ZapataBerlin
The son of Colombian and Mexican immigrants, Zapata was born in New York, and grew up on a diet of salsa, jazz, rock, and hip-hop. After playing jazz trombone when he was young, he began DJing after falling in love with the kind of jazz-infused house that much of 90’s New York was all about. He discovered deeper sounds (from Detroit, Chicago, and back to NYC) the more he dug, moving through a lot of the dreamier, chordier house that defines much of his musical output. You can expect anything from disco, deep, salsa, afro-house, hip-house, hip-hop, and tons of jams with live elements when he plays DJ sets.
Zapata is all about diversity and genuineness. This outlook can be seen when he spins at DiscoDisco, a party which he co-founded, alongside Nils Nilsson and Agha B, at Berlin’s underground Repeat Bar—a monthly get-down which encourages DJs to break the four-to-the-floor mould by playing funk, jazz, afro, salsa, and anything else that falls in between. Music always stands the test of time—that’s why it’s important to really believe in the records you play. There should be no such thing as fillers, he believes. Play only what you really love, and be real with it!