Pico Picante @ Goodlife, 1.20.12 Plus Interview With Founders Pajaritos
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 1:07AM 
Another great night is in store for Goodlife partygoers tomorrow (I feel like I’ve been there a lot lately, could it be something in the water?!) Picó Picante has gained a great deal of traction in the mere six months they have been in existence. Starting from their humble beginnings at the cozy Lily Pad in Somerville, they moved to the more spacious Goodlife several months ago as patronage began to rise. Why wouldn’t it; everyone is digging the sounds of moombahton, latin house, tropical bass, freestyle, cumbia, or whatever other names people come up with to define the sound that makes me forget about the harsh wind and blinding snow Boston bestows upon us at this time of year.
Sara Skolnick and Ernesto Morales are not only instrumental in running Picó Picante, but they also perform as a duo called Pajaritos. As DJ’s, they spend a lot of time carefully searching music that compliments the night. The ethos of Picó Picante are very organic as the sound of global music changes faster than the current stock market even on a slow day. They are constantly on their toes, not only to keep their setlists fresh, but also to find ways to rejuvinate each installment of the once-a-month event.
Pajaritos and I had the opportunity to email back and forth regarding the night and where they are headed for 2012. So without further ado, here’s a bit about Pico Picante, straight from the source!
Nick: Describe Pico Picante in one sentence to someone who may be new to the Boston area.
Pajaritos: Picó Picante is a non-stop dance party driven by global music influences – a blur of intermingling cultures and a vibrant crowd.
Nick: Along with yourself, PC/MM and Parajitos were instrumental in helping kick Pico Picante off just six months ago. How long have you all been involved in the music scene - both in Boston and beyond? Any future plans for the night we should be aware of?
Pajaritos: This month we’re celebrating our first anniversary as Pajaritos. Now we’ll be starting to record our own music, as well as stepping up the Picó Picante party. We want each upcoming party to have its own theme, which incorporates specific musical motifs, costumes, props, instrument handouts, and other ideas. Most importantly, we want to expand the breadth of musical genres in our sets.
We’re excited to give a home to Boston global bass artists, as well as to invite guests from out of town to expand our city’s presence in the worldwide tropical community. We’d also like to experiment with ways to explore the cultural sources of this music - through panels, screenings, and collaborations with local organizations that promote a passionate, celebratory cross-cultural dialogue.
Nick: It’s hard to deny the widespread acceptance of salsa-spiced influences baked into many forms of dance music, especially moombahton and tropical bass. How do you predict these sounds will further evolve over the next five years?
Pajaritos: It’s hard to tell what direction these emerging genres will take, since they’ve already covered so much ground in their infancy. With only one year of digging into digital crates and with new releases popping up what seems like by the hour, we’re looking forward to more and more surprises.
Nick: Who are some artists who fall within the vein of Pico Picante you would recommend to a casual listener? How about some up-and-coming artists you would recommend to a serious listener?
Pajaritos: Soundcloud is a treasure trove for global bass artists, if anything for the immediacy that new tracks can go live and be shared among the bass community. Our inspiration from the night originally came from NYC artists and founders of the notorious Que Bajo?! party - Uproot Andy, Geko Jones, DJ Reaganomics. Other artists to check out - DJ Sabo of Los Angeles, the Peligrosa crew from Austin, Caballo, Javier Estrada, Fade to Mind artists. The beauty of all of this is the element of surprise when digging - just this week I was blown away by a “Rave Ateka” 3ball Guarachero release that dropped in the past few days.
Have a listen to a few of Pajaritos’ own mixes, available on their Soundcloud page. If the night piques your interest, info is below!
Riobamba GUAU GUAU Mixtape by Pajaritos
Malagón Presents TIEMPO LIBRE by Pajaritos
Lineup for Pico Picante Vol. 7
Pajaritos http://dancepajaritos.com/
Leah V http://soundcloud.com/leahmcfly
Snake Soundsystem www.soundcloud.com/snake-soundsystem
VISUALS: HEXbeam (http://templeofmessages.com/HEXbeam/)
FOTOS: Spirited Magazine www.spiritedmag.com
Also, Francesco Spagna, Chas Bronz & Lala playing deep house in the basement!
Goodlife, 28 Kingston St, Boston MA. 9pm-2am, 21+. $5 cover.
Cumbia,
Latin,
Pajaritos,
Pico Picante,
Tropical,
goodlife,
moombahton in
cumbia,
goodlife,
moombahton,
pico picante,
tropical 























