Main photograph: archive of culturaminiteka.com · Additional photos: archive of La Revista de las Minitecas (DJ Vladimir Medina)
◆ Miniteca · Mobile Power
Infierno
Infierno by Tony Méndez
The authentic “Bestia” that set the history of the Venezuelan miniteca movement alight.
Reconnect with Infierno by Tony Méndez — La Triple Triunfadora del Poliedro
Relive the energy, the mixing and the authenticity of an era that will not come back.
The origins
In 1978, in Valencia, Venezuela, Infierno is born, a miniteca project conceived by Tony Méndez with a very clear idea: a faster show, darker in concept and with a sound identity of its own. Infierno first played the events of the central region and soon began to share the stage with minitecas from Caracas such as Betelgeuse, New York New York, Sandy Lane, Kisses Acetatos, The Drop and Traffic, other mobile systems touring the country.
Over time the name comes to be given as “Infierno by Tony Méndez,” to place the original creator on record and to preserve the history as told by its founder.
The search for the sinister voice
As Tony himself told it, a moment came when Infierno needed an official voice that sounded as powerful as the name. Tony began making the rounds of the stations of the day looking for an announcer with a deep register: he went by Radio Latina, and there he was told that at the station Éxitos 1090 there was an announcer with an ideal voice for what he wanted.
Tony then went to Éxitos 1090 and there he met the announcer Waldemaro Martínez. Seeing him arrive, Waldemaro says to him: “You're Tony Méndez, from Infierno? Ok, let's record.” He asked the operator on duty, Fredy, to get the booth ready for the take.
The text Tony had brought was an introduction meant to play before the mixes, in a dark and theatrical tone. Waldemaro began to read: “I, Lucifer, prince of all darkness and king of the beasts…” At that moment Waldemaro burst out laughing and told the operator: “Erase it, let's go again.” But Tony stopped him and said: “Don't erase it! That's the laugh! That's the devil's laugh I'm looking for.”
That is how the famous “risa del diablo” was born, the laugh that would identify Infierno by Tony Méndez forever and that would later be heard at parties, discotheques and events all over Venezuela. After that recording, Waldemaro himself christened Tony with the name “El Cerebro Diabólico.”
«I, Tony Méndez, prince of darkness, will take control of your minds to turn them into musical lust.»
From the center of the country to the Poliedro de Caracas
The impact Infierno was having in Valencia carried the name to the organizers of the big events in the capital. It was thanks to his friendship and connection with Charly Bóveda, who was performing with Sandy Lane in Valencia, that Infierno is invited to the Poliedro de Caracas, the country's most important venue.
At the Poliedro, Infierno sets itself apart with its style of fast mixing, very different from that of other minitecas, which let the record run longer. That more aggressive cut, more of a show, connected immediately with the crowd.
“La triple triunfadora del Poliedro”
At one of those performances at the Poliedro, Waldemaro Martínez himself, who was hosting the event, asks the crowd which miniteca they had liked most that night. The answer was unanimous and with a single voice: “¡Infierno!”
Because of that popular ovation, and for having returned to the Poliedro several times, Infierno began to use the slogan “La triple triunfadora del Poliedro,” a phrase that would accompany it from then on and that most followers associate immediately with Tony Méndez's miniteca.
Tony Méndez himself is precise about the reach of the phrase: triumphant by acclamation of the crowd, not the winner of an award. The podiums of those nights at the Poliedro were occupied by other minitecas; what Infierno took away was the unanimous response of the dance floor.
Legacy
Infierno by Tony Méndez remained in the collective memory for three things: its powerful name, its dramatic introduction that impressed everyone present, and its different way of mixing. Those three factors made it one of the most talked-about minitecas in the golden age of the movement.
Today, its founder keeps the story alive by telling how that piece of audio was created and how Infierno went from Valencia to the most important stages in the country.
Social media
· TikTok: Infierno by Tony Mendez (the founder's official account)
Credits and sources
· Account given by Tony Méndez, founder of Infierno by Tony Méndez, to Cultura Miniteka.
· Migrated from the original article at culturaminiteka.com/minitecas-poder-movil/miniteca-infierno (accessed July 9, 2026).
Were you part of the crew, or did you witness their setups? Help us document this story with verified facts and images.
