MUSIC
Legendary DJ's putting a new spin on disco
BY ROMAN O. GARCIA JR.
It's late on a Saturday night in the heart of Coconut Grove. The dance floor is mobbed, the lights are dim and the music is blasting. As DJ Ciro Llerena scans over the jam-packed room, he begins to feel the vibe. He blasts songs such as They Say It's Going to Rain, Fascinated and Point of No Return, and soon, the chanting crowd joins him jumping up and down with the beat of the music.
Llerena, 41, is ushering in the return of disco, freestyle and dance music in South Florida. He has been working the turntables since he was 14, and in the mid-1970s, became one of the youngest club DJs on the local scene. He earned a legendary reputation as one of the DJs at Hialeah's Casanovas Night Club in the '80s.
''I really enjoyed working at Casanovas. It was a fun atmosphere and a lot of good memories,'' said Llerena, whose mix CD, A Night at Casanovas, was released in 2004. ``Not many clubs have the run that we did. Nowadays it is a one- or two-year run, we had it for 11-12 years.''
Casanovas, at 790 E. Ninth St. in Hialeah -- now home to a Blockbuster Video and a Walgreen store -- was host to national acts including France Jolie (who was the first performer there in November 1979), the late Celia Cruz, Grace Jones, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine -- and even the Material Girl, well before most of us knew who she was.
''I still remember the first time Madonna performed at the club like it was yesterday,'' said Llerena. ''We did it as a favor to her promoter at the time, John ``Jellybean'' Benitez. Now you see her and she is a megastar, just like a lot of our former acts.''
The nightclub closed in 1990, when property values in the city began to rise.
''After it closed, I was in shock,'' Llerena said. ``I never lost work, though. I was working three days after it closed and had a full complement of clubs on the Beach including 1235, Warsaw and Club Nu.''
Llerena's love for DJing started when he was growing up, listening to a radio show by local DJ Bob Lombardi.
''He [Lombardi] was doing a live broadcast from the Limelight,'' he said. ``Right then and there, I knew I wanted to be a DJ.''
He first started spinning at clubs like Sebastian's and San Francisco/Honey for the Bears, Hialeah clubs that are now long gone. When Llerena was 17, Casanovas general manager Kevin Kirby heard one of his sets at San Francisco and hired him to work at the hugely popular club -- even though the legal age to enter was 21.
Llerena started working on Sunday nights. It wasn't long before he started working with the late Carlos Nodal, the club's original DJ.
ON THE RADIO
Llerena not only was a DJ, but also a radio personality. He started working in 1982 for Super Q, now known as WRMA-FM (Romance 106.7), hosting a show called Discoteca al aire, which was broadcast live from Casanovas.
Llerena later became one of the first power mixers for WPOW-FM (Power 96.5). He was joined in the first group by Phil Jones and Lazaro Mendez, now known as DJ Laz.
''Phil and I started the lunchtime dance and disco mix in 1987,'' said Llerena. ``That show became one of the main staples for the station.''
His popularity grew to the point that in 1989, he won the award for Best DJ at the Winter Music Conference. But in 1995, the music scene changed.
''When the hip-hop genre started sampling disco for their music, I thought our sound was done,'' he said. ``I hung up my headphones thinking that it was over.''
Llerena found a regular 9-to-5 office job, and worked at it for nearly a decade. Then in 2004, WCMQ-FM (92.3) sought him out. The station's local sales manager, Barbara Guerra, pitched him a concept for a show called The Return of Casanvoas from Flow Lounge on Saturday nights.
In July 2005, Llerena joined Albertico Rodriguez (who's now at WRTO-FM -- La Kalle 98.3) and Jammin' Johnny Caride, the promotions director for Spanish Broadcasting Systems, for the premiere broadcast at the Coral Gables club.
''It was a really magical experience that first night,'' Llerena said. ``It was fun being back and playing the music that everyone wanted to hear.''
After Flow Lounge, Llerena worked a number of other clubs and has now settled down with two live broadcasts a week for Clasica 92.3.
He works Friday nights at Rendezvous On The Lakes (6685 Eagle Nest Ln. in Miami Lakes), and Saturdays at Apples Martini (3015 Grand Ave., third floor, in Coconut Grove).
Following his stint with Rodriguez, he went on to work with another notable radio personality Leo Vela and is now paired with host Mike ''In the Night'' Triay.
''The reason I came back is because of the music. This music drives people,'' said Llerena. ``It's hard to do away with something so good.''
Now that he is back in the club scene doing what he loves, Llerena hopes to continue with the success. His MySpace page -- MySpace.com/djciro -- has 650 friends, and photos from his DJ appearances. This Saturday, he is scheduled to co-host the Casanova's Freestyle Reunion Concert at the Dade County Auditorium on Saturday and hopes to work out a similar concert with disco in the near future.
He also is looking forward to getting back into the studio with artists again.
''I produced a lot of records back in the '80s,'' Llerena said. ``I hope to be able to come up with a new sound, similar to what people used to hear at Casanova's. It's not that I want to go back to those times, but instead get people to dance and have fun like they did back then.''


Link to Miami Herald Article on Dj Ciro Llerena