DJ Nelson

DJ Nelson played a crucial role in reggaeton's development. He was a core member of the Noise, a collective of DJs, MCs, producers, and club coordinators. The Flow, his 1997 debut mixtape-style album, was followed by work with Ivy Queen, Wisin & Yandel, and others. His 2003 offering Mas Flow with young guns Noriega and Luny Tunes remains influential. 2007's Flow La Discoteka Vol. 2 netted the Hot 100 hit single, "Pasarela." 2019's Platonicos with Jay Wheeler charted across the Latin pop spectrum. In 2022 he released the star-studded two-volume De Camino a Palomino.

Born Nelson Diaz Martinez on April 7, 1972, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Consumed by an obsession with music as a teen, he began DJ'ing at parties and discos. At 22 he joined the Noise collective. a club-centered crew spawned in 1992. The Noise -- comprised of DJs, MCs, producers, and club coordinators -- hosted a long-lasting series of club nights in San Juan that proved vital to the development and popularization of reggaeton.

DJ Nelson earned credit as one of the top Noise DJs, and served as a producer/arranger for the collective's music. In 1997 he made his album debuts with The Flow and Nel-Zone, mixtaspe style offerings that established Nelson's signature approach and influenced dozens of others in his wake. The following year, DJ Nelson produced Ivy Queen's The Original Rude Girl.

From this point forward, DJ Nelson began to focus on his solo career, producing mixtapes for others as well as singles and albums. He helmed the boards for Wisin & Yandel's Los Reyes del Nuevo Milenio in 2000, as well as his own Undertrack Collection, and 2001's Music (2001), the latter album inaugurated his Flow Music label.

DJ Nelson signed a crew of young, up-and-coming producers: Francisco Saldaña and Víctor Cabrera (better known as Luny Tunes), and Norgie Noriega, aka Noriega. These three producers pooled their talents together for Mas Flow (2003), a mixtape offering that won popular interest internationally and has been immeasurably influential since. Flow La Discoteka followed in 2004 and Flow La Discoteka 2 in 2007 that scored charting "Chica Virtual" with Arcangel. Nelson and Rafy Mercenario collaborated on the compilation, The Kings Of The Remix and produced for Ñejo & Dalmata's Broke & Famous. And in 2008, Nelson and Luny Tunes helmed Arcangel's debut long player, El Fenomeno.

2009-2011 were spent primarily inthe studio. DJ Nelson helmed the sessions for Ñejo & Dalmata's Still Broke & Famous: The Mixtape. He also began a working relationship with J Alvarez by producing the independent offering El Dueño Del Sistema. The following year he-co-produced trhe rapper's El Movimiento Mixtape, and in 2011 Otro Nivel De Música and Otro Nivel De Música Reloaded. The following year DJ Nelson issued the first mixtape compilation of his artist's roster on Presenta La Buya Vol. 1: Flow Music Hits, and followed it with La Buya Vol. 2 the following year.

Nelson spent the next five years polaying live gigs, producing singles for others and building a new studio. In 2018 he resurfaced on "Bacalao," a collaborative singler with MC Ceja and Alberto Stylee. A year later, DJ Nelson produced 2020's Platonicos, the charting debut album by mentee, Jay Wheeler. Later that year, DJ Nelson turned in the charting solo album Inmortal with contributions from Wheeler, Stylee, Rafa Pabon, and others. It went to 17 on the Latin Rhythm albums list and Top 20 at streaming. The producer spent the next year issuing underground lo-fi mixtapes and resurfaced offically with the two volume Camino a Palomino in 2022. ~ Thom Jurek, Jason Birchmeier, Rovi