He’s one of New York City’s most well-known DJs. He’s
the Northeast Promotional Director for RMM Records and Video Corp. He’s been on the
salsa scene in New York for twenty-one years. He’s a unique combination of Puerto
Rican, English and French. He has a son. He dances “on 2.” He is Henry Knowles.
Marla:
What’s your favorite music to dance to:
Henry:
El Canario, Tito Nieves and Ray Sepulveda Newer music is attracting younger Latinos.
It’s picking up more swing but the old stuff really gets to me.
Marla:
What do you think of the dance craze? It seems like lots of people are taking lessons?
Henry:
Dance lessons are getting a lot more attendants. More and more people are getting into it.
It’s great because the classes are mixed ethnicities, like in the older days at the
Palladium when there were all kinds of people into mambo - Jews, Italians, Blacks and
Latinos. Now it’s come back. There are more and more non-Latinos dancing in the
clubs.
Marla:
You mention mambo. Now people call it salsa. Are they the same?
Henry:
Salsa is mambo. It’s all mambo.
Marla:
Do you take dance lessons yourself?
Henry:
I take classes from Eddie Torres.
Marla:
You’re the only DJ I’ve ever seen get out there and dance - a lot. Why do you
prefer dancing on two?
Henry:
It’s more with the music. Dancing on two goes with the clave. That’s how people
dance in New York but I’ve also seen a few people dancing on two in LA.
Marla:
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Henry:
I’m getting more into production, remixes, just more into the music.
Marla:
I know you have MEGA. Are there other radio stations in New York that play salsa?
Henry:
MEGA is dedicated totally to tropical music but there are other stations that have salsa
shows.
Marla:
I also hear a lot of merengue in New York.
Henry:
Yeah, in the clubs we play about 90% salsa and 10% merengue. My crowd is more into salsa,
a little more mature crowd. The youngsters like merengue because it’s easy to dance
to.
Marla:
What music do you play that packs the floor most? What do most people like to dance to?
Henry:
“La Paella” by Jose Alberto, Michael Stuart, Tito Rojas, Gilberto Santa Rosa.
Marla:
I don’t hear much cha cha in New York.
Henry:
Cha cha is starting to make a comeback. The people who really know how to dance cha cha
are the mature crowd, unless they’re taking lessons.
Marla:
Where do you see the future of this music going?
Henry:
More international. People from all around the world are getting into it. The music coming
out of Cuba now is incredible. I think it’s great that the whole world is getting
into salsa because I do not want to see this culture die out.
With people like Henry around, this music will definitely never die! If you love salsa
you should definitely check Henry out. He can be found at the Latin Quarter on Thursday
nights where he does a live show broadcast on MEGA. You can also check him out at the
Copacabana and other clubs around town.
|