Monday, December 29, 2008

"Got any E???" : Mother's Pride - Learning To Fly




Along with the reprise of Italo Disco, 1998 also saw the rise of Trance music in Miami. Trance ruled the city streets at every corner you turned. Just like nightspots were created in the early 80's to showcase the Disco sound, the late 90's also brought some infamous joints created to showcase the Trance sound. The most notorious of them all was a little hole in the wall we called The Mix Afterhours

Miami's very first official afterhours club was an instant smash amongst the Trance enthusiasts, and quickly became the only place to be. I spent numerous morning's staggering in and out of it's doors. Anyone who was a regular at The Mix will be able to back me up when I tell you that this place was just magical, drug use aside of course. 

Ocean Drive called The Mix, "a show". All sorts of people from all corners of the world would unite at The Mix and dance the wee-hours of the morning to some hardcore Progressive House & Trance. The master of ceremonies in this little show was the famed David Padilla. He was offered the weekend-residency and built a sound system that blew every other club away. The sound system at The Mix was ridiculously amazing. It towered almost 10-15 feet with cavernous spaces that you would get kicked out of should you have stumbled into them. A feature that many other clubs soon began to emulate. Alongside the massive sound system, The Mix was also known for it's chill out back room. 

The Mix prided itself not only on bringing the spotlight to Trance music, but also having a very fashionable concept. A concept that no club really achieved back then which was making every person feel like a part of their family. The Mix was so successful that they also released two compilations on Container Records that still bring chills down my spine when I listen to them. The first was recorded live at The Mix by Padilla, and the second was a dual disc set mixed by The Mix's manager who soon became an addition to the line-up, Gee-Ohh & DJNA. You can still catch Gee-Ohh throw down at America's Backyard in Ft. Lauderdale. 

Here is one of my favorite floor fillers from The Mix taken directly from Disc 1 of their first compilation. The system roared to this one when Padilla cued the first beat! LONG LIVE THE MIX AFTERHOURS!!!

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