Music:
Member Since: 4/8/2006
Band Website: afterhourpower.com
Band Members:An Interview with Steve Castro by Jon Stern Courtsey of http://wanttickets.com/ In the fall of 1999, Steve Castro brought After Hour Power to Hollywood and raised the standard to which all other clubs would be held. Castro’s vision was simple: to bring cutting-edge European dance and house music to Hollywood’s most sophisticated club-goers in a safe and comfortable venue. Tell us about the origins of the Afterhour Power? Steve Castro: AfterhourPower was originated in Amsterdam. Basically, the only reason I started doing after hours here is because we were doing things illegally all over the city and kept getting into trouble, fined and busted. We really couldn’t have an after hours that wasn’t broken up by the cops. So I said that we needed to find a location where we weren’t breaking the law, and it was then that I discovered the Palace who had a Grandfather license, so could stay open 24 hours but can’t sell liquor. But then at 6am the bars reopen. I realized that people want somewhere to kickback and listen to good music, and not just drink. It was a risk because we didn’t know if people really would show up with there being no liquor. So I said, ’I’m going to just take a risk and see what happens.’ Next thing you know it’s taking off like crazy and people are enjoying themselves and the music. Then a couple of hours later the bars reopened and there it was, a full party again! LA clubs frequently appear, only to vanish again after a few months. What makes the Afterhour Power different? How have you kept going for these past years in a very difficult city ? Steve Castro: We’re coming off a six year track record at the Key Club and now the Avalon is coming up to seven years. The secret is it’s not every week, which helps it stay fresh. It’s also a monopoly, and after two o’clock a lot of people don’t want to go home yet. A lot of people are from out of town: New York or the East Coast, and at two o’clock they’re saying, ’We’re just getting going, where’s there to go?’ You have a few choices, but people want to go to the best spot, and that happens to be the Palace and the Afterhour Power. People know that there’s a good looking crowd; you’re going to hear music going off the Richter Scale; it’s going to be fun; and the production is always different, so it’s never really the same night. Every time we do it we always change the scene, so I don’t give them something they’re going to get tired of (unless they’re purely exhausted from staying up late [laughs]). We’re always changing things. Keeping things new. How do you think the LA scene has changed since you started? Steve Castro: I saw a huge burst in the electronic scene in ’95/96 in LA, then it started changing. I think there was saturation in the market and people were putting together parties where they weren’t doing things correctly. So when someone was going to a club they were having a bad experience. Now it seems that everyone I know is either a promoter or a DJ! Four or five years ago, no one was really promoting and no one was a DJ. These days all your friends are DJ’s or promoters! I think every, say, ten years there’s a change in music. Back in ’91/’92 there were a lot of underground house clubs, and it really went mainstream in ’95/’96. Come 2001/2002 there’s definitely a change happening. The people who grew up with the music are now in their 30s and now there’s a whole new generation coming under us, so there’s changes. Everyone sees it right now. There’s always a few clubs out there where you can really feel the vibe of some good European house music. It seems that in the last few years LA has become less introspective Steve Castro: Yeah, that’s true as well. They’re definitely getting more education on what they want to hear. Five or six years ago it wasn’t really about the DJ, they knew it was going to be a good party, they knew the music was going to be good, but they weren’t coming for the DJ. I was packing 2,000 people in a club with a DJ they’d never heard of. I was flying them over from Amsterdam and they were blowing off the roof, with that pumping sound and they didn’t know who it was. Four years down the road and people are getting more educated and saying, ’I want to see this guy, I’ve been reading about him in all the magazines.’ I think it’s getting more DJ driven the longer you’re in the business. In what way is running an after hours club different from running a more conventional event? Steve Castro: Well, you’re up later [laughs]! There’s not really a change in the way I run an earlier club, to the way I run a later club. It still takes the same amount of time and preparation. At an after hours, where you’re going really late in to the next day, people are going to be more cautious and aware of anything illegal happening. I provide for my people, so that when people get there they know there’s not a bunch of drug dealers in there. They know that it’s going to be a safe environment and there’s not a bunch of people they don’t want to be around. In that respect I hire a lot more security than I would for a normal club. I do a lot heavier pat-downs. We just pro-active all around the board against anything illegal. So what brings people to the Afterhour Power? Is it simply the desire to keep going, or is it something more? Steve Castro: I think people know me. They know that it’s a Steve Castro party. They know there’s going to be a lot of beautiful girls there. For an after hours they know that the place is going to be rocking. It’s the place to be after two. It’s just a great night all-round. Most people know that already and they spread that around, word of mouth. Which I’ve always said is the best form of promotion. I get a lot of entertainment people in there. We’ll often get a couple of actors coming by, but they’re low key. These people try to stay under the radar. The don’t want press leaking out that so-and-so is at an after hours ’til 7am [laughs]! People know that Afterhour Power is a fun night. It’s safe! There’s not a bunch of crazy drugged out lunatics running around. There’s good music and a good vibe. So how would you characterize the average Afterhour Power regular? Steve Castro: It varies. It’s funny, because three of my lawyers that represent ’Hour Power, are regulars [laughs]. I get e-mails from people who haven’t missed an ’Hour Power event yet. Some of them are Asians, some of them are Israeli (the Israelis love the trance scene). It’s across the board. I’ve got girls who are strippers. When they get off work they’re there every Sunday morning. My banker’s there 90% of the time! Everybody’s there, in every kind of profession. It’s not a club full of 18 year old kids taking drugs! That’s what we stay away from, and that’s why we keep a high door charge. To keep out low-lifes who just want to come in and sell drugs. It keeps out the people who aren’t there to do any good. In addition to the large main room, the Avalon has an excellent terrace. How does that feature in your plans? Is it an integral part of the Afterhour Power? Steve Castro: That house room is, hands down, the best house room on the West Coast. Thanks to DJ Ruff, who’s my resident up there. He lives in Amsterdam and also has lived in Spain. Even in that little room, all my DJ’s are flown over from Spain or Ibiza. The house scene over there is very, very competitive and very good. All their number one house DJ’s are over here at AfterhourPower having the best time of their lives. Most people don’t realize that it’s pumping up there and that all my DJ’s, even in that little room are international: actually flown in from 13, 14 hours away! That’s another reason why I have to charge a lot more money than an average club, because I’ve got 3 or 4 DJs flown in from 14 hours away. Plus an eight man crew to set up production. Plus all these rentals and lighting. At the end of the day my overhead is enormous, but you’ve gotta pay to play [laughs].
Influences: AFTERHOURPOWER VISUAL WEBCHAT
Record Label: MOONSHINE RECORDS
Type of Label: Indie