Hot Music

The early years and “La Number One”

In 1984, the founders of the miniteca Energía and members of Infierno Sweet at that time joined the project — Enrique Rojas, Carlos Luis Valenzuela, and Carlos Simoza, the live voice of the emceeing and the presentations still remembered today for his spoken intros and musical stingers. Alongside them came José Gregorio Bello “Goyito,” who took part in the technical preparation but decided to retire from the miniteca world that same year, thereby giving up his share in the partnership.

The arrival of these new partners allowed Hot Music to take, without a doubt, a leap in technical quality, the product of an investment in sound and lighting systems that redefined its identity; it also let Hot Music raise the profile of its following, earning among them (its fans) the affectionate christening “La Number One” and establishing itself as a benchmark in the state of Bolívar and in eastern Venezuela.

The sound clashes of 1984

The year 1984 was a bountiful one in the world of music and is by far the year of the 80s from which we can salvage the greatest number of legendary hits; and in the state of Bolívar that magic, that creativity and that energy in the air could be no different, and so Hot Music was to pull off two performances for the local miniteca history books — and, careful now, perhaps for the national ones too. Hot Music set a milestone that has not been repeated since, with two performances on the same weekend: playing on the Friday night at the Círculo Militar in Ciudad Bolívar before three of the best minitecas of the capital city, in a lavish display of technology, lighting and sound power, power that even damaged the club's own building.

Carlos Simoza —the crew's voice that night— remembers the exact detail behind that “damage to the building”: the final blast of the bass towers made the Círculo Militar's windows give way, while his voice, run through the echo chamber, opened and closed the show.

And playing on the Saturday night in the Gran Salón of the Club Náutico Caroní. In both performances, Hot Music took the recognition and the win over legendary minitecas such as Scooby Doo, Roseland, Hot Way and Saxón, among others. Many still remember with nostalgia and astonishment the mythical, one-of-a-kind and, ever since, repeatable and cloned sets by Yépez and Rojas, who both solo and as a duo were cheered by the judges and even more by the crowd.

Over its first six years, Hot Music shared the stage with minitecas already established nationally and even boosted by television, such as Sandy Lane, Betelgeuse and ZC, always flying the Guayana flag high.

The era of “La Fuerza”

At the end of 1986, Enrique Rojas and the crew coming from Energía decided to retire, opening the way for Abilio de Abreu to come in. With his capital, Hot Music grew to an imposing level in sound and lighting, earning the new nickname “La Fuerza.”

In 1996, the reins passed to Manuel Miranda and Carmen de Miranda, who kept up Hot Music's expansion and positioned it as one of the most solid minitecas in the country.

Discjockeys and voices

Over the course of its history, Hot Music had a staff of discjockeys and voices who left their mark on its shows:

• · Luis “Wicho” Yépez — Founder and lead discjockey.
• · Enrique Rojas — Associate discjockey in the 80s.
• · Carlos Luis Valenzuela — Discjockey.
• · Carlos Simoza — Emcee and live voice.
• · Jesús Leandro — Voice Over.
• · Carlos Eduardo “Charlie” Ball — Voice Over.
• · Enrique Hoffman — Voice Over.
• · Waldemaro Martínez — Voice Over.
• · Henry White — Voice Over.
• · César “Matute” Hernández — Discjockey.
• · DJ Landdy Pérez.
• · DJ Manzul.
• · DJ Vielma.
• · DJ Carlos Dickson (DJ & Sampler).

Legacy and the present day

Hot Music is one of the longest-running minitecas in Venezuela. From its beginnings as “La Number One,” through its stage as “La Fuerza,” it has toured stages in the main cities of Venezuela. Today, under new management, it remains active and present at retro and contemporary events, keeping alive the legacy begun in 1980.

Today, Luis Yépez runs an FM station in Ciudad Guayana; Enrique Rojas is a businessman living in the United States, as is Carlos Luis Valenzuela, and they keep the art of DJing only as a hobby, while Alfredo Pinto and other founders remain in fields outside entertainment. The Hot Music name, however, goes on resonating as a symbol of power and spectacle.

Social media

• Instagram: @hotmusicvenezuela

Credits and sources

• · Direct testimony from Carlos Simoza to the CMTK team (September 2026): the state-level guerra de minitecas at the Círculo Militar in Ciudad Bolívar against Scooby Doo, Hot Way and Roseland, with the bass towers' final blast making the club's windows give way and his own voice, run through the echo chamber, opening and closing the show.
• · Photograph of Carlos Dickson and Iván Rojas in front of the “Hot Music” banner: archive of Minitecas TV (DJ Grego).