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The crowd was in “sing-along mode” as Renzo Quesada DJed his friends’ wedding reception. Spirits were high, with people of all ages joining in and dancing. As Quesada retells the story, he starts grooving to the memory.

Suddenly, Quesada’s computer froze. The song stopped. He had to act quickly, so he started singing and hyping up the crowd himself. Eventually, Quesada was able to start his computer back up, but the crowd hadn’t noticed any change — he didn’t skip a beat. Now, he makes sure to have a backup computer when playing his set.

“You have to learn from the bad situations,” Quesada said. “You have to adjust on the fly.”

On the radio waves, Syracuse-based DJ Renzo Quesada is “DJ Lorenz – The Experience.” Along with Quesada’s work at events like weddings and quinceañeras, he also hosts a show on WCNY’s Pulso Central station, which aired its first show on Sept. 15.

A Yankees hat sits on Quesada’s desk, but Quesada is the black sheep in a family of Mets fans. His office is filled with CDs, like a library of music. Quesada’s uncle, a father figure to him, introduced him to a variety of music when he was a child, like Frank Sinatra, Chubby Checker and Julio Iglesias. He’s loved music ever since.

Quesada likes to study the demography in crowds to cater to every audience. When he plays weddings, he keeps an eye on who’s on the dance floor. If young people are hanging out at the bar instead of dancing, he’ll choose oldies to spark the groove from older crowds. Once there are enough people dancing on the floor, more and more people will be inspired to dance, he said.

That’s his approach — customizable tunes.

“You pay me to do a job, and I want this day to be the best day of your life,” Quesada said.

Solange Jain | Photo Editor

During his childhood, Renzo Quesada’s uncle introduced him to a variety of music, such as Frank Sinatra, Chubby Checker and Julio Iglesias.

Quesada emigrated from Peru at 29 years old in 2006. Political issues at home brought him to the U.S. Once here, he found a culture of opportunity, which he feels many Americans take for granted. Though he acknowledges divisive issues in the U.S., he appreciates the country’s multitude of opportunities.

“As a Peruvian American, I’m very happy to be a part of this wonderful country,” Quesada said. “If you want to achieve something working hard, you can do it.”

Fanny Villarreal, who mentored Quesada and trained him in broadcasting, said Quesada’s dedication helped him learn the trade. His upbeat attitude and positivity helped him excel.

“If you are positive when you are on the mic, you can feel it,” Villarreal said. “The waves will catch it.”

Villarreal founded Nosotros Radio, a local Spanish-language radio program, in 1993. Nosotros Radio and Pulso Central are essential parts of Syracuse’s media network, as they’re the only stations in the area that provide exclusively Spanish-language programming.

Villarreal founded Nosotros Radio on several key principles — education, promotion, understanding and positive messages. Of these, education is especially important to Quesada.

Quesada said the home used to be the first school, where people learned core values from their parents and grandparents. Without home-instilled values like respect, hard work and compassion, Quesada believes there’s an undercurrent of selfishness in contemporary American society. But if values like unity, obedience and tolerance are upheld, Quesada said, Americans can make wonderful things happen.

Quesada’s character is felt beyond the airwaves. Tara Slater, Quesada’s wife and an administrative assistant at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, described him as her “ticket to heaven.” His volunteer work at a nearby food bank, his radio presence and his family values demonstrate his passion and positive outlook, she said.

Along with his generosity, Slater said Quesada makes everyone feel special. Strangers remember him. Once, Quesada waited on actor Alec Baldwin at a Skaneateles restaurant – a moment so memorable to Baldwin that his agent visited the restaurant four years later specifically to meet Quesada.

“He’s like the Forrest Gump of the family,” Slater said. “Sh*t just happens to him.”

When Slater’s mother and brother passed away three years ago, Quesada’s presence in the family was stabilizing, she said. Losing the people she loved the most in her life was hard for Slater, but having Quesada around helped the entire family cope with the hardship. That’s how Slater knows she married the right guy.

“Who’s gonna hold your head up? The guy that won’t call you back, or the guy that you really can trust? Renzo got all of us through it,” Slater said.

Quesada’s loving outlook extends past his family and isn’t dampened when he encounters negativity. His role as a radio host and DJ is an opportunity to promote positive values, he said. It’s a sort of grassroots revolution, where people can be positive role models, little by little changing the world around them.

“If you want to start a revolution, start with yourself,” Quesada said. “Just be kind, be patient, be tolerant, and that attitude might be contagious.”

Published on December 10, 2024 at 12:13 am