Several years ago, finding a place to go out and dance to Latin music in Columbus was nearly impossible. There were not a lot of options, other than occasional dances at the university. But as Columbus has continued to become a more vibrant and diverse community, a market has developed for this type of entertainment. The increased demand for Latin music has come from its widening popularity, and many places have popped up all over the city for you to enjoy Latin music. These places attract both Latin@s and non-Latin@s to enjoy music such as bachata, merengue, salsa, cumbia and reggaeton.

In the dynamic environment of the nightclub industry, people and places come and go. But one DJ has come to be recognized as an icon in Latin@ night life… Ray “Ritmo” Arebalo. An Ohio State alumnus, DJ and owner of Ritmo Productions, Ray seems to be hot all the time.

As music and dance play a significant role in Latin@ culture, Ray has been a pioneer in Columbus by contributing to both the campus and Columbus community. He has provided cultural experiences that allow people to enjoy the music and dance which are a crucial part of Latin@ culture. In his 10 years of providing music to Columbus, Ray has developed a strong base of fans due to his genuine attitude and focus on his audience’s taste.

Several years ago, Ray had no idea that he would become a world-class DJ. In fact, when arriving at Ohio State in 1993, Ray claimed that he didn’t even really know the difference between merengue and salsa. Arebalo remembered his experiences with music while a student at Ohio State. He said, “During school, the parties were fun, but it really annoyed me when the music would stop. We are having a great time and the music dies and then you have to rebuild the energy. So I decided I would fix that. It started with two CD players — I could cue up one and get it ready so the music wouldn’t stop. Then these Puerto Rican girls started telling me I had to learn what good music was. So they brought their CDs and I started building a collection. And then next thing you know I had thousands of CDs and decided to start doing this on a regular basis.”

As Ray Arebalo’s business has grown, so have his responsibilities outside the DJ booth. Marketing is a huge part of his job. He said, “You can have a great party, but if no one is there, what is the point?” Arebalo studied communications at Ohio State, but technology has changed the marketing landscape. Marketing now includes text messaging, emails, website development, and corporate sponsorships. And even though the business side of owning his own company is becoming a larger part of his life, Ray still is in the DJ booth. Ray said, “As much as I want to get out of the booth and manage the night and socialize and meet the clients, people are happiest when I am in the booth playing music and it is because I understand what they want before they want it. That is tough to do. I like to anticipate what people are going to want.”

So next time you are out, remember that the songs that you dance to are often a careful choice of the DJs. When playing music, Arebalo is looking at age demographics, ratio of men to women, who is dancing and not dancing, and cultural differences in order to decide what to play. But when asked how he developed his ability to know what the crowd wants to hear, he said, “All I can attribute my sense of what people want is to my early days — understanding what those Puerto Rican girls wanted at OSU.”

Though it has been over 10 years since Ray began his career at Ohio State, he has worked to keep strong connections with Ohio State students. One of the ways in which Ray continues to give back to the college community is by collaborating with student and non-profit organizations. Ray is providing the Latin@ organizations at Ohio State an opportunity to raise funds during his Latin events. If your organization is interested in a fundraising event that will involve music, dancing, and promoting Latin@ cultural awareness at OSU, contact Ray at ray_arebalo@yahoo.com.

For current event listings and special event information on Ray, Latin music, and Ritmo Productions, check out the following sites:
http://ritmoproductions.com and
http://myspace.com/ritmoproductions