Happy 100th Birthday Miami Beach!

By: Jovie Calma

The City of Miami Beach marked its 100th year anniversary with its white sands and azure waters as a stunning backdrop to its centennial week-long celebration. It was culminated with iconic music festivals and 100 hours of exciting events on March 22-26, 2015. It was a celebration on a scale that our world-famous destination has never witnessed before. It was indeed a 100-hour non-stop celebration, which included performances by some of the world’s leading artists in the likes of Andrea Boccelli, Barry Gibb and Gloria Stefan. They headlined in Hard Rock Rising Miami Beach 2015 concert on March 26th with a crowd of about 16,000. It was also a week where electronic music enthusiasts from all over the world flocked to Miami for the 30th Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival. Miami Music Week and Miami Open transpired simultaneously in the same week. You can only imagine the whole week stretch of festivities at one of the world’s most popular and celebrated beaches in the world.
World class DJs and talents from around the globe brought the house down in exclusive pool parties and beach music festivals. DJ Augie DelaRosa, an Agent at Avant Garde Artist Management from Chicago played house music at the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club, where he blew the stage in this famous funky-chic hotel in South Beach. Auguie has been playing House Music for over 2 decades and he became a fan of The Hot Mix 5 from their inception. He played simply for the love of the music, raising his family was his priority, but DJing was always his passion. He played gigs from time to time, but in 2002 he filled in for a friend for the launch party for Scandal Music, a local jingle house, he has been their Private Event DJ ever since.
That sparked a fire in him that had been latent while raising his family; he now had the time he needed to devote to his craft, and in the Fall of 2002 became the resident at the Loft at Corosh. He shows no signs of slowing down, and his sound is mainly the Tech House style, but you can always expect to hear thumping House and Vocal House in his sets, which always keep the dance floors packed. Black Wednesday 2010, he played to over 3,000 people at the legendary Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.
American Rapper, Waka Flocka turned it up in the pool party at Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach as the featured guest DJ on March 26th. Waka Flocka, also known as Waka Flocka Flame, is a Southern rapper associated with Gucci Mane and his So Icey Entertainment enterprise. Born Juaquin Malphurs on May 31, 1986, in Jamaica, Queens, New York, he moved to Riverdale, Georgia, at age nine and later based himself in Atlanta, Georgia, where he launched his rap career. He cites influences that include Eazy-E and Lil Jon in addition to Gucci Mane. He was taken under Gucci Mane’s wing, and was added to his Brick Squad collective, which also includes OJ da Juiceman, Frenchie, and Wooh da Kid. Waka Flocka made his solo mixtape debut in 2009 with Shoot Me or Salute Me, the first of numerous mixtape releases that year.
Also in 2009, he scored his first commercial hit with “O Let’s Do It” and was featured on the song “Bingo” on Gucci Mane’s hit album The State vs. Radric Davis. His debut solo effort, Flockaveli, arrived on the Asylum label in 2010 and debuted at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200. A year later the “Round of Applause” single with Drake previewed the rapper’s sophomore effort, but when his friend and posse member Slim Dunkin was tragically killed, Waka spent months grieving and away from the studio. As such, Triple F Life: Friends, Fans and Family didn’t land until 2012. Guest appearances included Nicki Minaj, Tyler, the Creator, and B.o.B, while production came from the likes of Lex Luger and Southside, along with Troy Taylor, who handled the beats on the album’s second single, “I Don’t Really Care.” The other DJs who spun that day were Just Blaze, Craze and Araab Muzik.
For the last two years, Miami is the “place to be” for “Spring Break” destination for Wassup?! Jovie Calma LIVE and Nikki Beach will always be close to my heart. This year, No Sugar Added Miami Beach Festival was held in celebration of Miami Music Week on March 27-28 at one of South Beach’s most elite clubs. The line up was impressive on Friday, March 27th with Adventure Club, The Chainsmokers, 3LAU, Dyro, Head Hunterz, Lost Kings, Peking Duk, Quintino, Vicetone, Will Sparks among many others. The American, New York City-based, disc jockey/ producer/songwriter duo, Chainsmokers consisting of members Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall blasted the crowd. The duo rose to fame with their 2014 hit “#Selfie”. It was a huge hit! DJ Ollie Sanders from London and representing Reload Pool Parties in Miami was one of the 1,900 top artists and DJs from around the world who performed for the Winter Music Conference and Miami Music Week. Ollie Sanders is a DJ & Producer out of London UK. Ollie has been mixing & remixing for over 16 years to crowds all over the world from London to Ibiza, and is now on the elite Miami DJ circuit. With a number of Miami residencies under his belt, Ollie has performed alongside some of world’s leading electronic dance DJ’s and performers over his career such as Starkillers, Manuel De La Mare, Prok & Fitch, Patrick M, George Acosta, Crazibiza, Muzzaik, Steven Lee Cabrera, Austin Leeds, Tall Paul, Armand Pena & Ultra Nate (to name a few).
Ollie worked with the UK’s Largest Nightclub giants Luminar Leisure from 1999-2005, holding residency at some of the UK’s most well known Nightclubs such as Life & Liquid. Ollie also held residency and rocked the dance floor weekly to a 2000 capacity crowd @ ‘The Base’ Nightclub in London. In 2005, years of success in the music industry led Ollie Sanders to purchase and running his own nightclub in London UK. Two-and–a half successful years down the line after building up his business from scratch and after hundreds of events, he sold the club to continue his music career in a place he has close to his heart, Miami.
During the Miami Winter Music Conference 2013, Ollie Sanders & business Partner Dan Ribeiro launched the Reload Pool Parties Brand which kicked off with a phenomenal Pool Party at Shore Club in the heart of Miami’s South Beach with over 500 party goers flocking to see the Reload show.
Overall, Wassup?! Jovie Calma LIVE is thrilled to be part of historic series of events celebrating 100 years of legacy of Miami Beach. Here’s wishing my favorite seaside beach city, another 100 years of extravaganza!
Before I end my article this month, my special birthday wishes to Biboy Mangubat (April 11), Tamara Brey (April 11), Rafa Jerrielle Ramos (April 15), Filaine Velez (Apr. 17), Kristoffer Wildoer (April 18), Bobby Leighton (April 21), Rudy Pamintuan (April 23), and, last but not the least, Happy 7th Birthday to my youngest son, my bunso- Rovic Joseph Calma Santos (April 24). I love you to the moon and back! Happy Wedding Anniversary to my Dad Ricky & Mom Connie Calma (Apr. 19)! To all Via Times Readers and CPRTV viewers, thank you for your continued support. Please visit www.viatimes.com (or net) and be our Facebook fan. Until the next issue of Wassup?! Jovie Calma LIVE! Happy Spring!!! ##

(1) Love like there’s no tomorrow, and if tomorrow comes, love again. Repeat. Jovie’s photoshoot at the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club; Chicago Represent! (2) DJ Augie DelaRosa brought the house down at the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club. Photo opp with VT/CPRTV’s Jovie Calma.

 

 

VT/CPRTV’s Jovie Calma’s photo opportunity with world class DJ Ollie Sanders or Reload Pool Parties.

 

Chainsmokers turned it up at Nikki Beach’s No Sugar Added Beach Music Festival 2015!