Open Arts LES: DASO y el Grupo Cemí

David Soto [AKA DāSo] started on his musical journey as a child while performing with his mom in the Puerto Rican folkloric dance troupe, Grupo Cemí. He grew up Loisaida amidst a flourishing culture of Nuyorican poets back in the early 70-80s. Learning from mentors which include his mother María Hernández, Bimbo Rivas, TatoLaviera and Luis Guzmán, he honed his craft in front of live audiences performing in places like the Nuyorican Poets Café, Tompkins Square Park, local community garden parties and CHARAS fundraisers.

In 2005, DāSo focused his musical energies on creating a cross-cultural fusion music steeped in uplifting affirmations and spiritually rooted themes of unity and healing. The music is a bi-lingual fusion of hip hop, bomba, house, plena, reggaeton, R&B, salsa, and rock topped with some ballads that is often hard to categorize.

DāSo has spent over two decades as a community organizer, dedicating his time to youth services, counseling, advocacy & activism. He founded DASO Entertainment & organized New Village Music Festival as a promo outlet for young musicians, artists and their creations. In 2022, Daso founded the Piragua Art Space, featuring visual art installations, intimate performances, music rehearsals & vocal recordings. The space serves as the physical flagship store for the Piragua Clothing Brand, which launched online in 2017.