DJ Hector Romero: “When You’re Passionate About Something, You're Never Going to Feel..."

DJ Hector Romero: “When You’re Passionate About Something, You're Never Going to Feel like You're Working”
With thirty-five years in the music industry, Hector Romero reflects on his amazing career as a DJ, music executive, and A&R director. His contribution to Latin Electronic Dance and electronic music lives on as he continues helping artists make music while traveling as an international DJ.
Born in 1970, Hector Romero grew up during the era of hip-hop music in the Bronx, where hip-hop first originated. From a young age, music was a huge part of Hector’s life, influencing him to begin his journey as a DJ when he was thirteen in 1983, gaining his original stage name, Hector “Baby Hec” Romero. He began his career by being well-versed in the music of his day, playing hip-hop originally before shifting to his true passion of dance electric music.
In our interview, Hector Romero recalled still having his vinyl hip-hop tracks from the beginning of his career, describing them as the “soundtrack of his youth.”
As a young DJ, there were many local DJs Hector looked up to like Afrika Bambaataa and Afrika Islam who were both influential in pioneering and developing this new genre of hip-hop in the Bronx where Hector grew up. Hector explained that because he was young, the only time he got to see them play was when they played at street jams and neighborhood parties, where DJs showcased their music and talent in the Bronx.
When Hector Romero got older, his love for music shifted. While he was breaking into his career, he was influenced by DJs like Louie Vega and John “Gungie” Rivera who also came from the Bronx.
In our interview, Romero recalled how he first got into DJing. He was explaining that in the Bronx, kids either get involved in dancing, music, or sports; and for Romero, baseball was one of his favorite pastimes. He played from the time he was in grade school until he was a teenager.
After going to house parties with his parents and seeing the way DJs played and interacted with their audience, Hector fell in love with the idea of DJing. But this idea didn’t turn into a passion until Hector tried out for his high school baseball team at Cardinal Hayes High School. After not making the cut, he decided to go full force into DJing, and he hasn’t stopped since.
“My parents were very social,” Hector explained. “They went out to events and parties. My uncles as well, so I was always surrounded by events and house parties. I saw a DJ at a house party when I was young, and I was like ‘wow, I really like what he's doing,’ and that's how I got into it. I like it, and it grabbed my attention. In 1984, I tried out for the baseball team, and unfortunately, I didn't make it. Because I didn't make it, I got full force into DJing. I already had my equipment in 1983 when I started, and then I got really serious. Since 1983, I still haven't stopped DJing.”
Even though he stopped playing baseball in high school, Hector Romero is still an avid baseball fan and loves his favorite team, the New York Yankees! He loves baseball, but his true passion is music.
Hector Romero started in the music industry by working at a renowned music shop in the Bronx called DJ Specialty Shop (Castle Hill). This is where he was able to meet and talk to different DJs, label executives, and producers. He worked there for five years, and through his job at DJ Specialty Shop, he was able to meet and interact with DJ David Morales, part-owner of Def Mix Productions alongside Judy Weinstein. During this time, he had the opportunity to play shows with Morales.
After working at the DJ Specialty Shop, Hector Romero became a salesperson at an amazing independent house label called Emotive Records where he was able to get closer to Morales and further grow his connections.
In 1994 when Romero left Emotive Records, David Morales offered him an opportunity to help run the new label he was starting, Definity Records with Def Mix Productions. This is where Romero really started his career as a music executive working there with David Morales and Judy Weinstein for 25 years.
Through this experience, he was also able to work with other legends like Frankie Knuckles and Japanese DJ Satoshi Tomiie. He was also able to help produce and do A&R for Frankie and David’s original music, work with an amazing entertainment lawyer, Steve Kapitko who taught him so much about licensing and entertainment law, contribute to the advancement of dance electronic music, and gain experience that would set him up for the future.
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