BIOGRAPHY
DJ MAFONDO is a nickname Jorge González invented as a result of his fondness with African (maroon/cimarron) history in Latin America. Mafondo is a play of words that derives from a Afro-Latino dishes (Mondongo, Mofongo, Menudo, etc.) prepared in a variety of ways throughout Latin America and the Caribbean stemming from Africa. It is also a new music sound thread that aims to take you to an imaginary place like Gabriel Garcia Marquez's invented land of "Macondo". Mafondo is also "mas fondo" or to go deeper with sound just like you would in the kitchen with ingredients to give it sazon. Mafondo is then a sound that interweaves Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America; whether is mixing island tropical-funk, salsa brava, reggae, plena, merengue, bachata with a brush strokes of electric, dub, horn and bass driven music. Depending on the occasion he tailors his DJ sets for dancefloor, backyard boogies, cultural events, gastronomy, food courts, coffee shops, lounge or (conscious) fundraising events.
From spinning vinyl (33 1/3 & 45) to mixing tracks in CDJ or computer, his goal is to deliver an array of tropical vintage sounds mixed with the latest eclectic Latin beats. Mafondo's passion for DJing is to expose his audience to new music from the African diaspora. Amongst the many genres he plays you will often hear: reggae, dub, afrobeat, funk, latin-soul, ethiojazz, salsa brava, currulao, cumbia, hip-hop, rap, merengue and anything in between.
DJ Mafondo is a native from San Diego/Tijuana; a border hybrid or fronterizo. Inspired by the cross-cultural exchanges growing up and the musical scene that was thriving in the late 90’s, he discovered an early passion for playing percussion and collecting old & new world musical trends from Latin American, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. Interested in sharing his music collection, Jorge began giving away mixtapes to friends that would then later organically convert him into a music Selecta. This evolution occured while attending college at UC Davis back in 2004 and getting requests to DJ at friends Bday parties. Hereafter, without a DJ name at the time, he started spinning for cultural events, fundraisers, backyard boogies, and would later start his first DJ residency at a Cafe in Davis, California called Delta Venus.
As a DJ, radio host, promoter, producer, musician and researcher, Jorge has traveled to multiple locations in Latin America collecting and studying old and new musical trends. In 2006, for instance, he traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina and conducted research about the growing Reggae en Español scene. As a result, he wrote an essay titled: The Reggae en Español Explosion from 1980's to 2005. And in the summer of 2010, he traveled to Southern Veracruz (a.k.a. el Sotavento) to witness multiple Son Jarocho revitalization projects thriving in that region since the 1980’s. As a result, he compiled his first Son Jarocho CD titled "Son Jarocho del Sotavento: (Ni)colas cuando tenia dinero". And as of 2011, Jorge has completed three 60min mixtapes titled "Palenkeando" (for more details go to REVIEWS) mixing a wide range of african diaspora beats throughout Latin America and the Caribbean since the 1970's. Today, you can find DJ Mafondo ocasionally spinning vinyl sets at private events, community events and opening for local concerts in the San Diego region.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
(From 2018-Present) DJ and Music Curator for Mexico in the Bottle (Traveling Mezcal and Mexican Food Festival)
(From 2009-2012) Mafondo periodically co-hosted in the following radio shows:
Radio History:
-102.5 XHUAN (Tijuana/San Diego) Radio Fusion with Reggae Makossa with DJ Makeda Dread (2009)
- 91.9 KCSB (Santa Barbara) Rock Latino with DJ Angel (2009-2012)
-90.3 KDVS (Davis) Sin Fronteras with DJ Brenda (2004-2006?)
DJ Mafondo resides in the San Diego, California and is available upon request to DJ for (virtual) events, festivals, house socials, banquets, weddings, backyard boogies, galleries, fundraisers etc. For booking or questions email him at [email protected] or here.
From spinning vinyl (33 1/3 & 45) to mixing tracks in CDJ or computer, his goal is to deliver an array of tropical vintage sounds mixed with the latest eclectic Latin beats. Mafondo's passion for DJing is to expose his audience to new music from the African diaspora. Amongst the many genres he plays you will often hear: reggae, dub, afrobeat, funk, latin-soul, ethiojazz, salsa brava, currulao, cumbia, hip-hop, rap, merengue and anything in between.
DJ Mafondo is a native from San Diego/Tijuana; a border hybrid or fronterizo. Inspired by the cross-cultural exchanges growing up and the musical scene that was thriving in the late 90’s, he discovered an early passion for playing percussion and collecting old & new world musical trends from Latin American, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. Interested in sharing his music collection, Jorge began giving away mixtapes to friends that would then later organically convert him into a music Selecta. This evolution occured while attending college at UC Davis back in 2004 and getting requests to DJ at friends Bday parties. Hereafter, without a DJ name at the time, he started spinning for cultural events, fundraisers, backyard boogies, and would later start his first DJ residency at a Cafe in Davis, California called Delta Venus.
As a DJ, radio host, promoter, producer, musician and researcher, Jorge has traveled to multiple locations in Latin America collecting and studying old and new musical trends. In 2006, for instance, he traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina and conducted research about the growing Reggae en Español scene. As a result, he wrote an essay titled: The Reggae en Español Explosion from 1980's to 2005. And in the summer of 2010, he traveled to Southern Veracruz (a.k.a. el Sotavento) to witness multiple Son Jarocho revitalization projects thriving in that region since the 1980’s. As a result, he compiled his first Son Jarocho CD titled "Son Jarocho del Sotavento: (Ni)colas cuando tenia dinero". And as of 2011, Jorge has completed three 60min mixtapes titled "Palenkeando" (for more details go to REVIEWS) mixing a wide range of african diaspora beats throughout Latin America and the Caribbean since the 1970's. Today, you can find DJ Mafondo ocasionally spinning vinyl sets at private events, community events and opening for local concerts in the San Diego region.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
(From 2018-Present) DJ and Music Curator for Mexico in the Bottle (Traveling Mezcal and Mexican Food Festival)
(From 2009-2012) Mafondo periodically co-hosted in the following radio shows:
Radio History:
-102.5 XHUAN (Tijuana/San Diego) Radio Fusion with Reggae Makossa with DJ Makeda Dread (2009)
- 91.9 KCSB (Santa Barbara) Rock Latino with DJ Angel (2009-2012)
-90.3 KDVS (Davis) Sin Fronteras with DJ Brenda (2004-2006?)
DJ Mafondo resides in the San Diego, California and is available upon request to DJ for (virtual) events, festivals, house socials, banquets, weddings, backyard boogies, galleries, fundraisers etc. For booking or questions email him at [email protected] or here.