When Toto Gonzalez (otherwise known as Mr. Pauer) was a kid growing up in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, his musical worlds seemed totally disconnected: "My mom listened to boleros, my dad to traditional Venezuelan music, my older brothers to American 80’s pop, and to socialize I had to learn how to dance salsa and merengue."

It wasn't until later that Gonzalez took those various pieces as a producer and remixer and developed his signature "electrópica" sound, something he describes as different than digital cumbia and more like a mixed "sancocho" soup. "I connected the dots unconsciously creating an array of sounds that identify with the culture I grew up with.”

Gonzalez has lived in Miami for the last 18 years and coined his DJ name using the Spanglish he hears around him: "Pauer" is how "power" would be pronounced and spelled in Spanish. His dance-inducing "electrópica" remixes earned him a 2011 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album for his debut album, Soundtrack.

Spinning sets from Seattle to Venezuela, Gonzalez channels his musical bilingualism with intention and vigor: "Estoy mezclando de manera irónica cosas que no tienen mucho 'match', pero de repente estan allí, abrazados y van uno al otro haciendo esa mezcla." [I'm ironically blending things that don't really match but suddenly, there they are, in an embrace, making the mix.].