Leon City Sounds is the DJ team made up of married couple Claudia A. and Charles Lawrence. The duo plays Latin American genres such as cumbia, chicha, salsa, and boogaloo—mainly on vinyl—at monthly parties and one-off gigs throughout the city. To keep audiences guessing, they sometimes throw in Latin American psychedelic surf and garage rock records, but they’re also fans of reggae, ska, and punk. 

Their Tropical Beat party takes place on the first Saturday of the month at the Green Zone; their Sabor Tropical event runs on the fourth Thursday of the month with DJ Crown Vic (aka Jim Thomson) at Eighteenth Street Lounge, and, on occasion, Leon City Sounds host their own Heat Dome party (also with DJ Crown Vic) at the Marx Cafe. This summer, the duo DJed a Fort Reno show, and they’ve played other stand-alone gigs at spots such as Showtime Lounge, Union Stage, and the Black Cat. The Lawrences are skilled at picking records that get people on the dance floor even if the dancers are not familiar with the songs. 

Via email, Lawrence shared with City Paper a bit about herself, Leon City Sounds shows, local bands she likes, and concerts she’s looking forward to.  

Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised in Lima, Peru. I moved to the U.S. at the end of 2012 and have been living in the area since. I met Charles in 2013. We were introduced to each other through a friend that said we had a lot in common musically. Indeed, we quickly bonded by our love for music, record shopping, and concerts. Shortly after we decided to start our DJ duo Leon City Sounds to share what at the time was lacking in the city: music from Latin America and the Caribbean on vinyl.

Because I missed home, it was important for me to share what my country, Peru, had to offer musically other than what is heard on the radio. Many people know salsa and cumbia, but I finally had room to share subgenres and artists that others might not be able to access because of a language barrier, lack of exposure, or because the music couldn’t be found digitally.  

I was very lucky to have found in Washington, D.C., a very welcoming community of musicians, DJs, record collectors, promoters, and artists. For example, Jim Thomson from Electric Cowbell Records/Multiflora Productions, who, from early on, invited us to do DJ sets opening for bands he was booking. [He] has been a good friend since; now we … host together Sabor Tropical and Tropical Heat Dome.

Did your parents’ heritage influence your musical interests?

Yes, for sure. I started collecting cassettes because my dad gifted me a Walkman when I was 8 years old. That’s when music became very important for me. At that time, the music I spin now wasn’t part of my music collection, but was the soundtrack to my days in Lima.

How do you discover musicians? Do people send you music?

For new music, we follow independent record labels such as Peace and Rhythm Records, Names You Can Trust Records, Discos Rolas, Electric Cowbell Records, Sonorama Records, Barbes Records, Music with Soul, Discodelic.

Are there any local bands you’ve enjoyed seeing live and would recommend?

Of course. The D.C. music scene is so rich for its size. We love Cumbia Heights [who Leon City Sounds performed with earlier this month at Comet Ping Pong], Soroche, Bongo District. We also love the Fuss, Easter Standard Time, Black Masala, Des Demonas, Bed Maker, and Sensor Ghost.

Below, Claudia shares the show she’s most looking forward to this month and where you can find Leon City Sounds this season. 

La Sonora Mazuren play at the Kennedy Center on Sept. 26: 

Of the alternative tropical and traditional band from Bogotá, Colombia, Claudia says, “It makes me happy to see that the alternative music scene in Colombia keeps reinventing itself, that bands are able to keep generating new refreshing and original music influenced by traditional genres.” She continues, “It is a beautiful cycle where musical genres keep reinventing themselves organically, while blending with other genres to create a rich hybrid.” The show starts at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW. kennedy-center.org. Free. 

Tropical Beat takes place at Green Zone on Oct. 5: 

Leon City Sounds spins at this monthly party in Adams Morgan. Tropical Beat starts at 10 p.m. at Green Zone, 2226 18th St. NW. thegreenzonedc.com. Free. 

Tropical Heat Dome at Marx Cafe on Nov. 1: 

Leon City Sounds’ Dia de los Muertos edition of their Marx Cafe party will not only feature the DJ duo and Crown Vic—Claudia promises a special surprise guest. Tropical Heat Dome’s Dia de los Muertos party starts at 9 p.m. at Marx Cafe, 3203 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. Free. 

Check out more of our 2024 Fall Arts Guide here.