SANDY & PAPO

Sandy Carriello and Luis Deschamps formed the Dominican electronic duo Sandy & Papo MC after meeting in a New York audition that brought together merengue house and hip‑hop influences. Their first single, "La Hora De Bailar" (1996), introduced the duo’s blend of merengue rhythms and electronic beats to the Latin club scene, leading to the release of their debut album Sandy & Papo MC (1996). In 1997 they issued two albums, Otra Vez… and MC El Nº 1, solidifying their presence in the emerging merenhouse genre. The following year, the duo released The Remix Album (1998) and the EP El Alacran (1998), while their single "M.S.R." (1998) achieved club rotation across the Caribbean and U.S. Latin markets. Their version of "I Like To Move It" (as Mueve Mueve) and the original track "Huelepega" gained exposure through the Venezuelan film of the same name in 1999. The group performed at the XL Festival de Viña del Mar on 14 February 1999, earning Antorchas and Gaviotas de Oro and Plata. The duo disbanded on 11 July 1999 following Luis Deschamps’s fatal car accident; Sandy Carriello continued as a solo artist, releasing the tribute "Homenaje a Papo" in 2000. The duo’s work remains a reference point for the merenhouse movement.