callenuevayork

[callenuevayork]

Queens - Calle Nueva York

"...

Our Trip to Miami was really inspiring. Back home I was DJing at my friend’s parties and at school events. After tenth grade, I dropped out of school. In Germany, this is called Mittlere Reife, which is not exactly a dropout, but you can´t easily continue studying. But I was determined that I wanted to go back home to Colombia.

I needed to find back to my roots and to my culture, so I told my parents that I wanted to go back to Medellin, an unusual wish in the early 2000s. My mother understood me. She knew what it was like being torn apart from her country. She was traveling on a regular base, so she would still see me every once in a while.

So my parents supported my decision, but the deal was that I finish school in Colombia and pursue a university degree. On one of her trips, my mom looked for a school that was suited for me. She couldn´t have been more wrong about the type of school I would have chosen.

In Colombia, there are a lot of private schools, and calculating the rate from Euro to Pesos it didn´t seem like a huge investment to send me to one. And I hated it.

...." read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Muskat - Calle Nueva York

"...

Our Trip to Miami was really inspiring. Back home I was DJing at my friend’s parties and at school events. After tenth grade, I dropped out of school. In Germany, this is called Mittlere Reife, which is not exactly a dropout, but you can´t easily continue studying. But I was determined that I wanted to go back home to Colombia.

I needed to find back to my roots and to my culture, so I told my parents that I wanted to go back to Medellin, an unusual wish in the early 2000s. My mother understood me. She knew what it was like being torn apart from her country. She was traveling on a regular base, so she would still see me every once in a while.

So my parents supported my decision, but the deal was that I finish school in Colombia and pursue a university degree. On one of her trips, my mom looked for a school that was suited for me. She couldn´t have been more wrong about the type of school I would have chosen.

In Colombia, there are a lot of private schools, and calculating the rate from Euro to Pesos it didn´t seem like a huge investment to send me to one. And I hated it.

...." read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Basseterre - Calle Nueva York

"...

So meeting with puffy didn´t really work out, but we still had some weeks of adventure ahead. It was the time of Fast and the Furious, and everybody had these pimped cars, so the hangouts were the place to be. My Primostook us to a big one, somewhere quiet abroad.

There were hundreds of people gathered and dozens of drivers were showing up with their latest installments.

Then the races began. The noise from the exhaust pipes drowned out the heavy basses of the sound systems.

This was all really exciting for two 15 years old. And this was just the beginning. We had no idea a flood of certain car type was already on its way.

First I saw the lights of the helicopters flying over our heads, then my ears picked the coming sirens. Dozens of police cars surrounded the complete area let nobody escape. For now, we were trapped in what turned out to be a massive police operation.

A few hours later, after many arrests were made, finally we got away with a warning and drove back home. I think my primos didn´t go back to the races after that.

Anyway, this is the story of how I discovered Reggaeton, an experience that would have a massive impact on my life later on.

...." read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Montenegro - Calle Nueva York "...Welcome to America. I called up my primos, who had recently moved from Colombia one of many Hispanic neighborhoods of Miami. They are both 4 and 7 years older than me, so they were supposed to take care of me. Which they did, just probably not in the way my mama told them to. Of course first of all we would visit the Mall, cause that´s apparently where you hang out in Florida, and later we would walk through Miami Beach. Pimped cars, girls in bikini, an odor of food, sea breeze, and weed was laying in the air, while surrounding waves of diverse rhythms from Latinoamerica would make it into my ears, sparking a curiosity for these new styles. This was how I met Dembow, which later would develop into what is now known as Reggaeton.But then heard something over the radio. There was an event in a shopping mall nearby, where Puff Daddy would come to sign autographs! Wow, this had to be a sign, we needed to get there. My primo couldn’t stay with us, but he brought us close to the venue.A huge line was standing at the entrance, but we didn´t care, we wanted to meet Puff in person. And that’s what we did, we saw him, from a few feet away. As we approached the end of the line waiting to hear the words NEXT from the organizer….And then nothing happened. Puffy´s team shut everything down right in front of us and took Diddy away….no autographs for us.Well, that was a bummer…. ...." read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com #motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Olden - Calle Nueva York "...Medellin was a nice place in the 80s if you could escape all madness around it. Fortunately, my father’s work for a german company allowed us to live in a comfortable situation.Nevertheless, the happenings of this era were very drastic and lastly, my family decided to move back to my father’s Home town Haßloch, a small village in the south of Germany.Just a few weeks later we would hear the news of Pablo Escobar’s death. Finally, hope came along that our city would rise from the shadows of the war. After more than three staggering decades of civil unrest, corruption, and mafia wars our home deserved peace. Unfortunately, the following years would just bring more violence, more pain, more death.Haßloch was very different though. Its little streets within its winery mountain landscape make it a very attractive place for a young family to grow a child in a secure environment.I was lucky, I received a chance many others didn’t. I learned german quite fast and integrated well in school. I never felt like a foreigner, at least not during my childhood. Racism and Xenophobia are something I would meet later in life… ...." read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com #motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Tallin - Calle Nueva York

"...I had been to NY before, but this time was different. I wasn´t interested in the skyline or cocktail parties. I wanted to produce a Hit Song and fulfill my dream of working with the Masters. I reached out to the man himself, Mr.

Ken Lewis

.

So I took the NJ Transit to meet him in his studio outside the city. He picked me up from the train station and we went up to the studio. The walls didn´t have enough space to hang all of his gold and platinum records.

We sat down in front of the SSL-Board and he played my demo of Curura on the studio speakers as I told him the story of Totó La Momposina and what this song means to me.

Over the years many collaborations with Ken and his projects would come to life, but for now, I would just get back to the ship and keep on working to make y few bucks to invest in myself.

Eventually, I came back to New York. After traveling to so many destinies around the world, NY seemed like the only place that would bring it all together and allows you to be whoever you want to be.

And this is who I want to be.

Somebody who brings dreams to life. ...." read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Nassau - Calle Nueva York

"...We went to Cartagena to record the video clip. The Casting for the dancers was in Bogotá though. The Arts university ACAB was so kind as to sponsor my project with free rehearsing space and access to top talent.

Margarida Martins joined me as Choreographer and we did my very first casting in the university halls. More than 80 people came, it was crazy. We picked 6 of them and rehearsed in the halls of the university late at night. Then we flew over to Cartagena on the coast. It was super hot and we didn´t have much time. The night before the first shooting a tropical thunderstorm was coming up. Heavy rains made it a bit difficult to plan ahead. Luckily when we woke up the next morning the storm passed by and the sky was blue. At 6 a.m we took the typical little boats from Cartagena to get to Tierra Bomba, a small island we a beautiful view of the city skyline. The next day we recorded in Getzemani, in the city center and a day later I send everybody back home and stayed for a few days in Cartagena. The job was done, now I had to get back to the ship to get some money for the release.

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Madeira - Calle Nueva York

"...

After disembarking from my first contract, I had some money to invest in myself, so I started recording a lot of music. I traveled to many places looking for the right musicians to feature my songs. I was still searching to find my signature sound. It was in Bogotá, where I met Totó to ask her if she would honor me with re-recording her classic Hit Song Curura, a song, covered amongst the highest tiers of artists like Timbaland, Michel Cleist, J Balvin, Major Lazer, and many more. But I didn´t want this to be just another remix of the sample. We recorded everything from scratch. We went to record in Audiovision Estudios. Mauricio Cano, who inspired me to become an engineer was still working there. He recorded our session, it was pure magic.

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Guatape - Calle Nueva York

"...

So I applied and a few weeks later I started the safety training and departed on my first cruise. Everything was so exciting and so big! So many decks, venues, restaurants, casinos, pools, and people, so many people. And so many new colleges, who are all these people? Alone in the entertainment team, we were around 60 people, including Singers, Musicians, Dancer, Areal Artists, Actors, Technicians, and Manager. I was the second sound operator, responsible for all the small events and the main events on the pool. It was crazy, some days we would have 9 events in the heat of the sun of the South Asian sea. And despite the stress, the 80 hour work weeks, regular drills and exercises, it was an unbelievable time, waking up every day in a different country. Later I would become the First Sound Operator, and then Officer leading the team of theater technicians. Until I did my last contract I got to travel to more than 50 countries on 4 continents, and produce more than 2000 shows for a few hundred thousand people. This was the birth of Will Villa

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Athens - Calle Nueva York

"...

Inside me, I was still searching for the person who I sought to become. I wanted to get to places. I wanted to find a way out.

So I went to LA for the summer trying to meet my idols. The producers of the big Hit Records, like Dave Pensado, Al Schmitt, or Ken Lewis. The advice I took home was golden. Somebody told me that if I wanted to make it in America, first I needed to go to my country and create something remarkable, something that would make me stand out, and only then I should come back to approach the masters. But how could I create some remarkable? Where should I even start? And how would I get the money? This was confusing advice. As I was searching for answers, walking down Santa Monica Pier, I saw cruise ships sailing through the ocean into the horizon. I thought this could be an idea. Don´t these guys need people to work? Seemed like a good way to save money and invest it into my project.

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Olden - Calle Nueva York

"...

A New hope

It seemed like, as she arrived in heaven, she sent her angels to help me through this time. On the day of the funeral, I received a call from a Colombian TV Station who had found me through a mutual contact to propose to me starring one of 9 episodes of Antioqueños de Mundo, a show about Artists from Medellin who are representing the culture abroad. A few days later, we started shooting for the next weeks. The documentary accompanies me through the production of my first single and video and shows some behind the scenes from touring with a major artist.

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Chicago - Calle Nueva York

"...

I could impossibly have predicted what a crazy touring schedule was expecting me. I guess at some point I was just at the right place at the right time. I received a call from Silvia Guevara, who needed urgently a Tour manager for the tour of a legendary artist starting 3 days ahead. I felt I had suddenly made it into the major league, touring with Totó La Momposina all over Europe. This was the beginning of a long collaboration with Conga Management, which led me to tour through more than 15 countries and work with a roaster of highest tier artist like Totó, Calle 13 or Tego Calderon.

I always feared not being home when something happens. I guess all of us touring artists have to live with this. I took the first flight home from Stockholm when my mother was admitted to the hospital. Times change so fast

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Mannheim - Calle Nueva York

"...

During the next few years, I promoted a lot of concerts and toured with lots of different artists. I was touring all the time, doing every job I could, merchandiser, rowdy, assistant, manager, whatever it takes. Eventually, I moved to Berlin. One of my friends from Culcha Candela broke up with the band and was about to start something new. So we teamed up with a studio owner from Kreuzberg and started Berlin Dreams Entertainment.

We recorded a lot of demos during this time. The most memorable ones must have been Mil Santos, Paco Mendoza, or Lucry & Niqo. Our regular events in some of the hotspots of Berlin featured upcoming Latin headliners like Choc Quib Town, Notch, Tres Coronas, Raggabund, or Yeyo. Times were developing really well for me. I wasn´t making much money, but I was working on my craft daily. Eventually, things started breaking apart. Disagreements in the company, an uncomfortable living situation, and the diagnosis of mom´s cancer were reasons for me to make a cut and leave Berlin. I went back home, to Hasalaha, It was not an easy time, working a part-time job as a call center agent and finishing my Bachelor’s studies. Besides my home studio, there wasn´t all too much music during this moment.

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Valleta - Calle Nueva York

"...

I decided to go back to Germany to pursue my studies in audio engineering. During my studies at SAE in Munich, I worked as an Instructor at Vibra DJ School and as a sound operator in Les Babacools Studio. My big dream was to get some of my friends from Colombia to play in Germany, at least for a few shows. After spending countless hours burning and sending demo CDs and building up a Myspace audience, nobody in Germany would care about Colombian Music. It wasn´t until 2008 when Culcha Candela was blowing up with their hit song Hamma. A member of the band called me to ask me if I can get one of my groups to support them on their next Tour. I couldn´t believe it. These guys were filling up 5K venues any days of the week in any city in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, and thanks to this Profetas and I played more than 50 shows supporting Culcha Candela. It became this unrealistic experience, an incredibly stressful operation, with lots of drama but also so many unbelievable moments. This was the birth of my independent Label Nutibara Records.

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Ilulisat - Calle Nueva York

"...

It was a really exciting time, the scene wasn´t all too big yet, but we got to play on all these small festivals, and even HipHop al Parque in the Media Torta, Reggae Colombia in Downtown 727, or la Fete de la Musique in Medellin. Television was a thing back then, so we played all the urban TV stations in Medellin and Bogotá, including Musinet TV on Teleantioquia, Mucha Musica on City TV or Ciudad Sonora on Telemedellín. It was also during this time that I had my first studio experience. I was called to record scratches on several records, mostly in small studios in the hood. One recording session though turned out to be very special. First of course it was a pure coincidence that we would run into Subcantante, lead singer of Doctor Krapula, who were recording their first album „Bombea“ on this day. So we followed them into the studio, which turned out to be Audiovision Estudios, one of Colombia’s most prestigious recording facilities. I instantly fell in love with this world. Stunned by the consoles and faders, and the grammy-winning operator Mauricio Cano, who recorded Doctor Krapula´s record, I realized this is an actual career, and that this is what I want to do.

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Hoboken - Calle Nueva York

"...It was a really exciting time, the scene wasn´t all too big yet, but we got to play on all these small festivals, and even HipHop al Parque in the Media Torta, Reggae Colombia in Downtown 727, or la Fete de la Musique in Medellin. Television was a thing back then, so we played all the urban TV stations in Medellin and Bogotá, including Musinet TV on Teleantioquia, Mucha Musica on City TV or Ciudad Sonora on Telemedellín.

It was also during this time that I had my first studio experience. I was called to record scratches on several records, mostly in small studios in the hood. One recording session though turned out to be very special. First of course it was a pure coincidence that we would run into Subcantante, lead singer of Doctor Krapula, who were recording their first album „Bombea“ on this day. So we followed them into the studio, which turned out to be Audiovision Estudios, one of Colombia’s most prestigious recording facilities. I instantly fell in love with this world.

Stunned by the consoles and faders, and the grammy-winning operator Mauricio Cano, who recorded Doctor Krapula´s record, I realized this is an actual career, and that this is what I want to do.

...."

read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour

[callenuevayork]

Nutibara - Calle Nueva York

"...

I was born in Medellin. We moved to a small town in the south of Germany when I was a child. It was a very different world. We were the only Hispanic family in the area, but it didn´t take much time until I learned german and started going to school. At home, we always listened to cumbia records, vallenatos, and salsa. When I started Djing I always knew my roots and tried to mix up some Latin records, but it was hard to find the artists back then. Every time we traveled to Colombia we bought a bunch of records. It was the time of the first Reggaeton Hits, in Europe nobody would know that sound yet.

I moved back to Medellin when I was 18. I needed to explore my roots. First I moved in with my uncle, later with some friends I made on my way. It didn´t take much time to draw some attention. It was unusual to see European looking people in the city back then. But since I was a native, it was easy to integrate myself into the local music scene. It was was an adventurous time, Reggaeton was on the rise and many of today´s famous acts were just starting out and everyone was still looking for collaborations

...." read more on my blog #CalleNuevaYork -> www.will-villa.com

#motivation #inspiration #lifestory #lifeontour