Noted Latina DJs Told 'This Hotel Does Not Play Latin Music' Before Plug Pulled In Austin

AUSTIN, TX — Members of the Chulita Vinyl Club DJ collective said their last gig at a downtown hotel was cut short when a manager told them "This hotel does not play Latin music," according to a published report.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that the all-female DJ collective specializing in a mix of disco, funk and hip-hop intermixed with Latin beats have complained of having had their plug essentially pulled at Upstairs at Caroline's on Friday by a hotel bar who said: "This hotel does not play Latin music.”

Members of the group said the gig was part of the bar's soft opening upstairs from the recently opened Caroline restaurant, a part of the Aloft Austin Downtown hotel.

On Monday, DJ Claudia Aparicio told the newspaper she was just ten minutes from concluding an expanded set during a shared bill with Colombian-infused funk band Superfonicos when the agitated manager approached them. The manager added: "You're bringing the vibe down," she told the newspaper, while noting that people had taken to the dance floor based on their musical offerings.

The manager then proceeded to mute the music from the DJ booth before switching to a house sound system, according to the report. Other managers later approached the band to the apologize, prompted the DJs to post a videotaped snipped of that conversation on their Instagram account. A longer version of that interaction was also uploaded to YouTube.

The members of the collective issued a formal statement on the matter, which can be viewed on their official fan page: "We had a great response from the crowd, complete with dancing and positive feedback in the form of support and words and encouragement," members wrote in part. "Multiple patrons approached members of CVC to express their enthusiasm for our collective."

Subsequently, Caroline officials on their Facebook page attributed the bar manager's initial assertion to "...a miscommunication at the end of their set, which led to the musicians leaving feeling unappreciated.” In the same post, hotel officials said they "truly regret" how members of Chulita Vinyl Clu were made to feel, and would ensure a similar incident doesn't occur again.

Aparicio told the Statesman members of the collective felt unappreciated from the beginning of the gig; "It's not that we left feeling like that," she said. "They just did not welcome us. If they didn't want Latin music, then they shouldn't go with a crew that the name even says it's in Spanish."

Aparacio noted further irony given the Latino-suffused aesthetic elements used throughout the venue as decor along with the ethnic menu offerings at the restaurant: "They're clearly trying to have the culture, but not wanting to accept the culture," she said.

By late Monday, the hotel's general manager David Meisner issued a prepared statement apologizing to Chulita Vinyl Club while reiterating their admiration of their art. The statement was provided to the Statesman.

"We specifically chose the Chulita Vinyl Club to play at Upstairs at Caroline as part of our music series because we like their work. We were honored to have them DJ last Friday night. In preparing for the last couple hours of service at the restaurant, we wanted to switch the tempo of the music, so we asked them to end about 10 minutes early. The request was not about the genre of music but we did not communicate or handle the situation appropriately on our end. We apologize for offending Chulita Vinyl Club and the community and we deeply regret the way the situation was handled. We have reached out to Chulita Vinyl Club to apologize in person. We are sorry for our actions and are actively working with and re-training our team on creating a safe, inclusive, respectful environment where everyone knows they are genuinely welcomed and valued.”

That failed to allay the umbrage of Chulita Vinyl Club members whose offense is to the degree that they didn't accept money for the gig, they explained.

"CVC was disrespected," members wrote. "CVC recognizes that apologies are empty when actions do not follow and condemns the commodification and objectification of elements of our culture, while at the same time not accepting our culture or welcoming its community. We felt so uncomfortable and unwelcome at the Caroline venue that we cannot in good consciousness accept their money. Their non-inclusive attitude towards our collective and audience will be shared with our community in efforts to protect them from suffering the ill treatment we received."

Founded in 2014, the all-female Chulita Vinyl Club has chapters in California and Texas promoting the ideals of female empowerment in a male-dominated industry while exploring issues of cultural identity, according to a video primer produced by KLRU. As its name suggest, the group spins vinyl records in creating a repertoire chosen by individual members referred to as "chulitas," slang for "pretty ones" in Spanish.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

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