Poplife Will Celebrate 25th Anniversary With a Party at ZeyZey

Poplife returns to dance-party roots for one night only on January 25.

January 15, 2025

Image: Ray Milian and Aramis Lorie behind the decks at a Poplife party

Ray Milian and Aramis Lorie at Poplife's 15th-anniversary event in 2014 Photo by Jipsy

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There was a time when going out in Miami meant the party itself was enough to lure clubgoers. It didn't matter who was on the bill — the DJ would spin in a dark corner of the venue anyway. One of those parties was Poplife. Founded in 1999 by Barbara Basti, Aramis Lorie, and Ray and Paula Milian, the bash was one of Miami's most celebrated events, attended by Gen Xers and millennials looking for a playlist filled with Britpop, indie rock, dance rock, postpunk, and synthpop gems.

Poplife continues to exist today as a marketing and event agency, with Lorie, the sole founder, still on the team, but it certainly hasn't forgotten its roots as one of Miami's OG hipster parties — or what Zoomers now call "indie sleaze."

The party will return for one night only on January 25 at ZeyZey to mark its 25th anniversary. Headlining the event is DJ/producer Felix Da Housecat, who is perhaps one of the most prominent figures of the era, helping propel the electroclash sound to early-2000s dance floor across the globe with his 2001 album Kittenz and Thee Glitz, which featured bangers like "Silver Screen (Shower Scene)" and "Madame Hollywood."

Local yacht-rock outfit Psychic Mirrors, Mike Deuce and Jovigibs, and the party's original resident DJs, Lorie and Ray Milian, are also on the anniversary bill.

If you're a long-retired clubgoer who cut their teeth on Miami's indie dance scene, you aren't going to want to miss the event. And if you are a Zoomer looking for an authentic indie sleaze experience from the early 2000s, this is your chance to take part.

Poplife 25th Anniversary. With Felix Da Housecast, Aramis Lorie, Ray Milian, Mike Deuce, and Jovigibs. 8 p.m. Saturday, January 25, at ZeyZey, 353 NE 61st St., Miami; poplife99.com. Tickets cost $25 to $75 via shotgun.live.

Jose D. Duran is the former senior music editor of Miami New Times. His work has also appeared in publications likeVice, Billboard, and Spin. He’s earned numerous accolades including placing first for Weekly Newspaper Contest: Business Reporting from the Florida Press Association in 2020; placing third for the Writing: Light Feature from the Florida Press Club in 2019; and placing third in Weekly Newspaper Contest: Best Obituary from the Florida Press Association in 2015.

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