DJ Willie D: El Gordito De Oro!
CalienteBoston.Com | Online Magazine | March 2003 Issue
By Rey Ricardo
One of Caliente Boston's focuses is to shine the limelight on some of the talent in the Latino
community. One such talent is DJ Willie D., El Gordito De Oro. Recently, Caliente Boston caught up
with Willie D and asked him a few questions on how he got started and what he sees for himself in
the future. Born in Arroyo, a small town on the South side of Puerto Rico, Willie and his family came
to Boston in October of 1978. Since 1988, Willie D has been entertaining audiences with a variety
of music. Willie talks about when he got started, " I played at family parties and house gigs, I guess
that's where everybody starts. In 1990-91, I made a career decision to focus on being a DJ."
During the early days of his career, Willie supplemented his income by working at a record shop.
Willie proudly mentions his humble beginnings, " I also worked in a record shop called Boston Beat,
out of East Boston. I met a lot of future big name DJ's there. You might say I came up with the class
of 1991-92. DJs like DJ Manolo, Armand Vanhelden, Roy Barboza to name a few. We all came out
of that little place in East Boston. "
In 1991, with the help of Felix Cutillo, the owner of Boston Beat at the time, Willie was given his first
real club gig at Las Brisas, a Colombian Sunday Night. Willie mentions, "You might say that Felix is
the one person responsible for getting my career off the ground." When asked what was the single
most memorable gig Willie had ever played at, Willie said, " My whole career as a DJ has been
really exciting. But if I have to recall one of the most memorable gigs, I'd have to say it was a
couple of years ago. During a Labor Day weekend, I was spinning at the Roxy nightclub during a
performance of Grupo Mania and Los Hermanos Rosario. It was memorable not because of me
DJing, but because of the whole atmosphere. Everything seemed to come together just right, it was
incredible. If you were there that night, you would know what I'm talking about."
El Gordito De Oro acknowledges a few people who have impacted his career: Martin Vasquez "El
Hombre Crusero", JJ Boston, German Velasquez, Gustavo Tamayo, Ray Torres, D-Nice, Luis
Medina and DJ Rip Hernandez, who he calls his partner in crime. Willie says, " I really need to
thank my mom, younger brothers and older sister. They've supported me in my career decision.
Who knew it was going to last this long?"
Willie has a myriad of clubs he has performed at. Most notably are: M-80, Europa, Latin Quarter @
the Roxy and Noches Colombianas to name a few. Willie adds, " Trust me, we'd be here for hours if
I were to mention every club I've had the pleasure of working at." A lot of Willie's career has been
influenced by the Boston’s Colombian scene. Willie says "My longest stay at a club has been a
Colombian Club. I have DJ’ed at La Makina in Revere for 7 years. I've also worked at Cali
Pachangero and did radio work on a show called Colombia En Vivo."
The veteran DJ believes in trying new things. He says, "A DJ isn't a DJ if he doesn't change with
the times. You can't be stuck doing the same routine over and over again. You have to improvise
and keep it fresh." An example of changing with the times is when Willie was hired by the Copa
promotion three years ago. It was Willie's job to play a variety of Salsa, Merengue and Cumbia in
the International Room. Seeing the format wasn't working, Willie decided to try a wider variety of
music without getting permission. From the whole experience immerged the all-new Meren-Reggae
room. New England’s only night with the format of: Merengue Rapido, Bachata and Reggaeton.
At present 2003-2005, Willie spins music at El Copa, Club Mega, does guest spots at a couple of
other venues and spins live for a mix show on La Mega. Willie is on the move. As his focus in the
music business shifts, he is getting deeper into the production side of things. He mentions "I'm
already taking my career to the next step, doing remixes and promoting for groups. But don't worry,
I'm not done DJing quite yet. I'm now just catching my second wind, and it will be a while before I
stop spinning music.” While Willie moves forward with his next project, he looks to impart some
advice to the next generation of DJs. With a lot of humility, Willie advises, "One piece of advice to
all the young DJ's out there. DJing can be a very fruitful career if you always keep it new. Don't be a
follower, be an innovator. Create the atmosphere, and make people want to follow you from club to
club. Don't Backstab or burn any bridges and keep a cool head."
DJ Willie D now spins at Cosmopolitan Lounge [East Boston],
Medallo Bar [East Boston] & Rumores Bar and Grill [Everett]
Available For:
Any Type of Private Function and Night Club
djwillied@djwillied.net
Winner of
El Planeta
Boston Best
Latin DJ 2011
© 2012 www.djwillied.net
djwillied@djwillied.net
