{"id":22276,"date":"2021-07-26T10:10:29","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T08:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.riu.com\/blog\/?p=22276"},"modified":"2021-07-26T10:10:29","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T08:10:29","slug":"dj-luis-riu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.riu.com\/blog\/en\/dj-luis-riu\/","title":{"rendered":"Luis Riu: \u201cMy passion for music led me to become a DJ that lives for the crowd\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Luis<\/a>

Luis Riu am DJ-Pult auf der 360\u00ba-Terrasse des Hotels Riu Plaza Espa\u00f1a in Madrid.<\/p><\/div>\n

I<\/strong>\u00a0fell in love with music<\/strong>\u00a0at a young age. I didn\u2019t realise this until I was a bit older, but I think that is the best way to explain it. I didn\u2019t just like songs by Queen, Barry White, or the much-loved Raffaella Carr\u00e0 like my friends and family did, they positively thrilled me. It was the 70s, the heyday of dance music, and I dreamed of and lived for music and clubs.<\/p>\n

Over the years, I built up a massive record collection. I just couldn\u2019t get enough. I always wanted to be on the crest of the wave and discover new sounds. This love for music led me to take up <\/strong>DJing<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0as a hobby, and this continues to be my true passion<\/strong>. I transform into a different person when I\u2019m in the DJ booth. It\u2019s so fulfilling to see the crowd having a good time, dancing and singing, and this is something that I want for my hotels<\/u><\/a>. I completely forget the stress of daily life and recharge my batteries.<\/p>\n

\"Luis

Luis Riu, playing music in his DJ set at the terrace of the Riu Hotel Plaza Espa\u00f1a in Madrid.<\/p><\/div>\n

DJ Luis Riu, from vinyl records to the digital realm<\/h2>\n

Things are so different nowadays. Before, if you wanted music you had to go to the shop and buy vinyl. In fact, my first small business was recording vinyl onto cassettes. I sold them to my friends and used the money I earned to buy more music. But it was never enough and I often sold my old vinyl records to buy new ones. I was sad to let them go, but I really wanted to have all the latest music. I\u2019ve occasionally thought that this is similar to the hotel business in some ways<\/strong>. Sometimes the financial value of an assets decreases and you have to sell it to be able to invest in a hotel or area with a greater pull factor and future prospects.<\/p>\n

\"Luis<\/a>

Luis Riu with his Pioneer mixing deck during a music set in the 360 terrace at the Riu Hotel Plaza Espa\u00f1a.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the early 90s at Pacha nightclub<\/strong>\u00a0in Punta Cana<\/strong>, I took the leap from enjoying my hobby in private or as a member of the audience in a club to putting myself in front of a crowd. I DJed there every Saturday. We threw some amazing parties and there was such a buzzing atmosphere, filled with dance music, merengue, bachata and salsa rhythms. Over these five years I had an amazing time and progressed as a DJ<\/strong>, back when we still used vinyl records.<\/p>\n

When I returned to Spain I stopped DJing publicly for a few years. I would DJ at home or at family parties<\/strong>, but technically speaking I wasn\u2019t very good. It wasn\u2019t until my son Luis Riu Jr. gave me my first computer and helped me use it that I went digital and started looking for and downloading music online.<\/p>\n

12 hours per week to search for and classify new songs<\/h2>\n

Partying means being happy, having fun, forgetting your worries and enjoying the moment. But before taking to the decks, I have to meticulously prepare my session. I spend about 12 hours per week on my hobby<\/strong>, which involves looking for new tracks, downloading them and classifying them.<\/p>\n

Finding tracks is what takes the longest because, as I like so many different kinds of music, I have to listen to lots of songs. I listen to the radio, follow several YouTube channels, iTunes, Beatport \u2026 I spend hours and hours listening to music. In fact, my children often tell me about new tracks they hear when they come out<\/strong>, or that they\u2019ve heard somewhere or on the radio. They bring them to me like a kind of offering because they know I love music so much. What\u2019s more, because they\u2019re young they help me keep up to date with what\u2019s popular at the moment.<\/p>\n

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