The options for partying in this sparse neon metropolis have opened up beyond the ancient elitist glamour of South Beach and the stale redundancy of the Grove. Another “scene” has formed where the youth have gone wild, throwing club nites with creative themes, provoking music, and all the cheap booze and chaos you crave. Life & Art tried to document each nite because these events best rep the youthful city and culture surrounding us. For the UM students who are up for some exploring, we feel you’ll agree. For those who aren’t, you’re missing out. Cheers.
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Parties below at Soho Lounge, 175-193 NE 36th Street – Design District
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—————————–REVOLVER ————————————–
THEME: indie rock night
COVER: $7
ID: Just to drink.
BE THERE: Every Friday. It’s Friday night, so the sun usually comes up before the end is near.
BIRTH DATE: 3-years old
BREAKTHROUGH: “Recognition has come through out the years, but most recently international and national publications, like Fader, VICE, Spin, amongst others, have given the night great write-ups,” says Joshua Menendez, Revolver’s promoter and founder. Revolver’s been hitting hard for quite a while, butlast March’s VICE-sponsored party with Miss Kittin, DJ Hell, and 2 Many DJs was just on some way other shit!
Music: indie, Britpop, new wave, electronic rock
CROWD: Musicians, artists, fashionistas, and people who just wanna dance.
RESIDENT DJs: Indie room: Joshua, Ryan, James Hush. Electronic Room: Lolo, MTA. Hip hop room: Bobby D and Marcelo
THE DILLY: “Revolver will continue to provide national and local indie and alternative act to Miami, in hopes that more acts will see that Miami does have a market for them,” says Joshua. This being the night that started it all, he need say no more.
WEB SITE: ClubRevolver.com
– Hunter Stephenson
——————————- VICE ——————————————–
THEME: Pop rocks with coke
COVER: $6, girlies free before midnight
ID: Just to drink
BE THERE: Every Saturday, usually starts popping at 1 a.m.
BREAKTHROUGH: Can it live up to its name (even without being related to the magazine)? We’ll find out soon enough when NYC playschool-bass heads, Fannypack, perform on September 27.
BIRTH DATE: July 26, 2003
MUSIC: ’80s new wave, dance and pop
CROWD: Mixed crowd ranging from ripe 18-year olds to scary VH-1 hipsters in their 30s, but all in all, a great local crowd.
RESIDENT DJs: Stella B (frequent guest DJ at Revolver), DJ Sticky Rice (Nathan from WVUM), Jimmy James
THE DILLY: Born only a month and a half ago, Vice is a born-again virgin on the scene, albeit one who prefers cheap beers, $4 cocktails and $3 Purple Kamikazes. “We started it because we wanted a night that was cool, fun, and unpretentious,” says Lauren Kate Refkin, promoter for Vice and resident DJ at Revolver. In early September, Vice opened their arms to longtime gothic music nite The Kitchen. The Kitchen now resides downstairs at Soho Lounge, while Vice carries on upstairs. Hipsters and Goth kids float between the two parties, with each clique bonded by their affection for bands like New Order. Nostalgia is in full-tow, with ’80s flicks flickering all over the wall. More recent selections have included Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Tron, amd The Neverending Story.
WEB SITE: ViceMiami.com
– Kira Wisniewski
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Parties below located on South Beach. Addresses list below for each
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—————————– SPIDER-PUSSY ———————————–
THEME: Inebriated ’80s
COVER: Nada
ID: 21+
LOCATION: South Beach @ Lounge 16, 423, 16th St. and Washington Ave.
BE THERE: Every Tuesday. Doors open at 10 p.m., but it doesn’t get live until 1:00 a.m.
BREAKTHROUGH: It’s been almost a year since Spider-Pussy began spinning an array of electro-pop at Lola to a loyal crowd of Euro-American ’80s fanatics. Since then, the party’s moved to another locale in trendy SoBe, and on to even greater red-on-black bliss.
BIRTH DATE: October, 2002 – lookout for an anniversary party next month.
MUSIC: Mod-Squad Freestyle, Electro-Pop, ’80s Punk Rock, Old Skool Hip Hop (yes folks, and you thought the ‘running man’ died with the Me Decade.
CROWD: Zombie-punk 80’s chicks with big mean boots and mohawks. Dudes with piercings galore and, of course, requisite long black ties, velvet hats, and eye makeup. If you feel like you are an outcast in the real world (or wannabe one), you’ll surely fit in here.
RESIDENT DJs: A.L.B. Rotten, Johnny Strokes, and WVUM’s and L&A’s own Jimmy James
THE DILLY: Spider-Pussy was the brainchild of two DJs: Andrews Lorenzana (A.L.B. Rotten) and Rafael DeOnate (Johnny Strokes). This Tuesday night get-down has brought some fresh, Downtown flava to SoBe: addictive music, cheap booze ($3 Buds and $4 drinks) and an incredibly eclectic and friendly crowd. Anything goes here, including pleated mini skirts, Converse, polyester pants, and hairdos reminiscent of Kelly Osborne’s. The decor is crazy black and red: it’s everywhere, aside from the outlandish leopard print ‘high-heel’ chairs. Remember when dancing was all about jumping and skipping and not giving a damn? Either way, walk into this carefree web and hop in.
CONTACT: Email condemn001@earthlink.net for the newsletter
– Rachael Henrichsen
———————– CHOCOLATE SUNDAYS ——————————–
THEME: Get drunk and watch a good movie on the big screen. Or, get drunk and play pool. Or, get drunk and pass out.
COVER: Nah, brah.
ID: Yep.
LOCATION: Purdy Lounge on Purdy Ave. (aka 1811 Sunset Harbor Dr.) in SoBe.
BE THERE: Sundays (isn’t this obvious), kicking off around 10 p.m., but if you’re arriving at clubs (lounges, whatever) right when they open, you may as well be standing in front of Crobar with a free pass that expires at midnight, nah mean?
BIRTH DATE: Back to School ’02
BREAKTHROUGH: When Hunter blacked out watching…or when Harold Hunter was in the bathroom that time.
MUSIC STEEZO: Hipster to tha Hoppa, all the original records with those samples that popped up in all your rap favorites, plus a pinch of Crunk and a dash of digital Bump n’ Grind.
CROWD: Smiles for miles, consisting of: banging broads, some greaseballs, a couple old timers, every beach skate rat, a well-tempered thugster/breaker posse and more.
RESIDENT DJs: Induce, Tosh, and other DJs from CounterFlow.
THE DILLY: Purdy is doing a pretty good job at attempting to recreate the ideal living room; i.e. movies showing in the back room at 11 p.m. and 1a.m. (Bottle Rocket, Scarface, Waking Life, Valley Girl, etc.) plus skate video premieres complete with visiting skate posses (such as the DC video and Habitat’s Mosaic). The DJs seriously carry the night from the corner of the room, a lot like a system with a dope mix tape in it. The atmosphere is really laid back, free pool, couches and board games and cheap beer doesn’t hurt ($2.50 High Life and Jaeger shots). Sunday night is the end of the weekend, so it’s a spot to chill, not stand shoulder-to-shoulder, sweating balls. Joel Meinholz, the night’s founder/promoter has frequented enough dive bars to figure out what they were missing, so he’s there every Sunday with a pool cue in one hand, beer in the other and a DVD in his mouth.
WEB SITE: Too busy drinking.
-Sven Barth
————————- MARLIN MONDAYS ———————————–
THEME: Anti-Sobe club night for everyone and anyone
COVER: No Cover
ID: 50/50
LOCATION: Marlin Bar, 1200 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
BE THERE: Every Monday night, 10 p.m.
BIRTH DATE: Eight months ago
BREAKTHROUGH: None. But, if you’re tired of SoBe or just tired from Crobar, this is the place to actually see who you’re dancing with. Not as grungey or wild as Purdy Lounge, but the gloss and indie mix is Miami-by-numbers.
MUSIC: Classic rock, mainstream-ish electro, soundtracks, TV theme songs, and dips into raunchy rock ‘n’ roll
CROWD: Everybody! There’s electro-pop kids, tourists passing by on the street, your regular Joe Schmoe and the occasional model like Tyson Beckford.
RESIDENT DJs: DJ Smeejay, Chris Graham
THE DILLY: Marlin Mondays aka Dirty Dancing, has been rocking on South Beach for 8 months now. It’s a steamy hipster/non-hipster night that is almost like a mixture of all the other nights combined with a dash of good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. Known for outrageous theme parties like “Rockers vs. B-boys,” Dirty Dancing promises to proliferate in the coming months. And with 2-for-1 drinks, the wait looks to be a short and blurry one.
WEB SITE: TheMarlinHotel.com
-Kira Wisniewski
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Parties below are at I/O, 30 NE 14 St, Design District
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—————————– POPLIFE ——————————————
THEME: Anti-pop music for Miami’s indie limelight
COVER: $7 for 21+, $10 for 18-20
ID: Just to drink.
BE THERE: Every Saturday. Get there by 10 p.m. for bigger shows, otherwise twelve’s the norm.
BREAKTHROUGH: Nothing particular, but a steady climb with shows by notable groups like The Faint, the Electroclash Tour w/Peaches and Chicks on Speed, Le Tigre and upcoming ones with Trans Am, A.R.E. Weapons and the Walkmen.
BIRTH DATE: 1999 at the Meza Fine Art Gallery in the Gables
MUSIC: The Main Room is very eclectic and ranges from indie
rock to electro-pop and classic wave. The popular outside garden area plays loungey tunes, depending on whom the guest DJ is.
CROWD: Mixed, but usually Downtown hipsters 18-35
RESIDENT DJs: Main Room features R. Milian, Aramis & Alejandro
(WVUM). The garden has Alex Caso.
THE DILLY: You remember that girl you’ve see in your dreams? That Dirty blonde with a tongue ring, lascivious lips and artsy blush on her face. You go to Poplife and you expect to find her there, among the throngs of hipsters, curious locals and defiant, I’m-that-girl-from-American Beauty chicks sipping cranberry vodkas and discussing the state of the Downtown art scene and Jack White’s car crash. Although it’s definitely a challenge to cultivate an underground scene with the preponderance of South Beach glit and too-cool-for-school locals (i.e., those who remain jaded and arms crossed at an A.R.E. Weapons show), Poplife has waxed resilient throughout slow burns. Ray Milian, co-founder and resident DJ, assures that he wants the party to continue and grow in order to improve the Miami music scene: “To accomplish that is to stay ahead of the game,” he says, “adapt with the times and work really hard at it. If we do all that we should have no problems.” And while the drink prices occasionally seem to slip and slide, Poplife remains one of the more relaxing and airy hipster mainstays. Note to self: I still haven’t found that girl there, but I’ll keep trying.
WEB SITE: Epoplife.com
-Omar Sommereyns
——————————— FAD ——————————————
THEME: The worship of ’80s Fad, i.e. disgustingly poppy music with synthesizers that your babysitter lost her virginity to while you were sleeping, that rocked Billboard charts, that, quite simply, rocked the whole flamboyant-ass world for a decade.
COVER: Free!
ID: Just to drink.
BE THERE: Sunday, October 5, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
BREAKTHROUGH: None yet, but the theme is stoopidly promising…or is it just a…?
MUSIC: ’80s Fad, freestyle, dance explosion, new wave, and Miami Bass
CROWD: Uninhibited – Aquanetted-out and acid-washed. F-U-N, or completely annoying if you’re a bad drunk prone to fighting men in tights.
RESIDENT DJs: Plot, R. Milian, MTA
THE DILLY: The inaugural night was last Sunday. You clearly gotta love the ’80s to be into this – you’ve probably seen Party Monster ten times and it’s not even playing here. Then again, after a Saturday of binging, getting down and dirty with sexy Madonna look-alikes could pull you out of the “never drink again” doldrums! Just in case, call your older brothers and sisters and tell them to Fed Ex their old leg warmers and Member’s Only jackets – they’re working 9-5s anyway!
WEB SITE: IoLounge.com
– Kira Wisniewski
—————————– PE ————————————————-
THEME: “Let’s Get Physical!!!”
COVER: Free before 11p.m. $5 athletic fee thereafter
ID: Just to drink. Free before midnight, after: $5 atheletic fee
BREAKTHROUGH: Too young to tell
BIRTH DATE: A few months
MUSIC: Teen-pop smash hits and freestyle roller-booty
CROWD: Mixed, in shape & up-for-it
RESIDENT DJs: DJ HottPants, Oly, Oregon Trail (guest DJ, Counterflow Recording’s Induce)
THE DILLY: One of the more themercised nights Downtown’s seen in a while, if ever. And there’s plenty of fuel, with $3 Buds and BootyAdes before the devil’s hour. “PE spirit has been around since middle school. But a couple months ago, Miami got way more boomlicious. Here’s how we kick it like we’re breaking curfew: every week features locker-worthy teen-dream decor and in-your-face performances by M.V.P., Jasmine Kastel. This is a theme night, and costumes are strongly encouraged. It’s the most fun you can have on a school night!” says Nick Britton, PE promoter and founder.
WEB SITE: IoLounge.com
– Kira Wisniewski
Contact Hunter Stephenson, the Life & Art editor, with questions/inquiries
at Huntlaed@hotmail.com.