Miniteca Soul Train “El Expreso” — archive photograph of the Maracaibo miniteca that changed the sound of western Venezuela

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Main photograph: archive of culturaminiteka.com · Additional photos: archive of La Revista de las Minitecas (DJ Vladimir Medina)

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Soultrain — El Expreso

The relay that changed the sound

Soul Train: from a van with 85 watts to one of the most influential minitecas in western Venezuela.

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The birth of Soul Train

Soul Train is born between 1976 and 1977, when Antonio Vidal returns from the United States inspired by the television program Soul Train. His brother had previously had a miniteca called Soul Dog, but this new stage would mark out a different identity.

They started with a van, small speakers and an 85-watt amplifier. Over time the system grew: more power, more transport, more presence at fifteenth-birthday parties, graduations and social events in Maracaibo.

The partnership that drove the growth

At the beginning of the 1980s Rafali (Woody) joins, consolidating equipment and structure. The technical advice of engineer Ashok Marar was decisive in the development of electronic improvements and in the evolution of the design of the famous bell.

Soul Train stopped being a traditional miniteca to become a technical proposition of its own.

The guerras de minitecas — the sound clashes of the movement

Soul Train went up against minitecas such as ZC, Saturno, Marc Delia, Rainbow and Caracas crews such as Sandy Lane. On stages such as the Poliedro de Caracas and Granja Alegría, they proved that a miniteca from the interior could compete at the highest level.

The implementation of the 15-inch bell made a difference in the low-mid range, becoming a national point of reference.

Technical innovation

Soul Train's philosophy was clear: sound is a relay race. From the stylus of the turntable to the amplifier, every stage had to operate without losses. Electronic modifications were made to mixers, crossovers and amplifiers.

They were pioneers in four-way stereo configurations when most were working three-way in mono.

The transition to the 1990s

At the end of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s, the Soul Train brand passes into a new stage under José Manuel Acosta (Pepín), expanding the legacy toward other regions of the country.

What was sown in the 80s projected itself with force into the following decade.

Social media

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Credits and sources

· Audiovisual interview conducted in Maracaibo and broadcast by Melón TV, with the participation of Antonio Vidal, Rafali, Armando Sandrea, Simón Charles, Edison Chirinos, Dani, Daniel Moreno, Alex Romero, Ángelo Acevedo and Yomar Cárdenas.

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Source consulted on July 9, 2026

70s · 80s · 90s · Disc jockey · Lighting · Minitecas · Sound