Fed by social networks and a vibrant upper Manhattan club scene, such acts as Bachata Heightz and Del Patio are picking up radio airplay and live gigs.
The music they play, urban bachata, mixes the guitar-based romantic style of traditional Dominican bachata with an R&B sensibility and vocalizing.
Dominican-Americans "are the trendsetters right now," says Jose Diaz, co-founder of label/management company Nu Life Entertainment. The company, which has a disc-pressing and distribution deal with Sony Latin, has a tropical roster that includes Bachata Heightz in addition to Puerto Rican acts Victor Manuelle, Elvis Crespo, N'Klabe and "Viva el Sueno" finalist Zone d'Tambora.
Bachata Heightz had been playing together for years before Diaz attended the quintet's weekly practice session in a Washington Heights basement and signed the group in 2008. Diaz, who in recent years had focused on promoting club nights in the New York area, booked the group at clubs where the DJs also worked at local radio stations. Bachata Heightz opened for Manuelle and Gilberto Santa Rosa on the salsa veterans' joint headlining tour last year. Meanwhile, the group's song "Me Puedo Matar" has logged nearly 5 million MySpace plays.
Even though the song peaked at No. 5 on the tropical airplay chart last summer, "we're not chasing radio right now," says Diaz, who just released the group's new single, "Te Busco." "We know we're going to get played ... times have changed ... the multinationals have a recipe, but these groups have to work the street."
Another song with a strong street base is the novelty track "Watagatapitusberry," a rapid-fire, tongue-twister parody of Dominicans trying to speak English. A version of the song recorded by Sensato, half of the duo Del Patio, and Dominican rapper Black Point peaked at No. 4 on the Latin Rhythm airplay chart December 5. In January it debuted on Hot Latin Songs, likely fueled by a new remix with rapper Pitbull.
Frank Reyna, who manages Del Patio, says the song was intended for a mixtape for local DJs, but it became a hit online and in the Dominican Republic before making it back to clubs -- and finally radio -- in New York. "We have spent no money" promoting the song, Reyna says, noting that one of many YouTube fan videos has notched nearly 3 million views. The Pitbull remix, which also features Lil Jon and El Cata, is the first single from Pitbull's forthcoming Spanish album.
With Pitbull's involvement, "we're gaining the exposure and the connections we needed to get out of the underground of New York," Reyna says.
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