BeyondtheTech
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Hello, everyone. My name is Raphael Salgado. I would like to start off by saying that Freestyle dance music remains in my heart to this day and have always prayed for a big, successful return to mainstream radio.
That being said, I should probably give you a little history about myself. I started back in the late 1980's creating music on my computer while always being a fan of karaoke machines (after all, most Filipino households had one that I thought it was law). By the time I was old enough to go clubbing, I had an inkling that I wanted to sing. I met up with an individual at the club by the name of Phone Sysounthone. He was the most talented, friendly, and outgoing person I have ever met. He was my alter ego.
It wasn't long after that I put together a small demo of some of my material and got a hold of a promoter through my very clubby sister Marla. Patrick Thomas introduced me to a producer in the city and we started producing our songs in his home studio. Our first performance was at the home of Ashford and Simpson, whose daughter was having a birthday. Members of the Village People and Kool Moe Dee were there. Not completely satisfied with the production, I then decided to take my material to Mauro De Santis and Matt Facchini, both of whom produced Freestyle artist Laura Enea. They helped rewrite my first produced song, "It's Not Over," where it got some very local airplay on PBS's weekend show "Asian Panorama" that featured many upcoming Asian acts, and we performed at weddings, birthdays.
Off an on over the years, I would continue to write freestyle music, making small appearances, and meeting up with my dancer-turned-friend-turned-singer Phone. While he and I partnered up many times, we always felt like we needed a third person, even from the beginning. Arsyjamal Haynes aka M&M was one of my dancers as well, and both him and Phone would battle at many of the high school and clubs across Bergen County, always creating huge clubstopping circles for people to watch in amazement.
Much later, I met up with Ron De Gennaro aka Rio Diege. Ron already had a few tracks produced by his good friend Tito Puente, Jr., and all of us instantly formed a bond that would then be called the Latin Rhythm Crew. I performed with Tito in venues located in Boston, Canada, New York, and Miami, all the while trying to promote Rio Diege and my music that became fused with theirs.
After suffering a physical injury (tore an ACL on stage) at Paramount's Wonderland in Canada where acts such as Li'l Suzy, C&C Music Factory and Bananarama performed, I retired from both groups and returned home.
I met up with David Laurent, a local club DJ, and Phone once again, and formed the group Digital Dreams. We quickly produced more tracks and met up with promoters Michael Lunn and Dennis Cialella of X-Ess Records. It was with X-Ess that we were honored to perform at a Freestyle revival in Sterling Heights, MI for the celebration of Vizion's record release party. We opened up for many acts including Artie Rodriguez, George Lamond, and Cynthia. We also opened for Coro back in our hometown in Rockland County, NY at a local club called Facade. It was also during this time that we started to produce tracks for other upcoming artists as well.
Our "flagship" song became a freestlye rendition of "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx.
Fast forward a few years and I'm a married man with two children doing technical support and Regulatory Affairs at a pharmaceutical company. Phone, as many of you here know, passed away a few years ago in a horrible car accident. It leaves me with a very open wound that won't go away, as he and I have been the best of friends for over 15 years. There is never a day that goes by that I don't think about him or talk about him.
But, every once in a while, when my pulse races to the sound of a Planet Rock beat or when I flip on my NY radio station KTU 103.5 FM on a late evening and hear some classic Freestyle tunes, I know where my heart still belongs. I know that's where Phone's heart always belonged as well.
Sifting through some old tapes and CDs of ourselves, I was able to scrounge up some old material and convert them to WMA format.
I just restarted my site, www.beyondthetech.com, which is mostly technical right now (a blog related to mobile hardware devices - www.beyondthetech.com/blogs/kjam), but I managed to upload the files there for you to download and listen.
Remember, this is me with Phone or me with Ron or Tito many years back, so forgive me in advance if it sounds "amateur-ish." However, one track, Whisper, produced by me and Phone, with lead vocals by Phone and backup by me, actually ended up on a Canadian Freestyle CD, thanks to Lunn and Ciallela.
Coincidentally, my favorite song, Promise Me This, was recently (2003) remixed by my younger brother Richy (www.richy923.com) who rapped in between my lyrics.
I hope to recover the version of "It's Not Over" produced by De Santis, but my only copy is cassette and I have not been able to get a hold of him, not even knowing if he still has a master of it laying around somewhere.
I actually heard the version of "It's Not Over" with Rio Diege produced by Tito Puente, Jr. playing on Spinner a few years ago. I have yet to recover that version as well.
Since "Whisper" is the only track that was actually published, my dream is to hear Phone singing that song on KTU. (I think it's a requirement that only published music can get airplay.)
Well, at least everyone knows where to get a clean copy. 😉
That being said, I should probably give you a little history about myself. I started back in the late 1980's creating music on my computer while always being a fan of karaoke machines (after all, most Filipino households had one that I thought it was law). By the time I was old enough to go clubbing, I had an inkling that I wanted to sing. I met up with an individual at the club by the name of Phone Sysounthone. He was the most talented, friendly, and outgoing person I have ever met. He was my alter ego.
It wasn't long after that I put together a small demo of some of my material and got a hold of a promoter through my very clubby sister Marla. Patrick Thomas introduced me to a producer in the city and we started producing our songs in his home studio. Our first performance was at the home of Ashford and Simpson, whose daughter was having a birthday. Members of the Village People and Kool Moe Dee were there. Not completely satisfied with the production, I then decided to take my material to Mauro De Santis and Matt Facchini, both of whom produced Freestyle artist Laura Enea. They helped rewrite my first produced song, "It's Not Over," where it got some very local airplay on PBS's weekend show "Asian Panorama" that featured many upcoming Asian acts, and we performed at weddings, birthdays.
Off an on over the years, I would continue to write freestyle music, making small appearances, and meeting up with my dancer-turned-friend-turned-singer Phone. While he and I partnered up many times, we always felt like we needed a third person, even from the beginning. Arsyjamal Haynes aka M&M was one of my dancers as well, and both him and Phone would battle at many of the high school and clubs across Bergen County, always creating huge clubstopping circles for people to watch in amazement.
Much later, I met up with Ron De Gennaro aka Rio Diege. Ron already had a few tracks produced by his good friend Tito Puente, Jr., and all of us instantly formed a bond that would then be called the Latin Rhythm Crew. I performed with Tito in venues located in Boston, Canada, New York, and Miami, all the while trying to promote Rio Diege and my music that became fused with theirs.
After suffering a physical injury (tore an ACL on stage) at Paramount's Wonderland in Canada where acts such as Li'l Suzy, C&C Music Factory and Bananarama performed, I retired from both groups and returned home.
I met up with David Laurent, a local club DJ, and Phone once again, and formed the group Digital Dreams. We quickly produced more tracks and met up with promoters Michael Lunn and Dennis Cialella of X-Ess Records. It was with X-Ess that we were honored to perform at a Freestyle revival in Sterling Heights, MI for the celebration of Vizion's record release party. We opened up for many acts including Artie Rodriguez, George Lamond, and Cynthia. We also opened for Coro back in our hometown in Rockland County, NY at a local club called Facade. It was also during this time that we started to produce tracks for other upcoming artists as well.
Our "flagship" song became a freestlye rendition of "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx.
Fast forward a few years and I'm a married man with two children doing technical support and Regulatory Affairs at a pharmaceutical company. Phone, as many of you here know, passed away a few years ago in a horrible car accident. It leaves me with a very open wound that won't go away, as he and I have been the best of friends for over 15 years. There is never a day that goes by that I don't think about him or talk about him.
But, every once in a while, when my pulse races to the sound of a Planet Rock beat or when I flip on my NY radio station KTU 103.5 FM on a late evening and hear some classic Freestyle tunes, I know where my heart still belongs. I know that's where Phone's heart always belonged as well.
Sifting through some old tapes and CDs of ourselves, I was able to scrounge up some old material and convert them to WMA format.
I just restarted my site, www.beyondthetech.com, which is mostly technical right now (a blog related to mobile hardware devices - www.beyondthetech.com/blogs/kjam), but I managed to upload the files there for you to download and listen.
Remember, this is me with Phone or me with Ron or Tito many years back, so forgive me in advance if it sounds "amateur-ish." However, one track, Whisper, produced by me and Phone, with lead vocals by Phone and backup by me, actually ended up on a Canadian Freestyle CD, thanks to Lunn and Ciallela.
Coincidentally, my favorite song, Promise Me This, was recently (2003) remixed by my younger brother Richy (www.richy923.com) who rapped in between my lyrics.
I hope to recover the version of "It's Not Over" produced by De Santis, but my only copy is cassette and I have not been able to get a hold of him, not even knowing if he still has a master of it laying around somewhere.
I actually heard the version of "It's Not Over" with Rio Diege produced by Tito Puente, Jr. playing on Spinner a few years ago. I have yet to recover that version as well.
Since "Whisper" is the only track that was actually published, my dream is to hear Phone singing that song on KTU. (I think it's a requirement that only published music can get airplay.)
Well, at least everyone knows where to get a clean copy. 😉