To understand Carlos Mena and his music, you must understand his background. Born in Puerto Rico, raised in Brooklyn, and childhood summers in the Dominican Republic, Carlos soaked up the vast array of sounds and musical idioms —from Djing house to salsa—to help form a unique foundation for his music sensibilities that can be heard throughout his music today.
Carlos Mena is a music producer and DJ that has produced music for platinum selling artist Arrested Development, Tre Hardson (The Pharcyde), Osunlade’s Yoruba Records, Got Soul Records, Deeper Soul Records, and Phuture Soul, as well as local bay area artists, Zion I. His Solo debut “Hip-Hop Meditations” fuses Afro-Cuban music with hip-hop and has received wonderful reviews from major hip-hop publications across the country. Carlos recently received an artistic fellowship grant from the City of Oakland for his work on Hip-Hop Meditations. He was also included in URB MAGAZINE’s NEXT 100 (up and coming artists) for 2006.
Carlos is also the founder and president of CASAMENA, an independent production house, and Ocha Records (partnership with Osunlade), a record label, based in Oakland, CA, that works with uncompromising artists to produce music that feeds our souls. CASAMENA is currently in production on a new project that further explores the relationship between Afro-Cuban (bata) rhythms and contemporary urban music with partner and master percussionist Michael Spiro as well as Tamara Wellon’s highly anticipated album.
His DJ sets continues to garner him the label of one of the hottest DJs on the U.S. circuit, while his organic approach to remixes have him working with artists like Atjazz, Osunlade, and DJ Spinna!
A DJ and producer of deep and soulful house, hip-hop and latin music with over 20 years experience, as well as being a priest within the Afro-Cuban spiritual tradition called Lukumi, Carlos Mena is poised to bring forth new fusions of genres while respecting and maintaining traditions. Catch him at his celebrated monthly party BEMBE in SF, LA and MIAMI.
