Musicians

Kinkamaché

A Unique Afro-Caribbean Musical Fusion

Kinkamaché is a septet of seven professional musicians, all driven by a passion for Afro-Caribbean music. We distinguish ourselves by our desire to integrate live music into dance conventions and festivals, while continuing to develop this musical genre through new compositions of exceptional quality.
Our aim is to promote exchange in Switzerland. We firmly believe that music is a bridge between cultures, and we aspire to enrich these exchanges through our performances and musical creations.
In addition to our musical performances, we also aim to integrate music master classes into dance congresses and festivals. Dancers and DJs show a particular interest in the music they listen to and its analysis. By understanding how this music is created, dancers can better interpret it in their movements, and DJ's can mix it with greater knowledge and skill.

César Correa , piano and composition
Paula Chico, vibraphone
Rodrigo, bass
Richard Rey,  voice
Luis Aballe, percussion
Alberto García,  percussion
Jorge, percussion

Lyon Salsa Orquesta

The Lyon Salsa Orquesta is put together especially for La Ruñidera by Julien Arnaud. With 10 professional musicians from the Lyon region (FR), they will entertain us with salsa from the 60s and 70s. More details will follow.

Jonathan Carette, piano
Hugo Reydet, bass
Sergio Laguado, guitar/tres,
Juan-Carlos Arrechea Mina, timbales
Nicolas Gazé, bongo
Anthony Bones, trombone
Théo Pagès, congas
Pedro Gutiérrez, saxophone
Roy Barrientos, vocals and trumpet
Núne Jova Martinez , vocals and percussion

Mambo Chilis Orquesta

We are a group of hobby musicians with a huge passion for salsa . We rehearse regularly in Zurich and play for you some well-known classics that are very suitable for dancing. Feel the connection to the music when someone is creating it 2 meters next to you. We would love to have you join us for Ruñidera!

Andrea Frei, piano
Thomas Egeter, percussion, trombone
Patric Lienhard, trumpet
Tamas Erdei, saxophone,  percussion
Stefan Frei, percussion
Regula Portmann, vocals
Mathias Mettauer, bass

Yojan Balanquet

was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up in a family of musicians. He received lessons in percussion, piano, guitar, clarinet and singing at an early age, with percussion being his passion from the very beginning. He started playing in his grandfather's ensemble at the age of 15. A few years ago he moved to switzerland and became known through his guest solos with the ¨big sound orchestra" and his performances with the sextet ¨los capitanes del son¨.

https://www.yojanbalanquet.com/

Sławek Plizga

studied at the Bern University of the Arts (jazz department), lives in Bern and regularly performs as a bandleader and sideman in various venues in Switzerland and Europe. Sławek Plizga plays his guitar and tres in a way that represents his great passion and fascination for traditional salsa and jazz, while also leaving room for his own personal expression.

Balint Petz - Valentino guitarist

Started guitar at the age of 10, Budapest born guitarist fell in love with flamenco, later Cuban and jazz music ended up blending them with ease and taste.
Using sophisticated harmonies on rich latino rhythms flavouring with the fire of flamenco is the salt and pepper of Valentino’s guitar style.
His compositions are catchy melodies, easy to listen, his performances are joyful, sincere and captivating.
(Beginning to play the guitar at the age of 10, the Budapest born guitarist fell in love with Flamenco, later Cuban and Jazz music, blending them with ease and taste.)

https://valentinoguitar.com/

Alexander Febles

Nice to meet you, my name is Alexander Febles. I was born in 1980 in Havana, Cuba.
Dance and music have always been my life. As long as I can remember, I have been making music, and since I could walk, I have been able to dance. I owe this, among other things, to my mother, who supported me in both areas from a young age. During my school years, I participated in several dance performances. Dancing was as much a part of my daily life as music. After much deliberation, I ultimately decided to pursue a music education. This decision opened the door to the wide world for me. At the age of 16, I had the opportunity to travel through Europe for several weeks with various orchestras, which was incredibly beneficial for me. At 27, I came to Switzerland. Here, I have had the chance to work with well-known bands such as Grupo Extra, Cubashe, Tokame, Tony Martinez, and many more. I also wanted to be professionally active in the dance field. I was fortunate to learn from one of the best; I received private dance training from Alexis Hernandez. Thanks to him, I am now a professional dance teacher and dancer with solid knowledge of Cuban dances. Of course, I have also continued to develop myself and gained experience through several performances, such as at the Salsa Congress in St. Gallen, at the Kunsthaus Zurich, in the Zha Zha Musical in Berlin, and at the annual AfroCuban Festival in England. To this day, I am continuously educating myself as both a dancer and a musician—because one never stops learning!

https://casitadelasalsa.ch/

Javier Padilla

His dance career began in his native Mexico. There he was part of the show group ‘Salsabor’ and later, when he took ballet lessons, of the ‘Ballet de Cámara de Tabasco’. In 2009, he moved to Barcelona, where he continued his ballet training with ¨Company&Company¨. Together with David De Menes, he took part in several talent shows in Spain and Great Britain. In two consecutive years he won the Salsa Soloist Male World Runner-up title in Miami, Florida.
Javier impresses with his outstanding technique and visible joy of dancing and music. He is known worldwide for his workshops in styling and musicality at salsa festivals and congresses.

DJ Tony Salsacoleccion (ES)

DJ Hugo Leite (PRT)

Searching, selecting and playing music for an audience is my profession. It has been my full time occupation since March 2002. My area of speciality are the rhythms that compose Salsa music but I also work with other Latin and African rhythms. I have found in music and professional audio an intense passion… and I love sharing it with others!
Hugo Leite was born in Coimbra, Portugal, on January 6th, 1980. He is considered to be one of the best Latin rhythms DJs in Portugal being regular presence in the main events and clubs at national level. In the international scene, he is very
often requested for DJ sessions in Spain and France.
His DJ sessions are typically characterized by creativity and originality, combining classic songs with recent releases, in a ceaseless search for a positive and contagious dance floor energy. The pleasure and fun of the dancer is his main
goal. Good dancing songs, respectful transitions and a constant care to get the best sound are the cornerstones of his DJ work.
In addition to searching the best music for the dancers, he also develops technical audio work. He completed the Audio Production and Music Informatics course by the Riff School of Music in Aveiro, and the Live Sound Technician
course by the Portuguese Association of Professional Sound Technicians, certified by the Audio Engineering Society.
As a sound technician, he worked in concerts of La Sucursal (Barcelona), Orquesta Del Solar (Madrid), Orquesta Sonoridad (A Coruña) and New Swing Sextet (New York). He is responsible for several live recordings highlighting the works done for Tromboranga (Barcelona) and La Candela (Tenerife). As a sound designer, he prepares the audio tracks for professional dance performances (theatres, congresses, clubs) and for TV presentations such as “Got Talent Portugal” and “Got Talent Spain” shows by artists such as Pedro Sousa, Inês Gameiro, Nuno Pesqueira and Nágyla Galvão.

Julien Arnaud, known as DJ LaFuriosa, is a dedicated salsa DJ who has been contributing to the salsa scene since 2009. His career commenced at the "El Chicho" bar in Bordeaux, where he first introduced audiences to the vibrant rhythms of salsa. Julien is particularly passionate about collecting vinyl records from around the globe, actively seeking rare finds from regions such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, New York, Peru, Venezuela, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Haiti, Colombia, Panama, Africa, and Paris.
Each year, Julien travels to Colombia to immerse himself in the diverse rhythms of salsa, mambo, son cubano, boogaloo, charanga, guaracha, romantica, chachacha, guaguancó, and guajira. During these trips, he attends numerous concerts and builds relationships with musicians, constantly searching for new sounds and inspiration that he can incorporate into his DJ sessions. In addition to his travels, Julien hosts events like "12h de la Salsa," where he engages with live music and dance.
As DJ LaFuriosa, Julien has had the opportunity to work as a DJ for audiences across Europe, including cities such as London and Paris, as well as at the Tempo Latino festival, which celebrates Latin music in particular. His sets offer a curated experience, showcasing music from the 1950s through the 1990s.
In his role as a teacher at Lyon Salsa School, Julien imparts his knowledge and enthusiasm for salsa to students of various backgrounds, fostering a sense of joy and energy through dance.

MimoMusic (Resident)

I learned my first salsa steps in 2005. At that time the music didn't appeal to me much. Over the years I stayed active in dancing, improving my knowledge of the dance as well as the diverse music. It wasn't long until I started listening to a lot of Salsa in my free time. Also, after a few years I started collecting music as well as teaching dancing. The preference for Latin-Jazz Salsa, Salsa Dura, Guaguanco, Mambo, Cha-Cha, Boogaloo clearly mark my path through the Latin world.
In 2018 I founded the association SalsaOn2Happenings together with Janine Pfister in Uster (Zurich). Since then we have been organising many events in the Zurich/Uster (CH) area. We are proud creators of the Chocolate-Mambo-Marathon, the MamboTime Salsa-Party in Zurich and some more. www.salsaon2.ch In 2021 I started in a small Salsa band in Zurich (Mambo-Chillis) as a bass player. Apart from that I play some guitar, conga, small percussion (clave, guiro). All a bit but nothing really.
Also 2021 I started reproducing music. Some with the idea to better understand the structure and construction of the music. Some, however, mainly because the music was very badly recorded in the early years, great music, but not playable at salsa parties because of the music quality: MimoMusic was the result: https://mimomusic.art/

Hello; I'm Jose Ramos, a photographer specialized in nightlife & SBK events with almost 8 years of experience living in Palma de Mallorca. I am responsible for the photography/video team of the BMC Mallorca nightclub (22 of the World's 100 Best Clubs 2023) and head of the photography department of www.zumbs.com. I have personally held sessions at the Salsafestival Switzerland (4 editions), Eurosensual Festival Düsseldorf 2023, Bachata Festival Hamburg (3 editions), Sensual Station Hamburg, Salsa Convention Sant Gallen (Switzerland), Birmingham Salsa Marathon (2 editions), Egypt Sensual Festival, Juanes Party (Zürich), Shine Mambo Madrid (6 editions), Purabachata Mallorca (5 editions) (Palma de Mallorca), Bachateala Festival Switzertland, Salsa Dance (Basel), Bailamos Salsa Basel (5 years with them), Greek Pole Dance Camp 2017-2022, Tanzreise Mallorca (6 years), Madrid Esencia (2 editions), Barcelona Kizomba Festival and many more events and parties...