The annual dance music cruise gets ready to set sail this weekend. Can’t wait for the dance-music debauchery and decadance that the Winter Music Conference brings to South Florida in March? Well, you really don’t have to.
The Groove Cruise will take care of all your beat-driven needs, for three days straight. Think the Love Boat, but with electronic music, 24/7.
Haven’t heard of the Groove Cruise? It’s the brainchild of former tour manager Jason Beukema, who got the idea from his friends to start a cruise for young, hip, fun-loving people with DJs, rather than cheesy wedding bands singing “Celebration,” “Shout” and other tired “we’re really having fun now” cliched songs.
The idea was a no-brainer to Beukema. “It’s a huge trend now, music cruises,” he says. “There’s a Dave Matthews Band cruise, a Lynyrd Skynyrd cruise, Barenaked Ladies cruise and a Kid Rock cruise. And this is the dance music cruise. We’re calling it the “world’s largest floating dance music festival.” ”
So the first Groove Cruise was born in 2004, and it was a success right away.
“Everyone had such an amazing time,” he says. “People still keep in touch and talk about that first cruise – and I do too. It was a blast, and the relationships that were built – that’s what it comes down to. If you come to Winter Music Conference, or go to Vegas, you don’t really meet people for more than a few seconds here or there, and then it’s off, and then maybe you exchange numbers, but probably not. But on a cruise, because you have the same people at every party for three straight days, you really get to know people and when you go back home, wherever you’re from, you have this special connection because you can’t talk to anyone else about it because no one understands what happens on that ship. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a lot of fun.”
The cruise has gotten so popular that DJs are lining up to participate.
“We probably get 10 to 15 DJ requests per week trying to get on the cruise,” says Beukema. “And there’s music 72 hours straight, with 55 DJs and three or four different parties going on at once, with different styles of house and trance.” This year’s lineup includes Darude, Dirty South, Oscar G and Funkagenda, among many others.
Louis Dee – veteran South Beach house-music DJ who performs regularly at SET, Tantra and Mansion, and who will be making his second trip on the Groove Cruise – is excited about the adventure.
“The best thing about the cruise is that it absolutely takes away all the problems you run into in the nightlife scene,” he says. “It takes away you driving to the club, the valet, you driving home drunk, all the things you’d be inclined to carry, whether it be your keys, your wallet, dressing up a particular way, waiting at the door, paying a cover charge – all of those things are completely eliminated and it makes for a stress-free environment of nothing but fun and enjoyment of the music.”
As of this interview with Beukema, there’s still time to book a cabin on the cruise, with about 60 spots left. Check out www.thegroovecruise.com for details. In the meantime, he chuckles when asked to describe the Groove Cruise experience: “It’s kind of like trying to explain what Vegas is like to someone who’s never been there. It’s an experience that is high-energy, it’s fun, it’s great people, all like-minded people. It’s the only event in dance music where you can interact with the artists – if you go to a club or a festival to see Boris or Oscar G, you’re never going to get to talk to them. Whereas on the cruise, they’re hanging out and you’ll see them at dinner, at the pool having a beer, whatever. They’re approachable and you can go up to them and chat with them. It’s much different.”
By Michael Hamersly
