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 Venzuelian percussionist Juan Carlos "Bulu" Viloria, who lives in The Netherlands since 1999, has recently been added to the artist roster of Latin Percussion. He is the fourth artist from Holland that is on the players roster of the major percussion manufacturer.
Bulú was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. His passion for percussion began at the age of 14 when he started playing congas with Gaita's Band (Venezuelan folk music). He then decided to study at the conservatory of the Symphonic Youth Orchestra of Venezuela (Orchestra Sifónica Juvenil).
At the age of 16, he was already playing with leading bands in Maracaibo such as Guaco, Combinacion and Carangano (where he shared the responsibilities with Archie Peña, Jose Luis Garcia, and Federico Britos). After this experience, he went to Caracas for bigger opportunities, and it was there that he started his own band "La Crema", recorded an album, and even got to be Number Two in Venezuelan radio’s Top 50. He was also percussion player to Ricardo Montaner (the Venezuelan singer who for many years has been among the top artists in South, Central, and North America) for about four years, and part of a television program called "Almorzando con Orlando", where he was both percussion player and musical director.
In 1984 he started working as the Musical Director in the Tamanaco Hotel "LaBoite Hotel Tamanaco", where he worked with shows like "Ballet Carmen Mota" (Spain), Oba Oba (Brazil), Follies Follies (France), Simon Diaz (Venezuela), Los Hermanos del Rio (Spain, best known for their hit “Macarena”). In 1988 Bulú went to Aruba to accompany the show "Oba Oba of Brazil" and stayed for eight years, working with numerous popular music and Latin jazz bands.
In 1997 he went to New York and worked as a sound recording engineer with bands and musicians such as "Timbalaye", Jose Mangual Jr, Eddie Santiago, Song by Four, Papo Pepin, Milton Cardona, Yomo Toro, Leopoldo Pineda, Joe Torres, Robert Quintero, Robert Vilera, Marc Quiñones, Chicas del Can, Miosotis (ex-singer New York Band), Joe King, Cuco Valoy, Javier Vasquez y La Sonora Matancera, Fuerza Juvenil, and Junior Gonzalez.
Since 1999 he has lived in The Netherlands, participating in many of the best-known festivals in Europe with bands such as Gerardo Rosales (Trabucombo), Azucaribe, Curacao Jazz Project, Charanga La Crisis, Lucas van Merwijk (Cubop City Big Band), Gerald y La Ritmica, Eddie Martinez Big Band, Arturo Castillon, Franklin Caesar, Eddy Veldman en Opo-yeye, Arena Latin Gipsy Band, Jose Lopretti en Candombe Jazz, Nueva Manteka, FP La Banda, and Rumbata Big Band.
He has also shared the stage with Larry Harlow and the legends of salsa, Guaco, Ralph Irrizarry, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Soneros del Barrio, Maraca, Candy Dulfer, Marco Borsato, Krezip, Relax, Trijntje Oosterhuis, The Sheer, Guus Meeuwis, Tasha's World, Thomas van Luyn, Mike Boddé, Lange Frans and Baas B, Ninthe, Frankie Vazquez, Robert Quintero and many others.
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