Ask any promoter on the street how easy it is to keep up a successful weekly party in Miami, and they’ll either give you a bullshit answer about how it’s easy and they can easily fill a room with at least 300 heads (this is the kind of promoter that you DON’T want working a party at your club). Or, you’ll get the honest answer, how it’s one of the trickiest things in the nightlife business in Miami. But when you’ve been around the scene as long as Oscar G. has in Miami, you know what works, and you know what doesn’t work. Just over a year ago he tried his hand at kick starting a weekly party in the heart of Little Havana, putting the sole focus on the music, and believe it or not, his formula actually worked in an area where you’d least expect it. Tropicasa at Hoy Como Ayer is now one of, if not the best weekly party you can find in Miami.
“They have a strict music policy,” says Oscar G., the party’s producer and main musical attraction, of the venue. “Music is their priority and the focus of their business. They have a long history and you can feel it when you’re in there. They treat artists with respect and value what they bring to the table. It’s the perfect little room. Best of all…I don’t have to deal with DJ/club owner/promoter politics and bullshit there!”
Miami’s nightlife is known to have a lot of attitude, but that’s not the vibe that you get once you walk up to Hoy Como Ayer. It’s the kind of party that you walk into and bump into people who all appreciate the fact that you’re at an event strictly for the music.
“I can honestly say it’s unlike any party in Miami,” says DJ Lazaro Casanova. “Oscar and I both come from similar backgrounds and we’ve dug deep into our Cuban heritage and both agree on using bits of it with house music. The end product is amazing! Last but not least our door policy since day one has been unlike the usual Miami party…we basically have no door policy.”
As I walked into Hoy Como Ayer on a humid Wednesday night, it’s nearly midnight and the venue is already busy with bodies dancing to Lazaro Casanova’s opening set. The sound at Hoy Como Ayer is no joke and definitely makes up for the size of the dimly lit room. But after really letting Lazaro’s set sink in, you somehow get the feeling that you wouldn’t want this party to be taking place at any of the colossal venues in South Beach or downtown Miami. With this party, size does matter. He really knows how to warm up the crowd for this event, delivering a set that’s worthy of headlining any club in Miami on any given night. But instead of trying to make more noise then the headliners, he eases into their set. One of the most impressive transitions I’ve seen.
“I start the night off with a deep house sound to warm up the night and by the time I am finishing up I am playing percussion-based songs to segway into Oscar G.’s band,” said Lazaro Casanova of his Tropicasa sets. “Since Oscar’s band has one of the best percussionists I’ve heard [Philbert Armenteros], I always like to go in that direction. Sometimes Philbert will even warm up during one of my songs.”
As women dance near the bar to Lazaro’s hypnotic set, couples slowly start tapping their feet, their energy slowly starting to build up into an eruption of dancing and hand clapping. Soon Oscar G. and his band consisting of vocalist El Chino Dreadlion, keyboardist Michelle Fragoso and percussionist Philbert Armenteros take the stage for their live performance. The transition from Casanova’s set to the live band is superb, virtually melting together sounds, and then a mood sets in that’s powerfully expressive, almost ethereal.
“We have a great group of guys who are all accomplished artists in their own right and we come together to do this new fusion thing that excites all of,” Oscar G. says of the band. “Philbert Armenteros is probably the best young percussionist you will find. He was basically born into a culture of drums. He tours with Arturo Sandoval and has several other projects he juggles around. He’s a huge asset to us. Then there’s El Chino Dreadlion, who was with Yerba Buena and has an amazing new solo album. He’s our tour guide and really communicates with the audience. And Michelle’s [Fragroso] is our virtuoso on the piano and also part of the Grammy nominated Cuban super group Conjunto Progreso. We seem to have a unique energy when we play together and I think we are only scratching the surface of where we can go.”
When it comes to describing their sound, you can only spit out music genres: house; afro-cuban; techno; dub. Those are the basic ingredients, but it’s the way that Oscar G. cooks up the sound that really gets the crowd’s undivided attention. Throughout their set the crowd is completely tuned into their music. This is one of the few parties in Miami where the bar isn’t the main attraction. Just 15 minutes into their set, close to the entirety of the venue is up and dancing. Hips shake, knees bend, arms wave, all good signs of a successful party.
For now it seems as though Tropicasa is here to stay in Miami, and more specifically at Hoy Como Ayer. But there could be an even bigger future in store for Oscar G. live project. They’ve already been in talks with promoters and venues in New York City, San Francisco and other local Miami promoters.
“Hopefully we’ll continue to develop,” says Oscar G. “I think we will definitely take the show on the road soon.”
