It was a night to remember Saturday June 4th at La Plaza de la Raza in Lincoln Heights, CA. House Issues along with Antonio Pelayo productions and NELAtv brought you an intense Deep house party like no other. A '90s House, arts and fashion festival, a blast from the past event brought well known DJs like global house diva DJ Irene, DJ Richard Vission aka Richard “Humpty” Vission and Lenny V, all American electronic dance music DJs and producers. An integral part of the scene since the early '90s, teenagers who grew up listening to Deep house and Techno music, and who are now in their late 30s and 40s attended this nostalgic event. Comedians Concrete and J Valentino, who hosted the show, described the event as coming back from a time machine. There were men and women dressed in Rebel '90s attire, from Doc Marten boots, chains hanging off their wallets, bandanas around their heads, girls with scrungies in their hair, etc. In addition, Groovers dressed in big flaring pants, beads all over their bodies and pacifiers in their mouths. There was also an exhibit showcasing old party flyers, magazines and pictures on the wall highlighting all the good times we had growing up in that era. From jungle juice to old photo booths, it definitely brought back a lot of memories and the partygoers were going wild reminiscing to music they grew up listening to. One of the partygoers described house music as stimulating her mind and it improved her concentration without being distracting. House Issues definitely shut the house down, and if you grew up in the '90s, it was definitely a memorable moment. Also in attendance were DJ Mauri, DJ Flaver, Killahnoez, Chrisrox, Gargamel, Herb One and fashion show by Wardrobe Divas, just name a few.
It all started back in 2009, my brothers and I decided to move back to South Central, Los Angeles from the Inland Empire. Both my brothers attended music and film school in Hollywood. At the time I was working construction in Las Vegas for nearly one year, but I always knew I had a passion for photography, but didn’t know what or where to start shooting.
As soon as I finished working in Las Vegas, I saved up enough money to buy a Canon camera. A friend of mine who was a night club promoter at the time asked me to be a roaming photographer at his venue. I had little to no experience shooting anything or anyone, but I felt confident and plus I was a people person, so I knew both of those qualities would help me succeed in being a photographer. I was a club photographer for almost a year until I started meeting people and networking. Then eventually I met a club photographer who owned his own business shooting venues all over Southern California.
For the next five years, I was shooting many nightclubs in LA, OC, IE and the Valley, eventually booking my own gigs. I even shot at the RIO in Las Vegas on the weekends when I worked out there for three months. Additionally, I booked a local night club working Tuesday nights as a roaming photographer for almost three years. At the same time, I was shooting Tuesday nights at a radio station working for rapper Dub-C. So after working at the radio station, I would leave to shoot at the club at night…
But I always felt like I needed to do more and take it to the next level. I felt like I couldn’t possibly shoot night clubs forever. I eventually linked up with my brother who had been writing for Music Connection. And thus, I began shooting local concerts all over Los Angeles and nearby counties. I felt like this was my calling. Not only do I like shooting musicians I listen to, but occasionally, I get to meet them and network with people in the business as well. I love doing what I do, but I do not put all my eggs in one basket.
Aside from shooting clubs and concerts, I have organized photo shoots with models. I have shot many events including birthday parties, weddings, Quinceaneras and more. I feel as a photographer, I cannot stick to just one preference. I feel like I have to do it all and “NO” can’t be the answer. I believe my path may be difficult, but eventually, it will pay off.
