Working as a promoter under the name Out of Service, Daniela Molina started the reggaeton revival party in 2018 out of nostalgia for the music she heard growing up in Miami in the 2000s. The genre, originating from Panama and popularized in Puerto Rico, was all the rage back then, and thumping dembow rhythms and outrageous Spanish raps from artists like Daddy Yankee and N.O.R.E. filtered out of car stereos and clubs around Miami-Dade County. However, by the time she graduated from Florida International University with a marketing degree, it had mostly disappeared.
"For me and for a lot of people who grew up in Miami, reggaeton was what we listened to and danced to at our first-ever house parties in middle school," says Molina, who decided to create the party after a night out with friends ended in a reggaeton listening session that was more satisfying than the club they'd been to. "I wished that this existed; I wished we could just go somewhere and listen to these songs."
The first El Perreo was thrown at 1306 nightclub (currently Paraiso Estereo) in downtown Miami. Molina secured the space shortly after she started as an event coordinator at Poplife, the local marketing and production agency and concert promoter. She drew on her experience running Saturday Sesh, her first event under the name the Dream Lab, where she learned how to source talent and support from her contacts throughout the creative community. "Whoever I found online that I thought I was cool, I would ask them to come," she adds.
The party proved successful, driven by the newfound trendiness of reggaeton after the runaway success of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" and the niche it filled in Miami nightlife. "There wasn't a single reggaeton party back then," Molina says. "My friends didn't know who Bad Bunny was."
Fans were enticed by the nostalgic aspect of the night, as well as its humorous, hyper-specific riffs on local culture in its visual identity and social media presence. Past events have included themes based on local fast-food institution El Palacio de los Jugos and 2000s internet culture, with titles such as "Paranormal Chongivity" and "El Ultimo Perreo del Mundo."
"If I wasn't laughing while working on it, it wasn't good enough," Molina says.
Attendees at a typical Out of Service event find themselves losing inhibitions — and hoop earrings, lots of hoop earrings — and embracing the raunchy, campy mayhem. Emphasizing a queer- and femme-friendly atmosphere of "consent, empowerment, inclusivity, and respect" that runs counter to the machismo found elsewhere in Miami's club scene, partygoers revel in the guilty pleasures of lowrise jeans, gelled hair, and shameless twisting and twerking of the posterior that might be found embarrassing in other, more sophisticated (read: pretentious) club spaces.
"I always encourage people to embrace their past, embrace cringe," Molina says. "We all grew up in Miami and had a chongi phase."
El Perreo soon grew so quickly that it began to have trouble securing large enough venues. Recently, the party gained two more massive platforms. It was featured in the documentary La Vida Reggaeton for France.tv Slash. The French public broadcaster visited Molina in Miami, following her as she prepared for an Out of Service event. (The film is available on France.tv's website, although viewing may not be possible without a French IP address.) And later this month, Out of Service is throwing its biggest Perreo ever, teaming up with global dance music promoter and streaming outlet Boiler Room, whose previous Miami collaborators include III Points and Stamina.
El Perreo is teaming up with Boiler Room for a party at Mana Wynwood on September 30.
Photo by Alfonso Duran
"I'm excited to have people fly in for this," Molina says, admitting that she's surprised at the party's ability to attract international talent. "This is an opportunity to realize our potential and how big we can actually go."
El Perreo x Boiler Room. With Ana Macho, Berrakka, and more. 9 p.m. Saturday, September 30, at Mana Wynwood Convention Center, 318 NW 23rd St., Miami; manawynwood.com. Tickets cost $42.80 via dice.fm.
