Jimmie Gonzalez

Wepa!! I grew up in "The Region", Gary, Indiana to be exact. Pride and passion runs in the blood of every Puerto Rican and I'm definitely no exception. I've always loved Salsa, but over the course of the past decade, I have grown a strong passion for it. Shortly after graduating High School, I decided to give my motherland a try and moved to Puerto Rico with my Parents and lived there for about a year. It was there where I truly found my love of Salsa. Unfortunately, things didn't work out for me financially, so I made the tough decision to move to Indianapolis with my Sister and Brother. I definitely didn’t regret my decision to move to Puerto Rico in the first place. One Thursday night, my sister invited me to the Jazz Kitchen and I felt like I was back home in PR again. I have practiced to several instructional videos, but I realize that it’s nothing compared to hands on practice from a live instructor and Erin and Yang are two of the best in the business.

My strong, growing love for Salsa and tropical music in general is what led me to want to be a DJ. I tried several different spots to DJ, and I finally got my break at what was The Cozy, when an old friend of mine and Tee offered me a spot to DJ when they had their Latin nights on Wednesdays. The night was December 18th, 2002 and COLD and I was quick to jump on their offer. I even had the privilege to DJ with Cuba a few times back when he was in town. Unfortunately, the next spring, Latin night was no more at The Cozy. I considered The Cozy a start of things to come for me. I want to personally thank Erin, Yang and TaZ for even considering me and offering me a couple of chances to DJ at the Blue Cactus and now at The Vault. My goal as a DJ is to satisfy as many people as possible with the music that I play. It makes it all worth while when someone comes up to me and says "I love the music you’re playing." I can't thank those of you enough! I love to watch all of you talented Salseros and Salseras show your skills! Salsa will live forever!!