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It’s hard to ideate a clip erstwhile Peso Pluma and Bad Bunny weren’t successful heavy rotation successful Vegas nightclubs. But astir six years ago, Olivier Sanchez, besides known arsenic DJ Exile, couldn’t imagination of it.
“It was truly weird to perceive reggaeton and Latin euphony successful large rooms. There was nary scene. It was ever underground,” Olivier says. “There was nary Latin Downtown. You would perceive DJs play it successful their sets, but a focused Latin night? Nothing.”
At the time, Sanchez was 1 of the lone Vegas DJs spearheading Latin euphony nights successful the section scene. He soon developed a estimation for spinning Latin-exclusive parties, capturing the involvement of Arnol Aguilar, who helium met astatine Tequila & Turntables, a DJ contention astatine the erstwhile Hyde Bellagio.
“Anything that was Latin, Exile’s sanction was already connected it. Whether it was a Latin Grammy play oregon if it was a pop-up with House of Blues oregon thing similar that, Exile was virtually ever involved,” says Aguilar. “It was 1 of those steps that was like, this dude is crushing it. We gotta conscionable stress it now.”
Aguilar and Sanchez went connected to recovered Altura, an indomitable pillar of the Latin nightlife scene, incorporating an eclectic scope of euphony crossed its branded parties from reggaeton to bachata. “It’s the worldly that’ll marque you say, ‘This isn’t a Latin party. It’s a enactment for Latinos,’” says Aguilar.
The duo launched its archetypal lawsuit successful 2020 astatine Downtown’s Discopussy. The pursuing year, they moved down Fremont Street to Lucky Day, wherever Aguilar says Altura became the runaway occurrence it is now.
“It was expected to beryllium a Tulum-inspired bar. Eventually the partnering manager deed america up and was like, ‘You guys person officially changed the full marque of Lucky Day. There’s nary mode we’re playing thing but Latin euphony here,’” Aguilar says.
Since past Altura has grown stratospheric, launching a nationwide circuit with its Planet Perreo enactment and licensing much parties to beryllium hosted elsewhere. Aguilar and Sanchez were besides tapped to curate acts for the Rumbazo Latin euphony fest successful 2023, a testament to their exquisite taste.
“The merengue, the existent accepted Latin sounds, kids that are hardly 21 inactive cognize those songs due to the fact that I consciousness similar arsenic Latinos, we emotion our roots. It conscionable felt similar an authentic Latin enactment ... We’re not conscionable trying to merchantability something. We grew up with it,” Sanchez says. “Also, maine and [Aguilar] are moving DJs. He grew up successful quinceañeras, playing underground parties, playing concerts. I grew up with the aforesaid thing. It’s arsenic authentic arsenic possible.”
That DJ transportation besides means you mightiness perceive mixes astatine an Altura enactment you’ve ne'er heard anyplace else. Aguilar says they’ve been heavy inspired by the SoundCloud epoch of Latin music, erstwhile a batch of producers overseas didn’t person entree to YouTube.
“They’d upload their euphony to SoundCloud, and that’s its ain civilization itself. That’s however Bad Bunny was discovered,” Aguilar says. “Exile would amusement maine edits, and virtually I’d nonstop him edits, and that’s however our dependable for Altura conscionable started combining.”
The founders’ roots explicate wherefore Altura parties person a duality, feeling mainstream and underground astatine the aforesaid time. Viva El Perreo, their reggaeton enactment that pops disconnected astatine Neonopolis’ caller Substance nine each Saturday, brims with classical cuts and sweaty dancing. In contrast, Altura’s Baja Mundo is simply a carnival-style, Latin tech-house party. For a much traditional, determination Mexican party, the duo recommends La Pista, Saturday nights astatine Commonwealth.
Aguilar and Sanchez accidental they’re grateful for each the designation Altura has received, but particularly from their ain culture. Convincing Latinos to travel to a Latino enactment was ne'er a pugnacious sell, Sanchez says. It was getting everybody other connected board. Now that Latin euphony has blown into the mainstream, the duo tin support focusing connected making Altura adjacent better.
“We don’t instrumentality it for granted, and we really deliberation astir people’s experience. We really, truly do,” Aguilar says. “We enactment a batch of thought into it, and we spell backmost and distant internally to marque the champion amusement ever.”
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