Best Latina Designers 2008 | Lola y Lola | La Vida | Phoenix
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Best Latina Designers

Lola y Lola

Too many designers in Phoenix get so distracted by sewing stuff onto other stuff that they forget the part where they're supposed to be making things that people will, you know, wear in public. Not so for Yesenia Puente and Miriam Navarro, the creative force behind Lola y Lola, a cheeky local line of clothing that we have possibly become a little obsessed with. Puente and Navarro became interested in design while studying in Paris in 2001 and their line (which debuted at a fashion show in 2004) combines the intrinsic grace of France with their Mexican heritage's whimsy and bright colors. The result is a line that's a true standout. We're particularly partial to their tank tops — especially "El Otono" and "El Monstruo" — and have a feeling these two could make a tidy little profit if the bigwigs at Urban Outfitters were to catch wind of what they're doing. Until they hit the big time, you can score their super-cute tanks, Ts, and dresses at stores such as Mint Vintage, Way Cool Hair, Conspire, and on etsy.com.

Best Place to Buy Narcocorridos

El Idolo de Oro

The coke-rap of T.I., Young Jeezy, and The Re-Up Gang is humdrum. Next stop: narcocorridos, where epic tales of Mexican drug-running are blended with corridos norteños (bouncy, accordion-accented ballads). El Idolo de Oro is your no-frills hookup, peddling myriad musical outlaws including Sinaloan legend Chalino Sanchez. In '92, Sanchez shot a would-be assassin during a concert and was later killed under mysterious circumstances. His prominence and early demise spawned countless imitators, most of whom you'll find here. The translation of the shop's name, The Golden Idol, should warn aspiring traficantes everywhere.

Best Mexican Radio Station

La Campesina

Barack Obama has used "Yes, We Can!" as his rallying cry and it's not an accident. Team Obama has sampled and remixed the "¡Sí se puede!" chant that César Chávez and Delores Huerta came up with for the United Farm Workers. Their presence still echoes today via La Campesina Radio Network, initially established by the UFW with the help of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Chávez's youngest son, Anthony, acts as its current president. In addition to keeping farmworkers up to date, they keep things moving with quite the palette of regional Mexican music, even landing legendary Mexican performer Vicente Fernandez as a DJ.

Best Latino Radio Station

95.1-FM Latino Vibe KVIB

What makes Latino Vibe so cool is that it reflects the diversity of the Latino culture to which it caters — playlists include everything from Argentinian cumbia group SuperMerka2, Dominican bachata/R&B fusion band Aventura, Colombian pop-rock star Juanes, and Mexican reggaeton group Sonidero Nacional to Top 40 artists like hip-hop/R&B sensation Chris Brown and Enrique Iglesias. The station also sponsors a variety of concerts (recent shows included Camila and RBD) and hosts two hot club nights in the Valley — Noches Tropicales with DJ Wicked at Club Mango on Fridays, and Noches de Antro Estilo Mexico at Club Rain with DJs Cesar Tercero and Mixxman.

Best Jump to FM Radio

El Break on 95.1 Latino Vibe

We've been fans of this show since back in the days when it used to broadcast on AM radio station La Buena Onda. But we got really excited last year when the group of 20-something Hispanics managed to make the jump to the FM dial. Now broadcasting on 95.1 Latino Vibe, in Spanglish, the Breakers reach a greater audience. Which is muy, muy bueno. Their intelligent discussions about everything from immigration reform to teen pregnancy, and their funny insights on growing up Latino in Arizona are a much-needed breath of fresh air. And people are listening. When ASU almost pulled scholarship funding for undocumented students this past year, the Breakers were part of the push to reinstate it. And it worked. Look for big things to come from this dynamic bunch. And remember, you heard it here first.

Best Latin DJ

DJ Melo

DJ Melo's responsible for keeping the party going at one of the hottest (and, incidentally, gay) Latin nightclubs in Phoenix: Karamba. The dance floors here are often so crowded on weekends that there's no maneuvering through them, and much of that is due to Melo's mash-ups, influenced by such Latin DJ legends as Kassanova and Roberto Dominguez. Melo spins a similar mix of cumbias, bachatas, salsa, bossa nova, and reggaeton, infused with pulsing electro beats. He takes tons of requests, too, which is (sadly) rare among club DJs these days (unless you've got a couple bucks to throw their way). Though he focuses on spinning sizzling hot Latin rhythms, Melo's base can be broad — he's even been known to bust out some hip-hop beats for the b-boys.

Best Latin Club DJ

DJ Big Latin

DJ Big Latin bumps more beats in Valley clubs than any other DJ. Even if he's not spinning at one of his weekly gigs — Thursdays at La Perla Café in Glendale, Fridays at both Macayo's downtown and Club DWNTWN, Saturdays in The Latin Room at Coach & Willie's — his company, Big Latin Entertainment, is booking and promoting other Latin dance events around town, like an official birthday bash for Grammy-winning artist DJ Kane (of Kumbia Kings), and the Sixth Annual Untouchable Lows Car Show in Nogales. Big Latin's got an ear for upcoming talent and was the first promoter in the Valley to book national reggaeton stars like Pitbull and Daddy Yankee to perform here. And he still spins the meanest mix of reggaeton, cumbias, and Latin hip-hop.

Best Latin Nightspot

Club DWNTWN

Benjamin Leatherman

Club Dwntwn continues to be a red-hot Latin nightspot, and not just because of its fiery scarlet-and-crimson color scheme or the faux-flame statues just outside its entrance. The downtown Phoenix danceteria's just hot, period, and it's where a sizable Hispanic crowd, sporting their finest duds (as the dress code is strictly enforced), goes out every weekend. There is an amply-sized dance floor where chicas and cabrones (as well as cool cats of other ethnic backgrounds) can bump their humps to hip-hop, old school, and reggaeton jams from DJs Phlava and Big Latin. Saturdays always seems extra-crowded, as the sounds of salsa, merengue, bachata and other Latin jams come from the sound system, courtesy of a turntablism trio of DJs Joey, Rubas, and Luis. Never before has being hot been so cool.

Best Latin Dance Night

Caliente Chica Fridays

At this point, we don't know who's been around longer: AL3, Phoenix's Turntable Patriarch and international DJ all-star, or The Matador — the iconic downtown Mexican food joint that's been busting out burritos for almost three decades. All we know for sure is that magic happened when these two joined forces. Freakin' good clubbin' in a restaurant? Are we serious? We sure are. The tables are cleared, and the dance floors are filled by some of the most muy sabrosa clubbers around. Not sure yet? Don't just trust us, ask the nearly 1,000 people who line up outside along Adams on a Friday night waiting to get in and shake that thang to the best booty-rockin' reggaeton, old-school beats, hip-hop hits, and cumbia 'round back. Be advised — there's no room for chillin'; the dance floor's packed with caliente chicas aplenty who come here to dance.

Best Gay Latin Dance Night

Vaquero Thursdays

Karamba

Karamba Nightclub is the overachieving bar that could. While they rack up international accolades as one of the planet's best gay bars, they're still workin' on workin' it out on the dance floor for all their fans. Like the unmatched Vaquero Thursdays. This night brings the best beats from DJ Miguel, who we think is just about the best DJ in the 'Nix, spinning pop en español, cumbia, norteño, and banda. Wear your boots that are made for dancin' and join a merry mix of cowboys, clubbers, and cuties on the dance floor, while a world-class sound system blasts the bomb beats. Sure, if you need a break, there are $3 pitchers of beer. Who's paying attention to that while The Susana Show, hosted by the lovely reina Susana, delivers delicious impersonations of Gloria Trevi, Thalia, and our hero — Shakira? Her hips don't lie! Forget about staying en su casa; Thursday nights are all about Karamba's Vaquero Thursdays.

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