When I heard about Mucho Music’s comeback I immediately started envisioning the outfit I’d wear to get my groove on. Ricky Garay’s weekly ritual of Latin music mashups and alternative sounds is moving from hipster-centric La Cita, where it ran its three-year course that ended (appropriately) on Cinco de Mayo, to the more spacious Echoplex in Echo Park. And with the current lineup set for this Saturday – which includes a live performance by Mexico City’s luchador mask-wearing cumbia/pop cover band, El Conjunto Nueva Ola, and party peeper La Madre’s farewell party – it’s gonna be on fire!
The party’s got a new name too — Paradise — and DJs will be spinning a lovely mixture of electro/ cumbia/dancehall/hip hop/pop, so get your dancing shoes shined. (Can you even shine Chucks?)
“Why the move?” you ask. Well, what had happened was…Mucho Wednesdays blew up. As Garay found himself being offered the opportunity to work with higher profile acts, he found himself up against some technical and financial limitations. That’s when Echoplex’s senior talent buyer, Liz Garo, stepped in and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: “bring me the cool Latino crowd we’re missing and I’ll show you the cash money.” (Not an actual quote.)
“We want to focus on bringing the best acts to town and combine what was happening each week at La Cita to make one giant blowout celebration every month — a super party!” Garay told the LA Times. “We’re doing something special. Making a place for all these kids who didn’t have a place to go before. That, to me, is the most important thing.” (That is an actual quote.)
Mucho’s first official night at the Echoplex is this Saturday, June 25, and then it will move to the third Saturday of every month.