DJ Rafe Gomez Goes Beyond the Barrier
By Claire McElheney

New York City 2006:
Nightclubs, bars and lounges throughout the city are busting at the seams with people trying to have a good time and flow with their favorite, chosen scene.   In one club, the floor bounces to the booming bass of Hip-Hop beats, and hoards of voracious partygoers move to the rhythm. Down the street, sensuous lights and the smooth sounds of Jazz and cabaret singers seduce the swankiest people and the pretentious posers.
   In this world, where music parts groups of people like Moses and the Red Sea, The Big Apple’s creative mix-master, Rafe Gomez, is creating a seamlessly refined yet dynamic sound that is uniting eager souls from all walks of life. With his funky combination of Soul Jazz, Acid Jazz, Nu-Jazz, World Music, Latin sounds and chill Electonica beats, Gomez has concocted a new genre of music that is so fresh, it doesn’t even have a name yet.

In the Groove 
   “It’s very unusual,” says Gomez of his nationally syndicated radio mix show, The Groove Boutique, on CD 101.9.  “It’s a mix show, but instead of using House music, Dance music or Hip-Hop, I use active, up-tempo, Jazzy music with live musicians incorporated. There’s a thirst among people for this presentation of music ... and there is no other club or DJ trying to capture this space.”
   With a nationally syndicated radio mix show that climbed to No. 1 on the New York charts, a CD that is flying off the shelves, a wildly successful show on QVC that sold more than $75,000 worth of CDs at 3 a.m. and weekly gigs at two different New York  lounges, Gomez is on a roll — to say the least.
   “It’s all about how it makes you feel,” he says. “My idea was that there’s a different way of presenting –– not sleepy music –– but a different kind of music that people will love.  Maybe some people will dance to it, some will just nod their heads, some will have a conversation; and others are just going to get lost in it and sip on their wine.”


Point Blank: People Love It 
   When the managers of the Cellar Bar in the Bryant Park Hotel wanted to liven up their Wednesday nights, they turned to Gomez to kick up their business from 6 to 10 p.m. 
   “They had tried all types of music –– from Rock to House –– and nothing worked because people’s brains were too fried after work to get into that really dramatic sound,” Gomez says. “So, I came in to gradually build the energy of the night.”
After a few weeks, the “Cellar Bar was finding that people were coming and then staying longer than they otherwise would have and they were spending more money at the bar,” Gomez says.  “It’s upped their bar business.”
   Another lounge in New York also has found that Gomez’s music is synonymous with success and satisfaction. Chakra, located outside of Manhattan, “wasn’t happy with the composition of their crowd,” Gomez says. “It was a little young and a little raucous.  Since I started mixing there, the old crowd has left ... and a well-dressed, upscale, affluent crowd has come in. They’re drinking top-shelf liquor and, again, they’re staying longer because they just love the feel of the music.”


Mixing Up the Future
   It’s easy to see that Gomez has found a very workable formula for radio, CD and club success. But,the question now remains –– where does he go from here?
“I know that this sophisticated, Jazzy sound can work anywhere,” Gomez says. “So, I’m trying to see if I can start a subscription service for lounges, clubs and venues around the country that want this sound, but are unable to book me. It’s a huge potential market with only one guy trying to figure it out. Thankfully, that guy is me.”                        NCB