Latin Soul fuels weekly party on the radio

KUVO celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a big salute to The Latin Soul Party! Back in the day, if you wanted to have a great Friday night of dancin’ and socializin’, you had to find the block with the right party with the best DJs. For the last dozen years or so, that party happens on KUVO on Friday nights at 8 pm.

“It’s time for… THE LATIN SOOOOUUUULLL PARTYYYYYYY!”

“It was a musical niche that needed to be filled on Denver airwaves,” said Carlos Lando, KUVO General Manager. “Latin soul, R&B, and funk have strong artists and a great following, and I knew the guys who could present it well on the radio. Danny Valenzuela was known to us from his work on Cancion Mexicana, and I had worked with Ricky O’ over the years.” Jammin’ Joe Serna and Jedi George Murad came to the show later. Together, they’re a fun and fearsome foursome.

Danny Valenzuela (aka “MC Cuervo” for some unknown reason) has been working his way around turntables for decades. “My mom made wedding cakes, and I was exposed to DJs at receptions and parties in outdoor shelters. My dad bought me an amplifier and I rigged up a mixer by wiring the turntables a certain way. I was mixing James Brown part 1 and part 2 into a single long dance jam long before 12-inch dance records.”

Santana. Malo. Los Lonely Boys and El Chicano, with some Selena and War thrown in, and that’s just for starters on the Latin Soul Party. Valenzuela, Olguin, Serna, and Murad serve up hot takes on current events and classic jams. These are the guys you want to end the work week with, start the weekend with, and party with!

Since then KUVO’s Friday night get-down has been recognized by fans who call in from around the world (some even become KUVO listener-members). In 2020, Denver’s Westword Magazine recognized the Latin Soul Party as “Best Radio Show.”

“That’s a testament to their personalities,” said Lando.  “They can clown it up, and they can convey a serious message when the times call for it.  They’ve built a city-wide, grassroots following.”

¡Oralé!

Picture credit: MaryLynn Gillaspie
Left to right: Jammin’ Joe Serna, Jedi George Murad, Ricky O (Olguin), and MC Cuervo (Danny Valenzuela)

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