Since Marquee New York’s reopening in January 2013, making plans for a Friday night has become much easier thanks to Sleepy & Boo. The DJ pair—comprised of husband and wife duo Mike and Begoña—has run the club’s Friday nights since the renovations, booking some of underground dance music’s biggest names week in and week out, all as part of their Basic party series that has been a city staple since its launch in 2004.
This Friday, the pair is bringing its signature Sleepy & Boo + Friends party to Maquee New York, promising the city a night of good vibes and even better music. We talked to the pair about the event, as well the challenges of consistently bringing the underground elite to New York City’s clubbing crowd.
DJ Times: What can we expect from your Sleepy & Boo + Friends event on Friday?
Sleepy & Boo: Sleepy & Boo + Friends is really our signature event, where it’s about our DJing first and foremost. It’s really fun for us and we’re excited to be back doing this at Marquee. We’ve got a lot of new music to play (including some of our own productions), spring is in the air, and there’s so much energy in New York right now. We’re just really looking forward to the night and getting on the decks and seeing everyone out in the crowd having a blast. We’re going to have some extra surprise decorations and production elements to the night so that will make it pretty special. Our friends Vanjee and Nadav Vee are playing a B2B set as well, it’s the first time they’ve played together at Marquee, so they’re excited for that. Overall it’s really a night about good music, good vibes, good times and friendship, and we’re going to be having more of these parties coming up over the next few months.
DJ Times: Your Friday night residency at Marquee has become one of the city’s hottest events every week. What reasons do you think are behind its success?
S&B: There are a lot of different factors that go into having a successful night, but probably first and foremost our night is about the music and that’s the foundation that makes it work. Every week we have great talent playing at Marquee, from really established artists to up-and-coming DJs, covering all styles of underground music. Being able to do this every Friday establishes a real consistency, so people know that on Fridays they can always come to Marquee and expect to hear some great music. The club itself is a phenomenal room, a perfect location, with a top-notch Funktion One sound system, lights, visuals, just the whole atmosphere makes for a fun night out. You get a real cosmopolitan mix of people coming, from the underground music lovers to international visitors, and that dynamic gives the party a really cool, diverse flavor. It’s a combination that has worked really well.
DJ Times: What are some of their biggest challenges of bringing underground music to the masses?
S&B: Well, we’re not really bringing it to the masses per se – our night is really geared towards those who are fans of the music to begin with. Right now, underground music lovers in New York are spoilt for choice, you have so many options of parties and nights, you really can hear great DJs all week long. So the biggest challenge is just being consistent with the party and making sure you’re always presenting a high standard of music, and making sure that the experience for both the party-goers and the artists is something they enjoy. People who are accustomed to going to see DJs and only seeing a room full of people just like them, coming to a club like Marquee might be a little jarring because the dancefloor is a lot more diverse, but most party goers really enjoy that kind of experience and embrace it. Picking the right artists that will hit all of the marks, and knowing how to get them to your party to come and play, that can be a lot of, work but it’s a lot of fun and keeps you on your toes.
DJ Times: What part of New York City’s dance music/clubbing scene sets it apart from that of anywhere else?
S&B: What’s going on in New York right now is great; the city is definitely riding high on a clubbing and nightlife wave. There’s great talent playing here every week, sometimes with many quality options to choose from each night. We have festivals, we have clubs, after-hours, underground parties…there’s really no other city in the US, or even North America where you have that wealth of options week in and week out. But aside from that, the crowd in New York has always been great and really passionate about the music, dating back for years and years. New Yorkers are real, they’re straight up, and that comes through on the dancefloor – if you play music that they like, if the party is going off, the crowd is going to let loose in a big way. It’s intense here and that’s what drives everyone to keep it going. We’re really proud to call NYC home and be a part of the nightlife community here.
DJ Times: How do you think the Marquee brand has embraced dance music culture, especially since Marquee NY’s renovation in January 2013?
S&B: Marquee has really dived into dance music culture, especially underground music, since the club re-opened last January. Just to think about all the amazing talent we’ve brought to Marquee since we started there, it really makes us happy to look back at the lineups we’ve had there. Probably nobody would have ever associated DJs like Luciano, Solomun and Marco Carola with a club like Marquee before the renovation, but now it’s become a destination for underground DJs and that’s a testament to how much they’ve made a commitment to this music. Even Marquee Las Vegas has gotten into it, with Claude Vonstroke playing, Jamie Jones playing there twice, and Richie Hawtin. Some of the other nights at Marquee are geared for a more commercial audience, but when everything is clicking there on Fridays, when the vibe is at its peak and the music is pumping and the dancefloor is electric, there’s really nowhere else we’d rather be.
Want to win tickets to Sleepy & Boo + Friends this Friday, May 16? Enter via the Punchtab widget below for chance to snag one of two pairs of tickets! Go here for more event information and ticket links.
RULES: YOU MUST BE 21+ TO ENTER, AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOUR OWN TRANSPORTATION TO MARQUEE NY. TICKET PICK UP INFORMATION WILL BE SENT TO THE WINNER ON MAY 15 VIA EMAIL. No purchase necessary. The voting period will begin at 10:00AM EST on May 13 2014, and end at 2:00PM EST on May 15, 2014. The winner(s) are allowed to bring ONE companion of their choice. Winners will be denied entry if they try to bring more than one companion. The contest is open to those aged 21+ and in New York, NY at the time of the event. Winners must respond in a timely fashion via email to confirm their spot, otherwise their prize will be forfeited. DJ Times will not be held liable for any damage to personal property or injuries sustained while attending this event. While we will never spam you, entering via email gives DJ Times permission to add your email address to its email mailing lists, and to share your email address with any sponsorship partners of this specific event.
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