TOP 20 CHART
- 1. Subete - Alexis & Fido
- 2. Siguelo - Wisin & Yandel
- 3. Seras Mia - Angel & Khriz
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INSIDE REGGAETON - Exclusive!
Los Benjamins, Engineered to Perfection
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OTHER INSIDE EXCLUSIVES
- Alexis y Fido Nominated Twice for Latin Grammys 09/11/2008
- MTV TR3S and Calle 13 Partner to Unveil Grammy Winning Duo 09/05/2008
- Voltio Redeemed by His Music 08/27/2008
- Wisin Y Yandel Gearing Up 05/27/2008
- Julio Voltio on Grand Theft Auto IV 05/12/2008
- Rakim and Ken Y Caught Stealing Songs From Erre XI 04/21/2008
- Introducing ‘Mr. New York City’ Nick Diddy aka Talentino 02/24/2008
- Marlon Peña the Man Behind the Video Camera 02/01/2008
- Stef La Kallejera onfire representing the females 12/05/2007
- Dj Hostile Holding it down for NYC 11/20/2007
September 13, 2006
There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes when making music. There are many people with names and faces we know, as well as men and women whose identity and names never come to light. Besides a short shout out on the cover of a CD or an acknowledgement in an award acceptance speech, the work of many goes on virtually unnoticed by the public.
Many of our youth aspire to be famous. When the road to fame leads to a dead end, people like Jorge "Joker" Elvira, an engineer at Mas Flow, show there are other ways to live your dreams.
He started out as a DJ when he was only 15, getting his inspiration from a friend who was a party DJ. “I went to a party with him and I saw how he was doing it and became interested. I asked him how I could get started and he taught me how to be a DJ.” Now at the age of 26 his days of being a DJ are over and with a stroke of luck, landed a job with Mas Flow in 2005.
Things did not come easy to Jorge. Everything he has in life he owes to hard work and dedication. “The way I see it, if you want to do something, and you put your all into it, you can do anything you want. So for me things haven’t been difficult.”
He started DJ-ing in concerts in Orlando, Florida, and then he moved on to DJ-ing at a local radio station for 2 years. He also attended school to become an engineer and has a Recording Arts degree. While putting himself through school, Jorge continued to work as a DJ until a friend proposed to help him find a job. Little did he know that the job was at Mas Flow studios. He was impressed with the facilities and started working for Luny, and has been there since.
Before Mas Flow, Jorge had a bit of experience working in studios. He recalled that he was not star struck at all when he started and that it was just like a normal job. “I can say that, however, I was very excited to work with the top producers in the genre. I was thinking I could move on in a few years and have something good on my resume. Working at Mas Flow has turned into something much more than that for me now. In Puerto Rico, as far as Reggaeton goes, this is one of the top studios in terms of equipment and quality. Everything is top of the line.”
Jorge’s job at Mas Flow is just as important as any other in the studio. He is the engineer, which makes him in charge of anything dealing with recording the vocals. He also sets up the studio before each producer starts a session. “You have to know about computers and music and have to be really good with working with people,” he said. “The studios I worked for before were about making money, so sometimes I told the artists good things no matter how horrible they sounded. This taught me that an artist’s mood will affect the song. Earlier in my career I worked with artists that could not sing, but I said whatever I could to make them feel comfortable.” Working in the Mas flow Studio, it is way more important for the artists to trust his judgment and for him to speak up if he hears bad vocals or if someone is constantly off key. “What you say in the studio really affects an artist’s performance; the first time they go through a song may be a little rough, but usually the second or third time they relax and the sound gets better.”
With every new session each artist brings a brand new experience. Jorge says his favorite artist to work with by far are Wisin & Yandel, because they are always joking and that makes working with them fun. Jorge goes on to say, “It’s really nice to see a talent like Tainy develop over time. Many times he makes beats that just make you stop and say, ‘Wow, how did he do that?’ He’s like a little brother because I see him as well as all the other young producers as they come in knowing very little about the studio. Now they know a lot more."
The most anticipated album of the year is Los Benjamins. Luny Tunes and all the Mas Flow crew are now in New York promoting the album. “I feel that Los Benjamins is going to be something new for the genre of Reggaeton and will bring a new sound,” Jorge said with confidence. “Right now there is no CD out that will sound like this album. Amaro is coming up and he did some tracks and brought his own unique sound with him. Rookie is hot right now, he has a reggae roots sound that he brings to the plate. Hopefully we can get Deevani’s track done in time for the album, if not you will definitely be hearing a lot more from her as well.”
