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. “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 detail.