When Claudia Saenz relocated from Austin to San Jose, she found a thriving Latino DJ scene, which she definitely could appreciate. However, like most corners of the entertainment industry, she found that the local nightlife circuit was run predominantly by men. “I’m pretty new to San Jose, but I have noticed it is very male-dominated,” Saenz says. “Whether it be the DJ, the venue or the promoter—anybody involved in music basically.”
As the founder of Chulita Vinyl Club—an all-female society of record collectors, which spans multiple cities in California and Texas—Saenz is uniquely positioned to effect change in the local community, and she has. This month, the Bay Area chapter of the CVC has taken up residence at The Ritz, spinning oldies, soul, cumbia, hip-hop, funk and more on May 4 and 11. Their final night this month comes this Thursday.
“I created Chulita Vinyl Club specifically to have a space for women to kind of encourage and get girls out there to either start DJing or have a space to get together as vinyl-loving girls,” Saenz says, explaining the inspiration behind CVC—which now has chapters in San Antonio, Austin, the Rio Grande Valley, Los Angeles, Santa Ana and San Diego, in addition to the Bay Area club.
Saenz started CVC back in 2014 with the mission of “providing a space for empowerment and togetherness” for women of color.
“A lot of the girls in Chulita Vinyl Club inherited vinyl collections from their parents,” Saenz says, referring to the passing down of music on vinyl with the same reverence as would be appropriate with any other family heirloom. One of the few requirements of the CVC is that its membership spin only vinyl when hosting DJ nights. “Vinyl is just something more intimate for me.”
Maryela Perez, another member of the CVC’s Bay Area chapter, says honing her vinyl collection has helped her understand herself. The crates of records she has amassed over the years are physical representations of her identity.
“There’s something super special about being able to shape the music you collect and you hold dear to yourself,” Perez says, adding that sharing that feeling with others in her crew only serves to bolster her sense of self. “Being a part of Chulita Vinyl Club has definitely cultivated this very special space.”
The Chulita Vinyl Club is not entirely opposed to the digital distribution of music. For those who can’t make it out to The Ritz this week, there is always the CVC’s SoundCloud page, where the breadth and sweep of the club’s tastes can be heard in the weekly mixes they post. A recent mix is titled “Chulita Hysteria—Music for self-love.” The contribution from the Austin chapter of Chulita collects songs like “Maniac” from the Flashdance soundtrack, “Ladies Night” by Kool and the Gang, “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer and more.
As a collective the Chulita Vinyl Club’s selections are reflective of the diversity of musical tastes within the Latina community. At this week’s gathering at The Ritz, expect to hear everything from Motown and ’60s girl groups, to punk and new wave, to cumbia and tejano tunes.
“A big chunk of my collection is oldies music,” Saenz says. “But I’m also from South Texas, so I try to collect regional Texas stuff like Ramon Ayala or Carlos y Jose. My vinyl collection is pretty widespread.”
Perez says her collection is similarly eclectic. “Half of it is Spanish,” she says—“like cumbias—and the other half is the R&B that I grew listening to like Destiny’s Child and Ja Rule.”
It would seem that there is an audience for that kind of diversity in taste. The group has been featured on NPR’s “alt.latino” blog and their SoundCloud page has more than 2,300 followers.
Chulita Vinyl Club
May 25, 8pm, Free
The Ritz, San Jose
