If you turned on the radio in Miami in the 80s and 90s, you probably heard the sound of DJ Laz.
You listened to him alone in your car on your morning drive. And you listened to him with your friends at the skating rink on the weekends.
Lazaro Mendez was the sound of Miami.
He made his name scratching records on the air at Power 96 and HOT 105. He mixed Miami Bass with Latin music — the music his mom played on records at home. He put the two together — and added his own sazón.
He created club anthems like Move, Shake, Drop and Block Party.
He helped bring stars like Pitbull to the airwaves for the first time. And now he’s on Pitbull’s Sirius XM channel every Saturday.
On the Aug. 9 episode of Sundial, Mendez joins us to talk about growing up in South Florida, the creation of "Miami booty music" and why he’s known as “the pimp with the limp.”
On Sundial's previous episode, Ana Menéndez joined us to talk about her new novel The Apartment and finding "home" in different places.
Listen to Sundial Monday through Thursday on WLRN, 91.3 FM, live at 1 p.m., rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Missed a show? Find every episode of Sundial on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
