There are a number of dance mix radio shows in New York City, and for the most part audiences have three genres of music to choose from. Hip-hop, R&B;, and Reggaeton have a significant stronghold on the airwaves. However, as popular as these genres may be, the Saturday night dance music timeslot, from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m., belongs to a 33-year-old Latino with a passion for playing tracks seldom heard on radio, as well as the deep, underground sound known as House music.
Ruben Toro, also known as ‘The Latin Bull’, smokes the turntables on WRKS 98.7 Kiss FM’s ‘Kiss Club Classics’. According to the latest Arbitron ratings, Toro’s show has once again obliterated the competition and seized the number one ranking for the tenth straight ratings period.
In addition to co-hosting the show with Kiss FM on-air personality Barry Mason, Toro is the resident deejay at ‘Temple’ in Brooklyn, which is also gaining in popularity. The radio show and the club have become sanctuaries for many New York City residents longing for the days of the legendary ‘Paradise Garage’, ‘The Loft’, and their deejay icons Larry Levan and David Mancuso.
G-man: How did your deejay career begin?
RT: It started right after I saw the movie ‘Beat Street’. I started out scratching records, but an older dee-jay friend of mine said I needed to learn how to blend records as well. I had no idea what that meant. As it turned out, I lived right down the hall from Timmy Regisford, who was mixing on WBLS. Merlin Bob, who was also on WBLS, lived down the hall from Timmy. Timmy heard that I was interested in mixing and basically became my mentor.
I got my first big break at ‘The Shelter’, in Manhattan, after working there as a busboy. I constantly got into trouble because I was supposed to be working and would sneak into the deejay booth to write down the names of records on toilet paper. After a while, I was given the opportunity to play. That was a great learning experience.
G-man: Do you have a specific deejay in mind, like the late Tee Scott or Walter Gibbons, when you play your sets?
RT: Yes. I’d have to say Timmy Regisford because he was the one that really took me to another level, as far as knowing what to play, when to play it, and knowing your audience.
G-man: House music, deep house in particular, is being played at many of the radio stations in Paris, Germany, Canada, Italy, China and Brazil, just to name a few. The radio stations in the U.S. have not been as accepting of this genre of music? Do you have any idea why?
RT: I don’t know. Next question! (Laughing) No, seriously, I think it’s two things. First, radio stations here in the states are not experimental. They stick to one format and never deviate from it, unlike the stations overseas. Secondly, everything is about ratings, sponsors, and the buck here in the states. Right now, the thing is hip-hop and R&B;, and they play it safe by going with these genres. It’s not like the days when Frankie Crocker, the late WBLS jock, was able to play the B-side of a record and make it a hit. Also, program directors don’t go to the clubs anymore to hear what’s being played or to get a sense of what’s happening in the club scene.
G-man: More and more house music labels are shutting down. With the demise of so many of these labels, is it safe to say that house music is in danger of losing its audience and support base?
RT: House music is not losing its audience or support. What is happening is house music labels are shutting down largely because of the availability of the music on the Internet. You can download house music from all over the world now, virtually in seconds. That’s what a lot of people are doing. Also, who do you know that really uses a turntable anymore except a deejay? So, vinyl production slumps off eventu-ally. Another thing is you have to spend money to make money, and a lot of the house music labels and producers cannot afford to have their material in a Tower Records or Virgin Mega-Store. They have to rely on the smaller independent record stores that only deejays go to, for their survival. It’s tricky, but I think the labels should place more focus on producing a small amount of vinyl press-ups for deejays and a small amount of CD’s for a broader audience in order to offset the problem of downloading.
G-man: What is the most challenging aspect of doing a live dance mix show in a major market like New York?
RT: The most challenging? (Laughing) Hoping that your record doesn’t skip. Well, with mixed shows in the past, as far as I know, many of them were pre-recorded on reel-to-reel. When you play live, as I do, anything is fair game and anything can go wrong.
G-man: Fans often view the world of the professional deejay as one of power, money, glamour and mystique, which are positives. Are there negatives?
RT: As far as any negatives, I’d have to say that you are placed on a certain plateau where people tell you, ‘You should know better.’ For example, there are deejays that sell their mixes on CD, either to promote or support themselves, and this hurts the labels and producers that are trying to get their material sold in the stores. So, if I tried to do that, I’d be chastised to no end be-cause the industry says I should know better. That’s why I really don’t do a lot of promo stuff.
G-man: What was your most embarrassing moment as a deejay?
RT: I was playing in Jersey and the club had the amp right on the floor. I didn’t realize it, and I was playing this record and really got into it. I kicked the amp switch into the off mode, but I didn’t realize the music stopped because the monitors in the deejay booth were blasting. I was jamming and dancing around, which I rarely do, not thinking any-one was paying attention to me, and I looked up and saw everybody in the club staring at me. So I lowered the booth monitors and everybody started cheering, whistling, and applauding me. I looked around and realized the amp was off. I turned it back on and came back in with an-other record like I meant to do it. It was pretty funny and embarrassing at the same time.
G-man: Will New York City ever have another club like the “Paradise Garage?
RT: I can’t answer that because I was too young to experience the Paradise Garage. From what other deejays and club heads told me at The Shelter, and from what I saw in the Josell Ramos documentary ‘Maestro’, it was the club of all clubs. When I was at The Shelter, people would come up to me all the time and tell me how the club re-minded them of the Paradise Garage. I like to think we are coming close to recapturing that vibe at Temple. Only time will tell.
G-man: If God came to you and said, “Ruben, I will resurrect two legendary deejays to spin with you, for one night only, to raise money for African AIDS relief. Give me those names.” What two would you choose and why?
RT: Whoa! (Long pause) I would have to say Larry Levan, of the Paradise Garage, and remix legend Tee Scott, from the Better Days era. Levan’s legacy and mystique have only grown since his passing in No-vember of 1992. The same can be said for Tee Scott. They were bril-liant deejays that are still being talked about to this day. That is amazing to me. How many deejays can you say that about?
G-man: You’re the ‘Emeril’ of the turntables. What is your recipe for the perfect deejay?
RT: Mix one-third of knowing what to play with one-third when to play it, and one-third how to play it. Most deejays just play a set straight through, with no real thought or creativity behind what they’re do-ing. In actuality, if you know how to work a mix, you can take a record and totally recreate it and make it bigger than it already is. More importantly, convey a message through your sets. The perfect deejay takes you on a journey, where you’ll feel a range of emotions.
People have called up the station crying because they are totally in the zone and feeling the music. Others call up crying because I may play a record that reminded them of a friend they lost to AIDS. House music cuts deep, and it is significant in many people’s lives. It’s not about black or white, or straight or gay. It’s about spirit and unity, which is something many people can’t understand.
