As the Latin trap anthem “Singamo” rings over the speakers at the Echo in Echo Park, more than 50 people sing along and twerk on stage. Dina Ben-Nissan and Courtney Hollinquest take turns spinning tracks by artists from around the globe while images of flags from countries such as Puerto Rico, Brazil and Mexico rotate on a projection screen behind them. Off on the side of the stage, La Goony Chonga, a Cuban American rapper and singer from Miami, snaps selfies with fans.
This is what it’s like to attend ¡BAILE!, a world music dance party that’s been taking place in L.A. since 2022. Named after the Spanish slang word for dancing, the party focuses heavily on sounds from Latin and South America, but also delves into music from other parts of the world such as soca and Gqom, which has roots in South Africa.
People attend Baile World.
(Jett Lara / For The Times)
Dina Ben-Nissan, left, jams out at Baile World.
(Jett Lara / For The Times)
“Being Black and Latina, I’ve never been in a space where I can play all things at once,” says co-founder Hollinquest (a.k.a DJ CQUESTT), who is of Puerto Rican, Mexican and Black descent. “It’s either Latin music or hip-hop, so the idea for [“¡BAILE!”] was to create a space where I can play everything that kind of represents me and all of these club sounds that I’ve been hearing throughout my travels.”
The party is one of several in L.A. that transports attendees to other countries — sans a passport. On any given night, Angelenos can hear sounds spanning from as far as Southeast Asia to Mexico. Adding to the experience are the cultural details — the food, the decor, the attire. For example, you can enjoy sambusa and other traditional Ethiopian bites at “Motherland Sounds.” At an Afro Caribbean party known as “Carnival Tabanca,” some attendees wear modern and traditional Carnival costumes.
Such events have been rising in popularity in recent years as once-niche genres like West Africa’s Afrobeats have become more mainstream.
“It used to be like if you know, you know,” says Kwabena Anfo, a Ghana-born DJ and producer who goes by Blaq Pages and throws a traveling party called “Afrobeats to the World.” “But now with social media, you can find the right community that you want to be in and find the music that you want to enjoy.”
Part of what makes music so powerful is its ability to introduce people to cultures different from their own, and to make people who are far away from their birthplace feel a slice of home. Here are six L.A.-based rhythmic dance parties that do just that.
Scenes from First Fridays, jam-packed with music and miches.
(Julian Mercado)
