“Bringing Music and Art to people who don’t always get to enjoy it.” A journey that started off with a small get together for forty or so people has grown to a sun-kissed, poolside Latin-disco. Perched atop some of downtown Los Angeles’ trendiest venues, find your family with the 4 close friends who started the production from their shared love of music and have grown it to the full-blown summer bash it is today. – La Junta
From a Patio in Pasadena to Rooftops in the Heart of DTLA
La Junta got its start on a patio in Pasadena back in 2013 after group member Priscilla Cardena and some friends had the urge to go dancing. Rather than scouring the club scene, Priscilla enlisted the help of her husband, DJ David Degruvme. At the time Degruvme mostly played house music, but spinning for his friends and family he naturally gravitated back towards his Latin routes and began spinning a mix of Afro-Latin house beats at the events. After the first event Yukicito and Glenn Red where suggested as guest DJ’s through friends of friends attending the small beginnings of what La Junta has become today.
As they changed venues to Alhambra their original group of party-goers followed, many of them still attending events to this day. In 2016 they made the move to downtown Los Angeles. Given room to breathe as their venue sizes jumped from one-hundred-fifty to one-thousand in DTLA, La Junta’s events blew up. Their first event at Don Chente drew in over four-hundred people. “The magic of it is that it’s a party hidden inside of a show” mused Degruvme. “This party started with forty people” said the group. Even as it grew rapidly after moving the party to downtown Los Angeles, the realization of what they had created didn’t hit them until their guest count reached six-hundred.
Together La Junta created a party for all ages; a work of art, imagined, curated, and executed themselves. Accessibility is important to them. Waving cover charges for the first 3 years as La Junta grew from a tiny patio in Pasadena in 2013, to downtown Los Angeles in 2016, the team still works free community events. Even now that their lineups include acts like Latin Grammy-nominated Afro-Peruvian band Novalima the entry cost is only $5 for early birds and $10 at the door. By “bringing music and art to people who don’t always get to enjoy it” they serve communities across Los Angeles. Over Labor Day weekend they performed at No Parking On The Dance Floor’s End of Summer Jam, a free family event in Long Beach.
Meet La Junta
The four music-lovers behind La Junta’s sound system and productions found each other from a shared interest in Afro-Latino music, dancing, and a want to create something they could share with others; a party. With their music they take event-goers on globe-trotting trips from South and Central America and beyond. They visit Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Peru and Brazil and the farther lands of Africa and India in their music. La Junta offers large-scale events every last Sunday of the month, April through September. Their venues offer beautiful cityscapes at downtown LA rooftops where La Junta’s events are held. Attendees are pleased with sun-drenched afternoons filled with music, drink, dancing, and laughter. This summer they’re hosted by Hotel Indigo DTLA, a chic, boutique hotel on Francisco Street, and the rooftop of Don Chente in DTLA. The second Friday of the month La Junta hosts a smaller indoor event called Piña at different locations in downtown announced shortly before their date.
The four-person team produces all their events entirely themselves. From finding venues, inviting musical guests and artists, designing sets, creating props, and even setting everything up and breaking it down at the end of the night. Roles never had to be defined for the crew as they fit together as a team naturally. Each member grew their contributions as the productions grew in size, contributing their skills, talent, and time for the cause.
Priscilla Cardena: The host. The face. Social Media Manager. Expert negotiator. Inside productions.
David Cardena-Degruvme: DJ and Idea man. New project developer. Big Thinker. “The guy who talks us into stuff.” Negotiator for talent and bands.
Yukicito: DJ and sound engineer. Quality control guy. Prop designer and general jack-of-all-trades. Dancing machine.
Glenn Red: DJ and graphic designer. Visual Designer for fliers, website, online presence, and general branding.
Names and Nombre’s
La Junta’s name comes from the Spanish phrase “Nos vamos a juntarnos” or “we’re getting together” – something often uttered in Latino homes for invites to last minute family functions. La Junta has created an event for everyone to “come and feel as if they are apart of something”. The beauty of the name is the connection to family get-togethers that is relatable in any culture. Sunday dinners. Family reunions. BBQs. The family, young and old, together in one place to catch-up with food, drinks, and music.
There is no age limit at their events. Anyone over twenty-one is welcome. Frequently, visitors in their sixties are intermingled with youngsters on the dance floor. According to La Junta their biggest challenge is to maintain the family vibe they’ve carefully cultivated as they grow. The homie-ness of a backyard family party with younger cousins dancing among the aunts and uncles of the older generation springs to mind. “The music allows us to cross these boundaries” and encourage people of all ages to “stop and enjoy life” at their rooftop parties.
Learn to Dance to Latin Beats with Colorful Backdrops
A huge core of what La Junta has created is a place to dance for young and old. Their hypnotic Afro-Latino beats entice attendees to move to the beat, and the dance floor is never empty. The funky four themselves are often seen tearing up the dance floor with guests. Often the group invites dancers to teach guests dances that coincide with the global musicians playing such as Forro, a Brazilian dance and music genre. Occasionally they collaborate with visual artists for shows, although all of their set artwork is done themselves. Glenn Red helps create cohesive themes for each season. Past themes have been seventies-Latin-albums and fifties-and-sixties-postcards. This year’s theme is tropical-psychedelic-sixties complete with bright pink flamingo’s, palm trees, and funky graphics.
Don’t Miss Their Last Events of the Summer
Usually hush-hush about upcoming shows, La Junta has given us an exclusive on what to look forward to later this summer. The group is thrilled to be hosting Irka Mateo, a Dominican alternative artist and Jose Marquez, an accomplished Afro-house DJ, in their last 2 events this summer. The last Piña event will be held at El Dorado DTLA on Friday, September 14th from 9 pm-2 am. The final event of La Junta LA will be on September 30th at Tropico De Nopal from 4-10 pm. Make sure to come on out and experience the nonstop energy yourself with the summer Latin dance party you’ve been searching for. http://www.lajuntala.com
Photo courtesy ArtCluv Images
