Living north of the Miami-Dade County line has its advantages, but I’ve never enjoyed making the trek down I-95 and across the causeway in order to enjoy quality nightlife.
Fort Lauderdale may still be “Where the Boys Are,” but Broward County has had little to offer dance music afficionados beyond its fabulously trashy gay clubs.
Fortunately for 954 CoolJunkies like me, DJ culture has come to Hollywood, a sedate Broward burg located about midway between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
Although the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency has been working for years to attract a variety of businesses to the pedestrian-friendly downtown historical district, nightclubs haven’t had much success in the area. Previous ventures, such as Mankind and Deco Drive, were never able to attract enough regular customers to survive.
Late last year, the owners of Mama Mia’s, a traditional (and rather successful) Italian restaurant in downtown Hollywood, decided that dance music was just what they needed to spice up the slowest night of their week.
Initially, MIA Mondays were upscale, early-evening events, with DJs playing “Back To Mine” sets of personal favorites for a few dozen patrons.
A lot has changed since November. The “Never a Cover, Always a Crowd” catchphrase has disappeared. Although women are still admitted free, men should now expect to pay $10 to get in unless arrangements have been made in advance.
Also, the music no longer starts at 7:00. If you want a little progressive house to go with your pasta, you’ll be disappointed. WPYM 93.1 Party Mixologist Erik Velez usually spins until 11:00, when the headline DJ typically takes over. This means more commercial tunes during late dinner, but anything goes after midnight.
Another significant difference at MIA is the crowd. Months of promotion, as well as positive reports posted to certain web forums (ahem), have built up a sizeable set of regular customers. Most come to drink and socialize, but there’s actual dancing now, too, despite the lack of nightclub ambiance.
The improved sound system, while more than adequate for the bar of a family restaurant, is still lacking in low end, and the lighting consists of two Martin Acrobat fixtures running in stand-alone mode at either end of the main room. Apparently, such technical shortcomings don’t matter to the growing number of people who come to dine, drink, and dance.
One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the velvet rope. Personalities Julian and Mel continue to tactfully implement the evolving MIA door policy; they warmly welcome familiar faces, greeting many patrons by name, and manage to discourage the occasional wandering weirdo without any drama.
Recently, I went to see Oscar G spin at MIA. I had been looking forward to the event all week, but a severe Monday morning migraine made me reconsider the wisdom of subjecting myself to loud music and flashing lights.
Luckily, CoolJunkie Forum member Coach called that evening to tell me he was on the way up from South Beach, so I got dressed and made my way to the restaurant.
When I arrived, Erik Velez was just finishing his set. I met up with Coach and his charming wife, ordered a cappuccino, and tried to forget about my headache.
We traded club gossip for a while, watched a young woman dance on the bar, and then went to see what was happening upstairs. The big guy on the staircase informed us that we were supposed to have red wristbands to go to the upper level, but then waived us through, anyway.
Upstairs, Wendel was spinning some serious house to a small but appreciative audience. I found Jackie, and she quickly equipped us with the proper wristbands.
There seemed to be a private party happening in one corner, and a Paris Hilton lookalike was dancing gracefully by the far speaker. I also noticed that the Mama Mia management had invested in a proper DJ rig, so performers won’t need to bring their own gear anymore.
The music was just what the doctor ordered. I didn’t recognize any of Wendel’s selections, but they were heavy. I saw Jimmy Toural and asked him what he was planning to spin later. “I think I better come out swinging,” he said with a laugh.
Downstairs, Oscar G was dropping intense tunes, too. Coach mumbled something about alarm clocks and departed, leaving me alone with over a hundred house enthusiasts, and more people were arriving every minute. Surveying the scene, I had to remind myself that I was in Hollywood, on a Monday night.
Louis Puig was there, enjoying the set, when a customer approached and whipped out a first-generation Club Space card that he kept in his wallet as a memento. Without missing a beat, Louis smiled, nodded, and presented the guy with a new VIP card. Say what you want about him, but Louis takes care of his best customers.
I spent the rest of the night going upstairs, then downstairs, then upstairs again, wishing I could be in two places at once. Jimmy T was amazing, as always, and Oscar G played everything from nasty hip hop, to Santana’s “Oye Como Va” (which he had also played at his first ever MIA appearance back in December), with plenty of club classics like “Be Yourself” in between.
For me, however, the highlight of the evening was hearing Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough.” As a senior citizen of clubland, I really appreciate the gesture. Thanks, Oscar.
It was a good night, all things considered. While I don’t recommend going anywhere with a migraine, my MIA experience definitely had some therapeutic value.
Maybe it was the cappuccino, or the fog juice, or the music - I don’t know - but I did feel better afterwards. Ask your doctor if MIA is right for you.
