Dade Sokoloff Retires?

April 27, 2006 3:51 PM
by Dan Vidal [email]

Longtime luminary of the Miami nightlife scene Dade Sokoloff is taking a break. After 10 years in the business, he's decided it's time to enjoy the fruits of his labor. As you've come to expect, we here at CoolJunkie have the exclusive interview.

CJ: Let's lead off with the obvious question. You're a good 20 and some odd years shy of what most would consider retirement. What bought this on?

DS: First of all, I wouldn’t say I’m retiring. I would say I am taking a break. The last year or so has been really busy for me both personally and professionally. My wife, Rebecca, has beaten back cancer. I’ve had to beat back some pretty severe illness as well. Working in this business makes it really tough to properly tend to your personal life.

Working for Space and LP (Louis Puig) has been a complete joy but it’s not exactly what you would call “relaxed.” The truth is that I’ve felt like I needed this for a while but didn’t want to leave LP that way after all he’s done for me. Now that the Crobar deal has been completed, Emi and some of the key staff are coming over to Space and it was a good time for the move.

CJ: Glad to hear she's doing well. You've had an excellent run in clubland, with a near-universal level of respect. I'd be inclined to kick back, buy a yacht, and cruise the Caribbean for a few years. Is that your plan, or do you have something else in mind post-clubland?

DS: Cruising the Caribbean sounds pretty good but I don’t think it’s in the cards. My wife and I own a business that’s doing really well and she’s been running it by herself for too long. I’m going to spend some time helping her with that for a while and then we’ll see. Like I said before, I don’t think it’s over for me in the biz….just over for a while.

CJ: Your original venture into this scene was being one of the owners of Shadow Lounge, where you gave a lot of DJs their first exposure to Miami, and often to the United States, back when dance music was "that techno stuff" to 90 percent of the community. A lot of the time, you had a hand in essentially launching their Stateside careers. How does it feel now to see guys you kicked $3,000 a night pulling $30,000 a night or more?

DS: It’s a double-edged sword. It’s probably an overstatement to say that I had a whole lot to do with that but it’s also very nice to hear. I think that DJ fees are a little out of control and I think it hurts an already depressed marketplace. On the other hand, if the DJ’s name on the flyer is what fills the room, they’re entitled to be paid well for it. What I would like to see is a resurgence of the desire by customers to discover new talent. It seems like the only DJs who can get people excited about going out are the “Big Boys” while there are so many talented jocks out there that can’t get gigs. The coolest thing about the Shadow days was that there was a trust between us and the crowd. We could bring in new talent and people were eager to hear what we were offering. I guess because it was so new then, it was a lot easier.

CJ: Another Shadow question, would a venue such as that survive today? Or would it meet the fate of a lot of dance-oriented venues and nights lately and shut down way too quickly?

DS: What we did at Shadow was more a result of good timing and luck. Everything is different now…….I know I wouldn’t try it again.

CJ: Give us some of your favorite memories of being involved with the Miami club scene. Change names to protect the guilty if you must.

DS: That’s an easy question to answer. My favorite thing about this has always been the personalities. The DJs that I have become real friends with…the people I’ve worked with…every one has left me with something special.

CJ: On the scene in Miami today, who do you think is doing things the right way...i.e. who or what is the bright shining hope for the future?

DS: I really don’t know. The Opium Group seems to have found a formula that works well for them. LP and Space are, as always, on top of their end of things. As far as the future, it really is market dependant. The ones who will be successful are the ones who can figure out what people want and deliver it.

CJ: Certain pundits have been writing the obituary for dance music in Miami and in the US as a whole, do you see this? Or are we in yet another downturn in the cycle of things?

DS: I really hope we are just in a downturn. There are so many talented people in the “Dance” music industry and I would love for them to get the recognition they deserve. The problem in America is lack of exposure. There is no Dance on MTV. There is no Dance on mainstream radio. The only exposure that American kids get to Dance is at clubs. The problem is that by the time they get old enough to go to a club, they are already into Hip-Hop or some other form of music. We need exposure to young audiences in a way that glamorizes this scene. We need to highlight the artists. If this doesn’t happen soon, I fear it’s over.

CJ: If anyone was to follow your career path, what is the biggest mistake they could make? What is the thing they should do to ensure their success?

The answer to both questions is the same really. The biggest mistake people make is to think this is easy and glamorous. The truth is that it’s anything but. If you want to succeed in this business, you’ve got to be prepared to work your ass off. Look around at the successful people in the game and that’s the one thing they have in common. LP is the perfect example. He works 7 days a week, 15+ hours a day. That’s what it takes. Ask a guy like Biz Martinez how many hours he spends each week just to make his Friday party work. You probably won’t believe the answer. Grutman, the Milons, LP, you name it….if they’re successful it’s because they put in the time.

CJ: Even though you're semi-retired, you'll still show up from time to time to share a drink or ten with those of us with the tenacity (or outright stupidity) to keep on hanging around, right? What do you want from the bar?

DS: Good tequila served either chilled-up or on the rocks! Nuff said!

CJ: Cue Emi Guerra for the tequila! The self-described "club legend", the infamous Saleen351, just phoned our offices claiming that all along, you were his vaunted "inside source". True?

DS: So now I am supposed to be Deep Throat? Let’s put it this way, I may have leaked a story or three. The real question is what does he do now? Maybe he should retire.

CJ: Looks like that about sums it up. You've been a most excellent friend to us over here at the CJ camp and we offer up our thanks and wish you the best in your retirement and whatever else you choose to do in the future. Don't be a stranger.