Aquabooty 5th Anniversary

December 8, 2005 2:41 PM
by

The Pyramids of Egypt….the Roman Aqueducts… and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, were all epic feats throughout the course of human history. Whether serving a practical purpose or not, they symbolize the extraordinary efforts of craftsmen and imbued those gazing upon them with a sense of history and beauty.

History they say has a way of repeating itself. Whether in the artistic, architectural or musical communities, there are always those that rise amongst the shadows each and every generation.

Miami’s clubbing scene circa 2005 has had its fair share of talented DJ’s “lay it down,” from Downtown to South Beach. New parties have cropped up, old ones have faltered while a few have managed to pass the test of time and rise to greatness.

Aquabooty is one of those parties!

It was with great pleasure therefore, that I attended the Aquabooty Five Year Anniversary at Nocturnal.
The combination of an immense music loving crowd, impeccable vibe, and finely crafted sets by two master craftsmen in Jay J and Lil’ Louie Vega, all lead to one conclusion…Party of the Year!

At a half past 12, renowned dj/producer Jay J took center stage to a capacity crowd.

From a production standpoint, Jay J is truly at the top of his game. Establishing himself with the opening of Moulton Studios back in 1998, he helped set the sound of the San Francisco Dance music scene. Most notably, is his engineering influence on productions for San Francisco’s “Naked Music.”

Starting with a bit of soul, there was just the right amount of energy to get the capacity crowd dancing from its inception. From a soulful track entitled “The Player,” to some deeper sounds with a track entitled “Lonely,” the first 30 minutes of his set ranged from soulful to funky.

By 1:30 a.m., the energy of Jay-J’s set had magnified. One particular segment of his set, when he mixed “Only You” by Rosui Gaines into a remix of “Takin Me Over,” had quite a few patrons whistling and hollering.

Concluding his three hour set with some tribal and gospel sounding house, I mentioned to those nearby. “It will be tough for Louie Vega to top this set.”

Oh how I had underestimated the Legendary NYC House DJ!

During his two decade long career, Louie Vega has crafted some of the most ground breaking dance music singles in history, kick started genres like soulful house and revitalized the careers of legends as George Benson and Tito Puente.
All in a day’s work for a legend as Lil’ Louie Vega!

Born in the Bronx, Vega grew up in an environment rich in Latin music. Nevertheless, Vega was a large fan of dance music and was a regular at the legendary nightclub “Paradise Garage.”

Eventually, Louie Vega was introduced to Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez and the two started to produce under the moniker “Masters At Work.”

Masters At Work’s productions immediately took off. Offering innovative house remixes for such talents as Tito Puente, Saint Etienne and Debbie Gibson their productions topped dance charts.

With the Masters At Work sound firmly in place, the mid 90’s saw Louie Vega and Kenny Dope pursue new musical paths under the name: Nuyorican Soul. Released in 1997 the self entitled album brought together an array of musicians to create a genre-defying piece of music that still influences the dance music of today.

Aside from a vigorous production schedule, Louie Vega dedicates two-thirds of his year to touring worldwide. There truly is no rest for the weary when it comes to the Legend Lil’ Louie Vega.

Funky and jazzy house emanated from the speakers the moment Louie Vega touched the decks. From the get-go Vega showcased his technical prowess. His flawless mixing and well thought out programming had the crowd in a dancing frenzy.

Four a.m., rapidly approached and there was no signs of fatigue from either the crowd or Vega. In fact, Louie Vega was in the proverbial “zone.” He was like a man possessed. Possessed by a musical passion quite befitting an Aquabooty party!

The crowd went wild as he dropped a bit of old school house with a remix of “Ocean Indie,” and Jungle Brothers “I’ll House You.” His cd cases though had quite a few more classics as later on he dropped George Kranz’s “Din Da Da,” and Lil’ Louis’ “French Kiss.”

Though I departed Nocturnal around 6 a.m. to a patio about ¾ full, I was informed that Louie Vega went into Overtime and played till around 6:30!

With a strong lineup of guests on an almost weekly basis, Aquabooty is definitely intent on bringing to Miami quality house for a long time to come.