As party pros, Ralph van Hilst and Marlon Flohr have spent many an evening and early morning in the club, sweating and working and hankering for "Dutch fried snacks," they explain, like frikandel, kroket, and bitterballen.
Meanwhile, SoBe restaurant owner Stephanie Vitori has been serving up noms like bacon cheeseburgers, chili-cheese fries, and Philly cheese steaks for almost two decades. “We are open 365 days a year, from 11 a.m. till about 6 a.m. We have a steady crowd all day long, but the fun really starts as the clubs are letting out. If only these walls could talk.”
So with Miami Music Week 2015 keeping this city awake 24 hours a day right now, Bassjackers and Cheeseburger Baby are teaming up to bring music and munchies together. And yes, Hilst and Flohr are serving up specials from the Netherlands.
We at New Times caught up with Marlon. Because, well, what is frikandel, kroket, and bitterballen?
New Times: You played with Steve Aoki at LIV on Tuesday. Then you were off to Cancun for Wednesday, right?
Marlon Flohr: Well, yes. We got in Tuesday night, played a great show with Steve, and then I was off to Cancun for a show. But I turned around and came right back.
How do you get used to that schedule?
The travel is nonstop. It’s a little hectic, but it’s also a lot of fun. I get to see the world, so I don’t like to complain.
So how much sleep did you get Tuesday night?
Umm, about three hours.
Do you ever get used to that?
I am totally used to it. I can stay up for four days straight, with just airplane sleep. But then I'll get a day off and sleep for 20 hours straight. You sleep when you can, because it’s the only way.
Sounds like a munchie-inducing routine. So, tell us about this partnership with South Beach grub spot, Cheeseburger Baby.
It came about because we were thinking about how to market ourselves this year. Sure, we could buy a billboard or flyers for exposure. Then we thought, “Wait, why not put ourselves on the side of a food truck and drive around?” Exposure, plus we could bring along our Dutch fried snacks, our obsession. If you check our social media, we post about it all the time. Then we heard a ton about Cheeseburger Baby’s food truck and then we saw that their restaurant was huge too. So now we have our own little headquarters that has our own Bassjackers menu.
I saw there will be Miami Music Week specials of frikandel, kroket, and bitterballen. What exactly is a bitterballen?
Come have one with us! It’s a fried crust of batter with a meat paste. All of our friends that come to Holland love it. It’s delicious. Not healthy, but delicious.
So many DJs are Dutch! Will your famous friends be stopping by?
We were at this party last night with Firebeatz and they were like, “Wait, you are actually serving Dutch snacks in Miami? Shit, we are there!” This is really all about the fans too. We can’t wait to be there and meet everyone. I love to hang out with our fans. It’s one of the best part of the job.
What is it like to be a headliner during Miami Music Week? It has to be one of your favorite times of the year.
Miami is definitely one of the events where all the DJs are in town. So many events. Ultra. Every DJ is throwing their own party. Every club has a sick lineup. Nonstop pool parties. It’s nuts. This year, we only have six events. Last year, we had 15. We are calling this tour the Friends Tour.
Friends Tour – why is that?
We have a lot of friends! (Laughs) It's great to pair up and do shows with your friends who just happen to do the same thing you do.
Now that you've staged a Cheeseburger Baby takeover. What’s next?
Next month, we have a song coming out with Afrojack called, “What We Live For.” Promise you you’re going to love it.
Bassjackers’ Friends Tour. As part of Sultan + Shepard & Friends. With Michael Brun, Moska, Pierce Fulton, and others. 11 p.m. to 10 a.m. Friday, March 27, at E11even, 29 NE 11th St., Miami; 305-305-6611; 11miami.com. Tickets cost $40 to $80 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up.
As part of Martin Garrix & Friends. With Julian Jordan and others. Presented by Opium Group. 10 p.m. Friday, March 27, at Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-695-8411; mansionmiami.com. Tickets cost $60 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up.
As part of Bingo Players & Friends at No Sugar Added Beach Festival 2015. With Adventure Club, Chuckie, Chainsmokers, and others. Noon to 5 a.m. Saturday, March 28, at Nikki Beach Miami, 1 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 305-538-1111; nikkibeach.com. Single-day tickets cost $40 to $75 and two-day VIP open-bar passes cost $265 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up.
As part of Sydney Samson & Friends at Beatgasm Hotel. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at Clevelander Hotel, 1020 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 305-532-4006; clevelander.com. Ages 21 and up.
As part of Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Pool Party. With special guest Sander Van Doorn, plus Dannic, Dzeko & Torres, Slander, Ummet Ozcan, Wolfpack, and Yves V. Noon to 11 p.m. Sunday, March 29, at Hyde Beach at the SLS Hotel, 1701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-674-1701; hydebeach.com. Tickets cost $100 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up.
