SALSA HOT SPOT; SHEILA E. AND A PACK OF PASSIONATE MUSICIANS BRING LATIN MUSIC TO LIFE AT THE CONGA ROOM.

Byline: Heather Wood Staff Writer

It's a recent Wednesday night at the glittering Conga Room in Los Angeles and Sheila E. and the Pete Escovedo Orchestra are playing a red-hot salsa rhythm to a packed house.

``Let's heat it up, y'all,'' screams Sheila E. to the already warmed-up crowd. The normally spacious Conga Room dance floor is filled shoulder-to-shoulder with celebrities, die-hard dancers and fans of the percussion princess and her famous family. Natalie Cole, Donnie Osmond and Paul Reubens (better known as Pee Wee Herman), mix with an elite group of clubgoers, who are all here to see the party on stage. ``Go Sheila, go Sheila,'' the audience cheers in unison as she displays her incredible talent on drums, including playing with her feet and elbows.

After an ovation, Sheila coyly asks, ``Are we having fun yet?''

This eclectic mix of clientele is standard for the Conga Room, an A-class Latin dance mecca situated in the heart of Los Angeles on Wilshire Boulevard's ``Miracle Mile.'' The Conga boasts first-class decor and exotic cuisine, but the crowds flock there for the music, which these days infuses modern rhythms from around the globe with traditional salsa swing. The Conga, along with music and dance venues like the Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles, have helped bring salsa culture to L.A. night life.

Seven days a week, the Conga hosts a lineup of live Latin music from merengue and mambo to cumbia and mariachi. Danceaholic yuppies sweat off the week's worries under the steamy lights. Couples are there to strut their stuff, twitching and grinding on the dimly lit dance floor. The men dress in white, poplin shirts and shiny shoes. The dress code for the women: the shorter, the tighter, the better.

The Conga ballroom, which mimics 1950s Havana, has already played host to Celia Cruz, Jose Feliciano, Tito Puente and Shakira, along with a seemingly unlimited supply of local Latin musical talents.

``Most people think of Puerto Rico and Miami as the bastions of Latin music,'' says majority owner Brad Gluckstein, who founded the Conga Room as a way to take his salsa passion to the limit. ``But Los Angeles, unbeknownst to many listeners, is equally diverse and rich with wonderful musicians and Latin culture.''

Enter Sheila E., the Conga's new musical director. Her heritage is Mexican and Creole, but Sheila has the star power to draw the most diverse crowds. And unlike her last musical directorship with the failed ``Magic Hour,'' this gig has staying power.

Gluckstein is banking on the popularity and original talent of the drumming diva to continue the flow of quality Latin music to the Conga Room, while keeping a finger on the pulse of the ever-changing musical genre.

``I'm constantly thinking of our brand and the future positioning of that brand,'' says Gluckstein. ``Sheila E.'s public image and her music are consistent with my vision for that brand.''

Sheila's musical pedigree doesn't hurt either. Her father, Pete Escovedo (that's what ``E'' stands for) was one of the founding members of Santana, before joining with his sons to form the 14-piece Pete Escovedo Orchestra, which remains one of the most sought-after Latin jazz groups in this country. Her younger brother, Peter Michael Escovedo, who has the looks of a mature Ricky Martin, is the new musical director of ``The Martin Short Show.'' Not surprisingly, Sheila's uncles and cousins have their hands in the music business as well.

``When I first heard about the Conga Room coming together, I just thought it was funny that people don't think of our family to be part of that,'' says Sheila. ``I was honored when they asked.''

Sheila's gumbo of sounds, which mixes jazz and hip-hop with Latin and pop, is a mold for the future of the Conga Room, which likes to call itself the Latin version of the House of Blues, as a way of honing music aficionados from around the region.

``I grew up playing Latin jazz music because that's what my dad played,'' says Sheila. He forced me to play violin in the third grade and I hated it. But now I can appreciate all types of music.''

A little help from another friend, whom she knew as Prince, helped push Sheila E. to the forefront of the pop charts, while pioneering a path for Latin women in music.

``When I met Prince, I was playing with George Duke, Herbie Hancock and on tour with tons of people. Prince said it was time for me to do my own thing.''

This move made Sheila a little nervous.

``I didn't think I had very much to offer. I was a woman, a percussionist and a minority. What were my chances of making it?''

It turned out her chances were pretty good. While Sheila is best-known for her work with The Artist (she was a staple to the Purple Rain tour), she has always had an emotional and physical tie to Latin sounds.

``I always mixed my Latin roots with whatever I was playing,'' says Sheila. ``And right now, it's a great time for the Latin people. This Latin explosion thing has helped, but the talent has always been there. It's so diverse - like a big pot of gumbo.''

Aside from Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and the obvious bunch of Latin cross-over artists, L.A. is home to a handful of Latin talent on the verge of entering the mainstream. The Conga Room is a often an important stop for these acts on their way up.

The Conga Room opened in February of last year with a dedicated group of investors, (including stars Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Smits and Paul Rodriguez), on the burgeoning strip of Wilshire between La Brea and La Cienega, called ``The Miracle Mile.''

``I thought it was a perfect location in that it's in close proximity to the West Side, has great freeway access and is not very far from Downtown and East L.A.,'' says Gluckstein, a real estate mogul, who opened the place as a way to invite other non-Latinos to discover a love for salsa.

``I started (dancing salsa) as a hobbyist,'' he says. ``I went out to East L.A. and to other venues where the demographics were largely 90 to 95 percent Hispanic.'' Soon, he noticed, other non-Latinos were getting into salsa, but the conditions of these clubs didn't fit the demand.

``Most of the facilities and venues I was dancing salsa in eight to 10 years ago were glorified nightclubs where they put on great salsa bands and the dancers were terrific,'' says Gluckstein. ``But the overall environment was not at the same passionate level. Some clubs were divey, some were converted '70s discotheques, some were sports bars that had salsa nights once a week. Never had there been a dedicated home for Latin music, dance and cuisine.''

The surprisingly authentic theme of the place is drawing people with energy to expend, and money to spend.

Martha Aguillar is one of those people. Originally from Brazil, and now of Los Angeles, Aguillar says the Conga is her favorite stop on the dance circuit.

``I will go anywhere they have a good Latin band and lots of dancing,'' says the petite brunette. ``I guess it has always been part of my life. But it's hard to find a club with the right atmosphere.''

Aguillar has danced around the city looking for a place to call home - from the Hop in Lakewood to the Dance Factory in Long Beach - before settling at the Conga Room.

``I'll come here a few times a week to get in some dancing,'' she says. ``It's worth it.''

Ricardo Feliz of Studio City, who is also tearing up the dance floor, says he comes to the Conga every Friday night.

``I come here to let off some steam,'' says Feliz, taking a break from an impressive display of his hip-throttling salsa. Feliz, a Cuban-born entrepreneur, says he feels at home in the Latin atmosphere.

``I just feel the music in my heart.''

With the Conga Room swelling in popularity, the infant establishment is already planning to expand to Las Vegas and Buenos Aires in mid-2000.

``The Conga Room is an environment; it's not just about the decor, the food and the vibe,'' says Gluckstein. ``On the design level, it's a home for all Latinos. But from a music standpoint, the Conga Room is a home for everybody.''

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3 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) Couples are flocking to the Conga Room to strut their stuff, twitching and grinding on the dimly lit dance floor.

(2 -- 3 -- color) Seven days a week the Conga Room hosts a lineup of live Latin music from merengue and mambo to cumbia and mariachi. Left, the R Lemvo & Maikna Loca band performs at the club, under the musical direction of percussionist Sheila E.

Marilynn Young/Special to the Daily News