Look at that: D.C. has at least one reggaeton star. His name is Fuego (Miguel Duran), and he released an album, La Musica del Futuro, earlier this month. The video above is from the album's first single, "Que Buena Tu Ta," which came out in late 2009 and appears on the album. Even if you are not a regular consumer of Latin hits, there are a few things to note about the video: 1. His label, Chosen Few Emerald Entertainment (run by a dude who calls himself Boy Wonder), obviously spent some money on it. 2. José Reyes of the New York Mets has a cameo. 3. The guest singer, Deevani, is actually A. Ines Rooney, the chief executive of the reggaeton label Mas Flow. 4. The song is an unapologetic multi-culti party jam.

The sum total: Fuego has important friends, and he wants you to like him. His latest video, "Lo Bombero," continues the trend.

The lingering question: What's that pink booze? It's in both videos.

The birthday weekend of this immigrant-built country includes a number of gigs featuring immigrants and other international visitors. The Smithsonian Folklife Festival continues through Monday and spotlights a number of traditional Mexican groups as well as area-based Asian-Americans. The Mexican groups that may prove most  interesting are Chinelos de Atlatlahucan, a costumed Mardi Gras/Indian-type ensemble that dances and struts around accompanied by a brass band, and Grupo de Fandango de Artesa Los Quilamos from the southern coastal region of Oaxaca, who combine indigenous, African, and Spanish elements. Both perform a number of times through Monday. Sulu DC will showcase performances by local Asian artsy types Saturday evening.  At the clubs one can find reggaeton, moombahton, reggae, U.K. folk, and more.  See a list of events after the break.

FRIDAY

Smithsonian Folklife Festival starting at 11 a.m.

Bio Ritmo for free at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden 5 to 8:30 p.m.  This Richmond-area salsa band heads up 95 again for another D.C. date.

Los Cardencheros de Sapioriz, Chinelos de Atlatlahucan, Los Verdaderos Caporales de Apatzingán from 6:30 to 9 p.m. for free at the El Salón de México Stage of the Smithsonian Folklife fest. A cappella, Mexican Mardi Gras parade brass, and big harp music respectively.

Moneytown At Little Miss Whiskey's, 1104 H St NE

(between N 11th St & N 12th St). DJ Nightkrawler spins funk and soul records.

SATURDAY

Smithsonian Folklife Festival starting at 11 a.m.

Gregory Isaacs at Zanzibar On the Waterfront. Jamaican singing legend.

Arcangel (pictured) at DC Star Nightclub, 135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE.  This son of a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father is an exciting 20-something reggaeton artist with a speedy, suave flow.

DJ Dave Nada's Tormento Tropical at  U Street Music Hall. DC..’s Nada has become known now for spinning hipster cumbia, moombahton, and other international beat-based sounds.

The Unthanks at Iota. Lush U.K. harmony folk.

Ralph Rinzler Memorial Concert, featuring bluegrass by Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, plus Bernice Johnson Reagon (from Sweet Honey in the Rock) from 6 to 8 p.m. on the National Mall at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Sulu DC are underground Asian-American, D.C.-area performance artists, musicians, and poets who will display their skills from 6 to 8 p.m. onstage at the Smithsonian Folklife Fest.

DJs Stylus, Meistro, and Jahsonic at Sol Power at Dahlak (1771 U St. NW) with sounds from Africa, Brazil, and beyond. Free before 11 p.m.; $5 after 11 p.m. Music starts at 10 p.m.

SUNDAY

Smithsonian Folklife Festival starting at 11 a.m.

La Maquina del El Salvador at Fast Eddie's, 6220 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, Va.

El Gringo de la Bachata at Galaxy Night Club, 2031A University Blvd, Hyattsville, Md.

Dhol Beat International at Ibiza Nightclub, 1222 First St. NE. Asian-Indian.

MONDAY

Smithsonian Folklife Festival starting at 11 a.m.

Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lily Bee; the all-female band Ivy Rose; and the Dhoonya Dance Performance Company performing a variety of South Asian dance styles for free (and webcast) from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.

For fans of  Latin and Brazilian sounds, Friday and Saturday nights offer a number of appealing choices.  Earlier in the week I highlighted the Monday appearance of Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Alexis y Fido, and now Friday brings another Puerto Rican reggaeton duo, Rakim y Ken-y (also known as  R.K.M. y Keny), who will be at El Boqueron II.  Together since 2004, these two offer a more pop-romantic take on the genre than Alexis y Fido. While Rakim offers standard, speedy Spanish-language rapping, Ken-y sings catchy melodies that are influenced by the lush feel of contemporary bachata and R&B.

The Strathmore has commissioned a different sort of romantic Latin evening. “Danzon” unites the Chicago-based Luna Negra Dance Theater with Cuban composer/saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and jazz/classical outfit the Turtle Island Quartet. Danzon is an Afro-Cuban couples dance and music form with roots going back hundreds of years. Now considered a slow, classy style of movement to flute, horns, and percussion, this art form was criticized in the early 20th century because the folks dancing to it (occasionally prostitutes and their johns) engaged in  risqué touching and lascivious hip movements to African-derived rhythms. Reviews of earlier performances and a video trailer  of “Danzon” suggest that the program’s choreography will merge aspects of traditional pairs dancing with modern art-rooted theatrical dance techniques. Expect D'Rivera to blow up a storm as accompaniment.

Saturday night brings Puerto Rican salsa singer extraordinaire Victor Manuelle to the Galaxy Night Club in Takoma Park. A leading light of “salsa romantica” in the '90s, Manuelle was big enough just a few years ago to play D.A.R. Constitution Hall. But since the growth of reggaeton, bachata, and Latin pop, Manuelle’s popularity has diminished a bit. Since 2000 he has tried multiple approaches—crossover pop, duets, and old-school salsa—some with greater success than others. Still known for his ability to improvise vocally, this is a good opportunity to listen and dance to him in a room that’s not too large.

Richmond’s Bio Ritmo is headlining a dance party in an even smaller room, the Rock & Roll Hotel. With a great horn section, pianist, and percussionist, they should have folks moving late into the night to their classic salsa dura (hard salsa). Opening for them will be local act Funk Ark, an afrobeat-inspired combo led by keyboardist Will Rast,  and Hãhãhães ( led by Afro-Brazilian percussionist Dendê), who merge Bahian rhythms with Afrobeat and jazz.

Rakim y Ken-Y (Latin pop) perform Friday night 3-19 at El Boqueron II, 1330 East Gude Drive, Rockville, MD 301-424-0745. $30.

Danzón:  A special tribute to Cuban dance with the Luna Negra Dance Theater, Turtle Island Quartet, and Paquito D'Rivera is on Friday 3-19 at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD. (301) 581-5100. $27 – $67.

Victor Manuelle (salsa singing star) and Zone D’Tambura perform at 10 p.m.  Saturday 3-20 at the Galaxy Nightclub, 2031 University Blvd East, Hyattsville, Maryland, 301.439.6666 Age(s): 21+.  $25.

Bio Ritmo (Richmond salsa), Funk Ark, and Hãhãhães( led by Afro-Brazilian percussionist Dendê) perform Saturday 3-20 at  9:30 pm at the Rock n Roll Hotel, 1353 H Street, NE, Washington, DC USA – (202) 388-ROCK. $10 – 12.

These 30-year-old small-town islanders have been rapping over beats since their teens. They first joined forces in 2001, when there was room for only one more cut on the compilation Desafio and they both wanted to be on it. Their collaboration became permanent, and since 2005 they've released four albums. While these Latin Grammy nominees have occasionally branched out musically—2009’s Down to Earth includes T-Pain-inspired R&B, a bit of dancehall, and some spacey synth effects—most of the cuts are driven by reggaeton’s standard skipping, staccato rhythms. Hardcore fans may tell you that former military man Fido creates interesting lyrical concepts and beats, and that Alexis barks on some cuts and deploys adult humor, more casual listeners will simply tell you that these guys know how to get butts wiggling in a club.

Alexis y Fido perform Monday at 9 at Fast Eddie's, 6220 Richmond Hwy (Rt. 1 South), Alexandria. $25. (571) 282-9659.

The Myspace site for the Surf Club (aka the Surf Club Live and previously Chick Hall’s Surf Club) now plays Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changin,” but perhaps it would make more sense to play something in Spanish.  Concerned about small turnouts for the blues-rock, country, and other roots styles he has been getting, owner James Byrum has decided to reach out to the current local demographic and will now be featuring a dj spinning ranchera, bachata and other Spanish language sounds.  Byrum informed folks on a local listserv that “the summer is always a tough draw and now is a good time to experiment with bringing a more consistent source of revenue to the club. There may still be shows in the future. But I am taking the summer to try new things.” 

At least  the club still exists.  In 2007, it appeared that the rectangular cinder block and brick roadhouse would be sold and knocked down.  This honky-tonk bastion has been located at 4711 Kenilworth Avenue in Hyattsville since 1975, and previously was on Bladensburg Road in Colmar Manor from 1955 to 1975.  But Byrum acquired the place and has been booking local Americana acts and zydeco dances.  While the latter draw a dedicated 40-something and up crowd, they do not drink much.  Meanwhile, the audiences have not grown for DC roots-rock, alt-country, blues, and blues-rock bands.  Compounding things, the club is not located near a Metro station, has been unable to get much media or internet attention for the groups booked, and its older hard drinking blue-collar regulars have moved away.  On July 4th Byrum experimented with a teen reggaeton event featuring Spanish language acts from NY, Boston, and DC, but he says he has no plans to start booking more well-known Latin acts.  He is staying local for now.

It is a busy month for live reggaeton, Latin pop, and tropical sounds. On Thursday May 14, veteran Puerto Rican rapper Voltio will prove at Terra Mare that there’s more to reggaeton than just Daddy Yankee.  Voltio’s been rapping for years.  On his 2007 En Lo Claro cd he flows in Spanish over salsa and other island sounds in addition to the steady, insistent beat of reggaeton.  Below is a list of May’s impressive live events:

May 14-Voltio at 10 at Terra Mare, 6108 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, VA
May 15-Zion y Lennox (reggaeton) at Fur, 33 Patterson St. NE
Fri. May 22-Bio Ritmo (salsa and funk) at the Rock n Roll Hotel, H. St NE
Sat. May 23-Tito El Bambino (reggaeton) at the Star Lounge, 7203 Little River Tpke, Annandale, VA
Thurs. May 28-Arcangel (reggaeton, r’n’b, pop) at Ibiza, 1222 First St. NE
Fri. May 29-Gilberto Santa Rosa and Victor Manuelle (salsa singers) at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA