Event Preview: AWOL at 90 Degree

August 21, 2008 5:22 PM
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As the summer begins to die down and the peak of hurricane season begins to loom over the city, nightlife finally tends to pick up around this time. Not to mention all the animals, a.k.a. college kids, are back from out of town and ready to spend every penny that mommy and daddy have invested into their bright future either at the Grove, South Beach or downtown. After what seemed to be a dull summer in nightlife, with a shining event every here and there, a group of Miami’s born and bred get together to produce an event that they refer to as “the cure to the common party.”

Branding themselves as Pet Food, Pedro Vidal and brother’s Jorge and Jonathan Lledo (a.k.a. Jay-You) have been hitting nearly every respective nightlife event spreading the word on AWOL, a one time event taking place Friday, August 22 at the newly refurbished nightclub, 90 Degree.

“We targeted any and everybody,” says Vidal. “We feel that the city is at a very stale stage and people are just waiting for something different to do but just don't know what to do because everywhere they go its the same music, same bullshit at the door, and they leave unsatisfied. So we contacted everyone we know, from bankers in their mid 30's to Juanita’s cousin from Hialeah (kidding, kind of). The promoters have been working real hard and have done an amazing job getting the word out.”

The timing may be perfect for Pet Food since the influx of party-hungry college students began to return this week, not to mention the majority of locals in the city that beg for a change of pace in their weekends.

“We basically want all people from all realms to experience a different sound and production that they’re not used to in your typical Miami super-club,” Jorge Lledo says. “We have a couple of more events planned after this one. Our goal is to do one event a month.”

Carrying a Dynacord System, the same as Club Space’s, sound at the event will be key. Supplying the music at AWOL is Mikro’s Sabox and Miami’s own Jay-You. Having been raised in Miami, Jay-You definitely knows the crowd in the city and how to figure exactly what they’re looking for on the dance floor.

“There are a lot of people going who may think they don't like the music, but once they get there I have a strong feeling that many of them will have a change of heart,” he says. “We're not trying to expect everyone to change their taste and become techno heads over night, but rather just expose them to something different and if we open some people to it, that’s great.”

This is one of Jay-You’s final sets as a resident in Miami as he embarks on a major move that could potentially ignite his career.

“I’m actually moving to LA in a couple of weeks,” he says. “If all goes as planned, we're going to continue doing the AWOL party in Miami on a monthly basis. On the booking tip, I got a couple gigs lined up out of town including one Labor Day Friday in El Paso, Texas. As far as production, I am currently working on a Dirtybird remix with Lazaro Casanova. That should be done in a couple weeks.”

One extremely eye-catching characteristic of the event is the bottle of vodka offered to every group of five girls prior to 12:30 a.m. This is due in part to 90 Degree’s new management, who are also responsible for the entire interior and exterior re-design of the club’s aesthetics that took place around the recent Winter Music Conference.

The Junkies will definitely be in attendance at AWOL to see if Pet Food delivers on what’s about to take place this week. If all goes well, Miami could be witness to something special that could have a long-term effect.