"We're always trying to stir up Miami's musical melting pot," says prolific party promoter, Sweat Records manager, and bass music aficionado Jason Jimenez, talking about his now-institutional weekly hip-hop dance party Shake.
Along with his partners, a pair of rabid professional party animals known as Aholsniffsglue and Slim Biscayne, Jimenez has been grinding hard to give Dade County heady and steady doses of white tees, real Gs, and some ol' fashioned "Girl you nasty!"-style rump shaking.
In 2008, the party became Miami's ground zero for classic rap cuts and neanderthal trap bangers. The next year, Shake introduced a monthly dubstep night, Get Low. And having acculturated the "City of Bass" (as Jimenez calls it) to the future of wobble and sick drops, the Shake crew are now cooking up a lil' somethin' somethin' called Moombahton.
"We really think everyone will embrace the tropical vibe," he says of the brand-spanking-new genre, a supercontemporary fusion of electronic music and reggaeton.
Legend has it, the genre was forged when producer Dave Nada slowed an Afrojack remix of the song "Moombah" by Silvio Ecomo and DJ Chuckie to 108 beats per minute, which falls right into reggaeton's signature tempo. Fast-forward through a few Diplo-curated compilations and the genre is well on its way to becoming a remix template for savvy mainstream MCs like Nicki Minaj.
Jimenez explains that "being a weekly party, [Shake] has to keep things fresh." Special events like Rockers vs. Bros (the party's occasional rock-and-rap pairing), Art BASSel, and Get Low expand on the concept of a "hip-hop night" with flexibility and the gleeful abandon of true fandom.
But more than anything, these guys know how to party.
Moombahton Over Miami, presented by Shake. Thursday, February 23. The Vagabond, 30 NE 14th St., Miami. The party starts at 10 p.m. Call 305-379-0508 or visit thevagabondmiami.com.
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