By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Lagoa nightclub Miroir will throw an electronic dance music extravaganza on Friday, January 3rd in celebration of its second anniversary. Scheduled to take over Rio’s Marina da Glória from 10PM to 6AM the following morning, a specially constructed stage will host five Brazilian DJs and event headliner and special guest, Dutch phenomenon Nicky Romero.
A house music DJ/composer and producer, Romero is well-known for his work with some of the biggest names currently in the electronic dance music scene. His list of collaborators and supporters includes; Avicii, Tiësto, Fedde Le Grand, Calvin Harris, Armand Van Helden, and Hardwell.
Born Nick Rotteveel in Holland in 1989, Romero began DJing with a deep love for house and R&B. He then turned that love into a talent for producing and composing music of his own. It was a bootleg version of his song “When Love Takes Over”, that Romero sent to French DJ/producer David Guetta that really kick-started his career.
Guetta, a recent Rock in Rio performer, became a mentor and supporter of Romero and also a collaborator. The two have worked on several projects including the songs “Metropolis” and “Wild One Two”. Additionally, Romero has served as a resident DJ in Guetta’s FMIF line ups in Ibiza.
In short time, Romero began to receive much wider recognition as a lead artist with his tracks; “Toulouse”; “Se7en” and “Generation 303” as well as his collaborative hits; “Like Home” (featuring NERVO) and “I Could Be the One” (with Avicii).
As part of his visual brand, Romero began to use in both his videos and live performances Guy Fawkes masks, popularized in the graphic novel and movie “V for Vendetta” and appropriated by protest movements worldwide.
Standing on stage with his mask at his decks, his DJ gigs around the world increased. His reputation as a crowd-pleaser also grew, as he played the main stages of the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas and the world famous annual music festival, Tomorrowland, held in Belgium. Romero also began to gain a following throughout Brazil.
Tobias Careta, a Nicky Romero fan who lives in Castelo, Espirito Santo state north of Rio, told The Rio Times; “When you live in a small town, surrounded by funk, axé music and sertanejo (Brazilian country music) people expect you to follow custom and like these styles. But when I heard Nicki Romero, with his Guy Fawkes mask and his catchy sound, he immediately stood out.”
“His music is completely contagious, and takes you out of your lethargy. It makes energy vibrate around you,” Careta continued, adding “it’s impossible to stand still and not let yourself be taken over by it.”
In addition to Romero commanding the audience at Marina da Glória on January 3rd, Brazilian DJs Fabio Tepper, Giovannetti, Carol Legally, John Failly and Pic Schmitz will work the decks and are sure to help celebrate Miroir’s anniversary in style. None are strangers to Miroir, having all previously played in the nightclub’s intimate and rich atmosphere.
The club riginally opening its doors on January 10, 2012, and since that time has hosted some of the best DJs and musicians in Brazil as well as providing club-goers with some of the most interesting nightlife events Rio has to offer. The anniversary party is also part of the Rio Music Conference (RMC) calendar of events, which will hold the sixth edition of its music festival this year, and traditionally runs concurrently with Carnival.
What: Miroir Two Year Anniversary Party with Nicky Romero
When: January 3rd, 2014, 10PM through 6AM
Where: Marina da Glória
Entrance: Tickets R$99 – R$242. Available online at Ingressocerto.com. Half price available for students, seniors and those who the present the event flyer or register on the website. Tickets are also available in stores. For a complete list, see the Facebook event page, here.