teaching, training and acting enables Rich to bring a wealth of experience to his classes. He really values clarity in his teaching - being able to break elements down into their constituent parts and so help his students to put them back together again. Added to which, his indefatigable energy, humour and desire to make sure everyone is included make for an entertaining and extremely satisfying dance lesson.
Rich’s popularity as a Cuban DJ might be condensed into one vital element. While he is renowned for mixing some of the hottest, cutting edge pre-release demos into his sets, he, unequivocally aspires to play for the dancers. And only them. Because for him at least, the, at times, trickily challenging work of taking people through a rich and varied night of fantastic music while keeping them on the beautiful Cuban dance floor is precisely what it is all about.
And, as his professional profile testifies, it’s an approach which seems to work. Rich is thrilled to be called on to participate in every major Cuban congress and weekender around the country, combining his skills as a DJ, teacher and, drawing on his theatrical background as a popular Master of Ceremonies.
As well as this, Rich hosts two of the capital’s long standing dedicated Cuban nights, La Clave Cubana in Brixton and Cuban Rhum Jungle in the City, which he co-hosts with Amanda R. He is resident on the decks in the Cuban Room at London’s monthly super club, El Grande in Vauxhall, as well as spinning regularly at Bar Salsa’s Cuban night in the heart of the West End. Besides which, his services are willingly required at a number of specialist Cuban-oriented club nights in the capital, such as Cuban Connection, the Cuban Room at Salsa Fusion and Da Salsa Room’s Cuban Vibes. He’s also called upon to pack his salsa bag and travel as far afield as Norwich and Cambridge to deliver his unique blend of music and dance to the good people there.
Being a huge aficionado of live Cuban music and having already played at the London concerts of Azúcar Negra and George Peguero, Rich is tickled pink to be on the decks at top Cuban band Bamboleo’s UK Debut in London in July.
Rich is also proud to be a managing partner of London’s most exciting and innovative Salsa cooperative, London-Salsa.
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