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Alex Gutierrez Blog

DJ Jimmy Martinez ……One of Miami's Original DJs

Owned by Doug and Nancy Stevens The Top Draw was located on the 79 Street Cauesway in Noth Bay Village. It was a private club near Miami Beach, which featured three large connecting rooms a Disco, Restaurant (the best ribs in town and onion soup) and a Piano bar where older people would hang out. It was opened till 5am . DJ Jimmy Martinez called it home from 1975 to 1979.
Jimmy Martinez :”I was a Dancer , a pretty good one at that and I loved the music ..My friend was a DJ and he wanted to visit his Dad at Fort Bragg.He needed a weekend off and asked me for a favor .SOUNDED GOOD..I loved Dancing and the Disco LIFE.. He Said I’ll show you it’s quick ( NO MIXER IN 1973) We would just fade in and out ..I LOVED IT!! SPECIALLY THE LADIES that would come by the booth. My friend never came back he moved to LOS ANGELES from DC. My love affair with Disco was only just beginning . I followed him to Los Angeles , by that time we had started to mix tracks into each other My friend’s name was Pete Sosa He went on to Mix the group Arpeggio’s Love and Desire”
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Today Jimmy runs a 24 hour Internet Disco Station ALL HITS RADIO and narrarates books for the blind right here in Miami. Jimmy and his station are a proud supporter of The Miami Disco Project.
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Alex Gutierrez Blog

Alcazaba Pre Thanksgiving Party " A Miami Tradition"

“I think about 14 years ago a whole lot of people decided take advantage that they didn’t work the next day and all decide to go to Alcazaba at the Hyatt Regency in Coral Gables” At least that’s the way it seemed , but the real story is a little bit different . Wednesday night was not the busy nights when this Miami Landmark first opened it’s doors in 1988,as a matter of fact the ” club” originally intended as a ” lounge” was not even open on Wednesdays after it’s Grand opening in August of 1988. Friday was the BIG Night. I had the pleasure of being there from the start along side of DJs Ray Noda and Jose Garcia.
The origin of the legendary day before Thanksgiving goes way back to around 1989 – 90 . Wednesday night was jazz night with a little known Puerto Rican flute player named Nestor Torres (In 1989 Torres released Morning Ride, his first major label recording on Verve which became a best-selling album on the contemporary jazz charts) He would do 2 sets and be done by about 8:30 PM.As the Dj I would try to keep the people in there as long as I could after that , Wednesday was not your typical ” going out” night……..YET. Nestor had built a pretty good following, regulars and his career was taking off. As I remember one Wednesday night he started his set later.I was told to come in and play some filler music until he started and then do my thing after.Well alot of his regulars were there early ,not knowing the change of plans. A funny thing happened , I started playing some low tempo soul hits ” You’ll Never Find ” Lou Rawls ” Hang on in there Baby” Johnny Bristol and people started to dance and request more of the same genre.By 7:00 pm I had a pretty good dance floor and not since my Friday Happy Hours at Club Mystique ( Airport Hilton) had I seen such an eager group of Dancers at this early time. Nestor went on at about 9 pm that night and was done by around 11pm which combined the Happy Hour people with the late night crowd. It was happening and in the following weeks the crowds increased and doubled to the point that people were reserving tables inside the club. The Pre Thanksgiving Bash just happened as a result of the increasing crowds,the
” No work the next day” factor and some print and radio Advertising the Hyatt was doing at the time.As the years passed we incorporated Live acts such as Secret Society,Erotic Exotic , Sweet Sensation as well as local Latin favorites Los Sobrinos del Juez who performed outside in The Court Of The Lions. The day before Thanksgiving became what I called ” The Cuban St. Patricks” ( San Gibin) and every year was bigger and better than the last. There was always a Rumor that they would Close down Alcazaba ,they came true in 2009. Luckily for a few years after that Thanks to Maria Martinez from Execumar Promotions . The party continued for a few years after it closed as a one night only thing. They still came back,packing the place. It was sad when the last few years they decided not to continue…. a piece of Miami nightlife had died. A tradition…… gone.
Check out Mister Q 305’s article and pictures of the last time we were there at this link….PRE THANKSGIVING BASH BY MR.Q 305
Thanks to Mr.Q 305 for all these great images
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All Photos Property of Mr.Q 305
All Photos Property of Mr.Q 305

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Alex Gutierrez Blog

Disco Returns to Coral Gables

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The Fever at The Open Stage in Coral Gables Call for our next event NO COVER ………
When I started the Happy Hour at Alcazaba at the Hyatt Regency Many years ago I knew this was the place that would support this music that Miami was in love with since we first heard it during our teenage years, Unfortunately Alcazaba closed it’s doors in 2009 and an Era came to an end. The well dressed crowds , the classic sounds replaced by Bachata and Reggeaton and a crowd that opted for a cold beer instead of a Johnny Walker ” Neat”. We were getting older but we still wanted to dance and have a great time. Our choices were limited ,and when we finally found a place more often than not our music would be mixed in between those same styles we tried to avoid .Logo_Outside
Bob Quesada ( Mr.Q 305 ) is a veteran of the Miami Nightlife of the 70s here in Miami, resident DJ at such Clubs as Alexandre’s at the Omni and Daphne’s at the Sheraton. After I started the South Florida DJ Association Bob and I would constantly discuss that there was a segment of Miami’s population that was being ignored , that segment was US. We had NO Radio station to hear our music and a very limited amount choices of places to go. With the exception of an occasional Disco Concert by Charlie Rodriguez Live Entertainment our Friday and Saturday Nights were limited to movies and restaurants. We would have to listen to our music in our cars or at home.Bob Quesad ( Mr.Q & DJ Alex Gutierrez
Looking for the right place became a mission. This crowd demanded quality and class. By chance we were contacted by the owner of a fairly new establishment in Coral Gables, The Open Stage Club.A unique combination of restaurant and live entertainment venue. Located just a block south of my old Alcazaba the place contained all the elements we were looking for Class, Location and a state of the art sound system that could bring out every violin and cello in Romeo and Juliette.
It is with great pleasure that we present to you ” The Fever” A One Night Affair an evening of Classic Disco Music, Soul Ballads and music that put our city on the Map from groups such as The Antiques, Mantrap , Conjunto Universal and much more. In other words …A night dedicated to You and Me who have called Miami home since the early 60s.
Saturday November 1st ,2014 7:30 PM NO COVER Dinner Reservations strongly recommended.
Update: Our November 1st event was a huge success bringing together hundreds of fans of the genre.The night was ” A magical evening of Music and Memories” as so many described it.Open StageMiaster Q andDJ  Alex Gutierrez Owner Juan Della Torre ” Patrons have been asking for a Disco themed night for quite a while we are glad to offer it’
New Dates have been announced for the coming months. November 26 ( The Day Before Thanksgiving) New Years Eve ( The Solid Gold New Years Eve Disco Party) December 31st and our special Valentines Party on February 14th.
” We want to give fans an opportunity to plan for these nights, as special events t, to make arrangements to Come to ou ” Fever” events and relax and enjoy themselves listening to the music they love, sharing these moments with others who lived it” New Years Open StageNovember 26
DJ Alex Gutierrez

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Club 80 Interview with DJ Alex Gutierrez

Alex-80s-247x300Posted March 17, 2013 by Wilson Alvarez
Alex Gutierrez
Back in 1975, I walked into a party and spotted a guy in the corner of the room, playing records. I was amazed that he had two record players going at the same time. So instead of dancing and hanging out with my friends, I stood next to that guy all night, studying his every move. I noticed that the music never stopped; when one song ended, another one would start. People would yell when they heard a popular song. Most of the music that the guy played was not the usual radio hit list. No Elton John. No Santana. But, man, did it sound good! At the end of the party, when my father was standing at the door, waiting to take me home, I got the courage to ask the guy a few questions. It just so happened that he was a ninth-grader at my middle school, so we met the next day after school. As I sat in the band room, I saw him walking toward me, holding a 45 RPM in his hand. He said to me, “Here, this is for you. Listen to the music, but really listen to the words.” The record was a disco tune by Trammps, “That’s Where The Happy People Go.” In the next few months, I bagged groceries, mowed lawns, washed cars and did anything else I could to buy 2 BSR McDonald Belt-Driven Turntables and a Radio Shack microphone mixer, which I connected to an Old Traynor Guitar amp and speaker. A week after that, I was the guy standing in the corner of the room, playing the records. I’ve been that guy ever since.
My first party was a Quinces at a private home. On orders from my mother, my aunt drove me to the party and waited for me outside in the car. (My mother was worried about the strangers’ house I was going to.) For that night, I charged about $15. The party went great, with all eyes and ears on me. I had a total of 40 records; as I saw the packed dance floor, I thought this was what I was meant to do. I was saving a couple of records for the right moment when all of a sudden—BAM! A fight broke out and the party was over. I had to wait until the next party to play my “killer jams”.
Club80Miami.com asks: What was the first disco song that you really loved and which became your favorite song? My favorite was that record given to me by the DJ I met at the party: “That’s Where The Happy People Go”. To this day, when I hear that record, it transports me back to that time.
My favorites bands are Earth, Wind, and Fire; Love Unlimited Orchestra; Incognito, and Jamiroquai.
In regards to my experience with celebrities, I have an interesting story about the biggest celebrity I ever met, and the funny thing was that when I met him, he wasn’t big yet. About 25 years ago, I attended the ASCAP Awards at the Billboard Latin Music Conference. I went along with The Chief Raymond Hernandez, who at the time was the Majestic Record Pool. At the event we met a young man—short, with long hair and glasses. The young man spoke in a very quiet tone and gave us a few of his promotional CDs. He asked us to help him out in promoting his music. We had never heard of him, but he told us he would be performing at the Sony Artist Showcase that evening, which Raymond and I had plans to attend. During the day, we had lunch with the young man, talking about his goals in the music industry. Although we considered him a nice guy, we weren’t convinced about his “hippy-like” appearance. That night at the showcase, Raymond and I sat through a variety of acts on the Sony label. When it was time for our new friend to be introduced, the lights dimmed, red fog filled the stage, and our friend made his entrance, stamping out his cigarette on the stage floor. When the music track started and the young man began to sing, Raymond and I could not believe the voice we heard. The audience stared, not really knowing what to make of this long-haired, skinny kid. The song was “Hasta que te conoci”; the artist was Marc Anthony.
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My top five songs are “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” by Barry White; “Too Hot for Love” by THP Orchestra; “Coro Miyare” by Fania All Stars; “Indestructible” by Ray Barretto; and “That’s The Way of the World” by Earth, Wind, and Fire.
It’s easy to name my favorite club because it was also my home for over 20 years. It’s the Alcazaba at the Hyatt Regency in Coral Gables. It was supposed to be just a lounge for hotel guests. The sound system was very basic: two 1200s and a Urei. The publicity was handled by two guys from England. The grand opening, on a hot August night in 1988, was out of control. The expected crowd of a few hundred turned out to be close to 2,000. The crowd drowned out the music, so unless you were on the floor, you couldn’t hear Rick Astley’s songs. I remember that it was an amazing feeling. While most DJs have to build up a crowd, I found that at Alcazaba’s, the crowd was instant. At that time pop music flavored with house beats dominated thelocal clubs, but perhaps unique to Alcazaba, disco and Italo were still very much alive and remained that way until the place closed in 2009. In fact, Alcazaba’s secret recipe was its eclectic combination of music. You could hear today’s hits sprinkled in among Latin,disco, and Italo. It was a musical representation of Miami. The day before Thanksgiving could only be described as “epic” and “legendary”.
Alcazaba had a suit-and-tie crowd early during its reign as Miami’s best happy hour. Slowly, as the night progressed, the crowd became younger and the music would adapt. Salsa was the buffer zone where these groups could find common ground. The atmosphere was classy, well dressed, well-mannered. You wanted to be in that place.
Alcazaba was home to thousands of Wednesday Party Animals who all had to work the next day but who didn’t care.
Managers at Alcazaba came and went, all with different visions ofhow to handle a bunch of Hispanics. Eventually the hotel was sold and the new owners probably decided the club was more of a liability than an asset. Once a year now, on the night before Thanksgiving, the hotel opens its doors and lets us revive one night of magic. Bar 609 and Club 609 came later in my life and allowed me to grow more as a DJ, exposing me to very diverse crowds.
Because I specialized in music that was 70s, 80s, and Latin, I was brought into nightclubs to do a specialty night. I was resident at the original Club Mystique at the Airport Hilton for four years. I was resident at Palladium Night Club in Broward County for 12 years. I was resident at Gabriel’s on LeJeune Road for three years, and at the Mezzanote in Coconut Grove for three years. I spent four years at Club 609 in The Grove and 21 years at Alcazaba. I have also worked at Bermuda Bar, Mars Bar, Café
Iguana (in Kendall, Beach Place and Mayfair) and a number of other places in Miami, California, and Pensacola.
Some of my favorite Radio moments was when I worked with radio station I-95, traveling around town to youth fairs and other events, as part of the I-95 Street Team. The first time I mixed on the air was in the early 90s on El Zol 95, thanks to Jesus Salas. It was exciting to hear my namebeing said on the radio because it added a whole new dimension to DJing. It seemed to make official what I had been doing in clubs. Along with Carlos Sarli, I was one of the first DJs to be offered a paid contract on Salsa 98, to be an on-air mixer. This was thanks to Leo Vela and Raymond Hernandez.
Some of my favorite DJ’s that I admire, specifically was Bob Lombardi. To me, he was the man. There has been none like him since.
DJing stays inside of you forever, even when work is not abundant. You create work. I’ve been fortunate all these years to work in clubs. Now withthe changing face of DJing, in an era when all it takes is a laptop to be considered a DJ, it’s hard to compete with inexperienced guys out there who will work for beer. Your skills as a DJ are now secondary to the amount of Facebook friends you promise to bring in. A good talker will beat you out of a job any day, regardless of the experience you bring to the table.
Now I create my own outlets and events for our music. I started a Podcast three years ago with the late radio personality Mike in the Night. Our show is called “Open House Radio”, playing exclusively dance music from the 70s and 80s. I produce this show with Super Producer Lewis Martinee of Expose fame. We also produce a weekly program of current dance music, called “Rhythm Mix 24/7”. Both of these shows are played on over 75 Internet and terrestrial stations worldwide. We have also teamed with local bands from the 70s and 80s, producing events at local venues to preserve the music of the period. We recently created the South Florida DJ Association with over 150 of the area’s finest mobile and club DJS of past and present. Of course, as any DJ, I’m always on the prowl looking for that next club to call my home.
– See more at: http://club80miami.com/alex-gutierrez/#sthash.Nh4AHyAy.dpuf

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Disco Gets Lucky Again

As a DJ who started back in the late 70s Daft Punk’s release and success with the single
“ Get Lucky “ got my hopes up that the mainstream would once again embrace this style albeit under another name. Then came Bruno Mars with his Treasure, Justin Timberlake with his “ Suit and Tie” Robin Thicke with “ Blurred Lines” and I was sending my white suit to the cleaners. Am I overreacting ? Was this just a trend ? Or was music actually becoming “musical “ once again?
Disco music Culture is open to all. Artists who produce it , regardless of previous musical orientation are embraced by Disco Fans. In other words a Rock band or artist can produce this music without being ostracized for being from another Genre. Kiss did it with “ I was Made for loving You” Bryan Adams with “ Let me take You Dancing “and Rod Stewart with “ Do You Think I’m sexy” Disco’s message is simple “Dance” The style has thrived for years under different sub –genres of Dance music, now called Nu-Disco or Disco House . The UK label Hed Kandi has been releasing Disco Flavored material since it’s inception in 1999. Nu disco DJs play to sold out crowds all over the world , yet here in the US the style is still only heard at “ boutique” type clubs usually on an off night or at trendy restaurants as background music. So for us “ Disco Bunnies” we continue to keep our fingers crossed that someday the style that started it all ,will return and take it’s rightful place in the history of Dance Music. Instead of having a bunch of people on the dance floor pointing their index fingers mockingly in the air.
Alex Gutierrez

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DJs In Love by Alex Gutierrez

DJs in Love
DJ Alex Gutierrez
Did you know that 9 out of 10 DJ marriages end in Divorce? Don’t worry I just made that made up , but it sure seems like alot of people have a hard time keeping a relationship together while on the ” ONES AND TWOS ” Most DJs have full time jobs and use this profession as a way to supplement their income, although they love it many don’t want to give up the benefits of a ” regular” job A small percentage dive in head first and actively seek gigs as their full time profession, an extremely difficult task to say the very least and one that takes years before seeing results ( actually being able to subsist from it) leaving in many cases little time to attend to a partner. Both the Casual DJ and the Career DJ early in their career are focused mainly on DJing and inexperience and vision of DJ Stardom often cloud important relationship decisions.
THE CASUAL DJ
This individual usually begins in High School as a hobby. Parties , Weddings, upgrading gear by working part time jobs or ” well to do parents ” In many cases DJing is just a ” phase’ and the interest is replaced with other newer hobbies. Some continue well into College using it as a social tool while still enjoying the financial aspects of the job. While still looking for the ” Big Break” the Casual DJ continues to take more traditional routes and and DJing takes a sideline to their chosen career and education. Relationships are easier to maintain in this ” normal” life path. Partners accept this as a “hobby” and are able to influence their mates as to when they should work. Gigs are fitted in whenever possible and the behind the scenes networking hours required to succeed as a full time DJ are just not available to invest. Eventually the Casual DJ settles for an occasional event to release their inner passion for DJing. In some cases even though ” they met you as a DJ” the job becomes a thorn in the side of any relationship when the time spent on DJing is perceived by the partner as intrusive in the relationship ( no matter how little work the DJ actually gets) You could have a gig planned months ahead of time and on that day your partner’s job is having a get together which you obviously cannot attend.Of course there are exceptions to any rules and you will occasionally find a handful who are supportive.
THE CAREER DJ
Starts out exactly as the Casual DJ. With the advent of current technology and available software, and the lure of ” DJ Stardom” by way of ” Producing” The Career DJ plots his path. The success stories about young DJs producing at an early age and securing a spot at EDM Festivals only serve to fuel the fire. A regular ” 9 to 5 ” is not an option and a steady relationship usually is not either. The amount of hours of practice, going out to listen to other DJs , listening on line to new tracks to purchase. All this time spent perfecting their craft means less time for their partner. The Career DJ cannot afford to be a ” Starving artist” in today’s technological approach to DJing ( an expensive undertaking ). A fancy evening for two can easily be replaced by a new pair of Alan and Heath Headphones. A supportive partner can be understanding….for a while …but not forever and the DJ Dream can very rapidly be perceived as a DJ Fantasy. Results are expected quicker than realistically possible.It is therefore very difficult to maintain a steady relationship as a Career Dj struggling to reach their goal. A mate can actually be seen as a hindrance or obstacle standing in our way.
THE FREAKS COME OUT AT NIGHT
Anyone who has ever touched a turntable, a controller or a pair of CDJs in front of a crowd knows how easy it is to get laid. Yes I said it. Part of the ” High ” of Djing is the attention , wait 99% of it. More Intoxicating than the strongest Drug on the planet. Resisting urges is no easy task, it doesn’t matter how old or young the jock is . You can tell your partner ” I only go there to work” til your blue in the face, but the reality is the lights, the music, the crowd , the feeling you you get when you see a thousand bodies jumping up and down in front of you will break you down in most cases. Going into this profession an individual must be prepared to deal with a variety of factors that can prevent them from having a ” Normal Relationship” The Career DJ is most susceptible since they will function in this environment most of their time . The Casual DJ controls and has the luxury to ” Switch off” this segment of their life at will. For the Career DJ it is a means for survival
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
At the end ,it’s really about what makes you happy. It’s not to say that a DJ can’t have a long and meaningful relationship and still head out to the club night after night while your partner stays home. It will always be perceived as “You are going out to a party” and they are right to some extent. We love what we do , we wish we could do it full time providing us enough income to pay bills , take vacations and later have enough to retire. Some of us ( very few) will actually achieve that goal ,we might be lucky enough to find a supportive mate . Whatever level of support they provide us, we in this field must make a conscious decision to reward them with the time and attention they rightly deserve for allowing us to indulge in our passion.