26

FRIDAY

Hiphop, house, reggae, and R&B are as much a part of the musical experience of many young Latinos as salsa and merengue. So in 1996, New York producer Sergio George put together a group that melded these disparate genres. Combining Huey Dunbar’s sugary and soulful vocals, James “Da Barba” de Jesus’ and Wilfredo “Fragancia” Crispin’s speedy rapped interludes, timbale- and bongo-driven percussive breaks, and booming programmed backbeats, George’s DLG, aka Dark Latin Groove, has demonstrated how to cross-pollinate musical styles without neutering them. Now calling it quits after only three albums and a greatest-hits collection, DLG, as part of its farewell tour, will headline tonight’s “Explosion Latina,” an eight-hour marathon showcasing 14 other like-minded urban club performers, including Dominican bachatero Luis Vargas, merengue orchestra Banda Gorda, and the Latin house outfit Fulanito. The going-away party begins at 7 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center, in Hall A, 900 9th St. NW. $40. (202) 789-1600. (Steve Kiviat)