DJ Paco: Mixin' it up

Francisco Martinez, known by many dancers as DJ Paco, isn’t surprised that he’s had some problems hearing from his left ear. That’s the ear he leaves exposed, out of the safety of his noise-reducing headphones, on the nights he DJs. That way he can still be a part of the crowd’s vibe and adjust his mixing to fit the atmosphere. 

At this point in his 14-year DJ career, he laughed, he’s surprised it doesn’t bother him more. 

“I really love what I do,” Martinez said. “I love all the people, all different kinds of people, all different ages, enjoying the music mix.”

In August, Martinez began Latin Saturdays, a night dedicated to the love of dancing, strobe lights and Latin music, at the Rare Martini twice a month. It also includes an hour-long salsa lesson beforehand.

Christine Romano, who’s been the Rare Martini general manager for a year and a half, said that after meeting Martinez one night, they ended up talking about how a Latin dance night could bring in clientele for them both.

“We try to mix it up. We’ve been around for several years, and it’s [the Rare Martini] still the place to be,” Romano said. 

In the past, the Rare Martini has hosted a variety of events, bands and birthday parties, but never a Latin night with dance lessons.

Martinez said he has seen the Latino community grow in Birmingham over the years, and with that, he’s also seen a spike in interest in Americans for traditionally Latin dances like salsa. 

“The hope is to give them another option, for them to try a different type of music, atmosphere, also to integrate another culture,” Martinez said. 

He said it tends to be about 40 percent Americans, with many already knowing basic dance moves. More of the Latino community comes ready to dance later in the night. He also frequently hosts Latin dance nights at other Birmingham clubs including Skyy Bar, Pablo’s Restaurante & Cantina and Medusa Night Club.

“This is a great spot over here [in Birmingham], a lot of movement,” he said. 

Martinez said what started as a group of friends with a love for playing, mixing and dancing to music transformed over the years into Caliente Entertainment, a DJ company serving the Birmingham area and catering to the growing Latino community. After DJ-ing for a couple of local clubs, the tight-knit group begin to be known for private parties, sweet-16 celebrations, quinceañeras, and most prominently, Latin dance parties.

Now the Caliente Entertainment team consists of about 15 people who act as promoters, security, event coordinators, DJs and whatever else is needed.

From frequent DJ experience, Martinez said he is glad to know so many American people who love to salsa, but said it’s perfectly OK to come to the Latin Saturdays without any dance skills. Most people are able to learn the basic moves of the dance in the hourlong lesson to get them through the night, he said, but salsa still is only a suggested dance.  

“Everyone has a good night anyways,” he said. “Music is a universal language. It doesn’t have a color, and that’s what I love about it most.”

For his day job, Martinez works in sales for a local Latino newspaper, but DJ-ing still takes up at least three or four nights a week, with him working night-owl hours of 9 p.m. to about 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. When he first started working the clubs, he was tired all the time, but now, he said, he’s gotten used to his routine. He determines his set list at least one week before each event, and he doesn’t bother with any of the dancers who are too drunk. 

“I think the kind of the parties we throw, we try to maintain a good rep,” he said. “We’ve been doing these parties for 10 years. We want to make sure everyone’s going to have a good time.”

Over the course of his career as a DJ, his music connections from New York, Miami, Atlanta and other big cities send him up-and-coming music popular in their local clubs. He constantly scours websites, top-100 lists and tries to stay on top of the newest music trends.

For the Latin Saturdays at the Rare Martini, there will be drink specials and a $5 cover charge. The event is for ages 19 or older.

“We’re looking forward to having him here,” Romano said. “We’re excited and hope everyone will come out and see him.”