Carlos Simoza

The surname of the scene

His full name is Carlos Galarreta Simoza: Galarreta from his father, Simoza from his mother. His father, a Peruvian and a university professor in Peru, did not live with the family, and the surname the miniteca scene knew him by was always his mother's. Through that line he is related to two names this Archive already documents in Puerto Ordaz: the announcer José Luis Simoza, of the program “El Disco Show,” and his brother Oscar Simoza, the businessman who owned Club Regine.

The echo chamber

His signature was the Roland echo chamber: the effect with which he stretched and repeated his lines until he left them floating over the music. In the 70s and 80s Roland's tape echoes — the most famous of them the Space Echo, manufactured between 1973 and 1990 — were the device of choice for thickening a host's voice over the dance floor. The exact model he used remains to be confirmed.

The voice and the staging

Together with José Gregorio Bello “Goyito” he planned Hot Music's staging. Goyito came from running Infierno Sweet and in 1984 joined the crew's technical preparation: between the two of them, the voice and the lights stopped being two separate crafts and became a single show thought out in advance. Simoza retired from the business in 1987.

His minitecas

• · Energía — his first home as a voice, in the 70s.
• · Infierno Sweet — his crew in the early 80s.
• · Hot Music — host and live voice, from 1984 to 1987.

Article in progress

Article in progress…… Still missing are his date of birth, the detail of his performances, recordings of his live voice work and his path after the 1987 retirement. If you knew him, keep recordings of his hosting or photographs of his performances, contribute to the MiniTK Archive.

Social media

• · Instagram: @cgalarretas
• · Facebook: carlos.galarretaS
• · Facebook: group he moderates
• · TikTok: @cantarmax
• · TikTok: @yosoyretr80s

Credits and sources

• · Primary source of the CMTK Archive: Carlos Simoza, voice of the minitecas Energía (70s), Infierno Sweet (early 80s) and Hot Music (1984-1987); innovative presentations, the Roland echo chamber, the staging planned together with José Gregorio Bello “Goyito” and his retirement in 1987. Full name Carlos Galarreta Simoza — Galarreta from his father, Simoza from his mother — related through his mother's line to José Luis and Oscar Simoza. Photographs kept in the CMTK Archive.
• · Related entry in the MiniTK Archive: “Hot Music” (collection “Minitecas: Mobile Power”) — his arrival in 1984 with the group coming from Energía and Infierno Sweet and his role as “host and live voice.”
• · Period context (not biographical): Roland tape echoes — such as the Space Echo RE-201, manufactured between 1973 and 1990 — were the characteristic voice effect of those years (Wikipedia — Roland Space Echo; BOSS Articles — History of the Space Echo). The exact model he used is not on record.
• · Portrait kept in the CMTK Archive. The available original measures 180 × 175 px and was rescaled by resampling so that it could be shown, without adding detail.
• · Under documentary verification: date of birth, specific performances, recordings of his voice and activity after 1987.