Owned by Doug and Nancy Stevens The Top Draw was located on the 79 Street Cauesway in Noth Bay Village. It was a private club near Miami Beach, which featured three large connecting rooms a Disco, Restaurant (the best ribs in town and onion soup) and a Piano bar where older people would hang out. It was opened till 5am . DJ Jimmy Martinez called it home from 1975 to 1979.
Jimmy Martinez :”I was a Dancer , a pretty good one at that and I loved the music ..My friend was a DJ and he wanted to visit his Dad at Fort Bragg.He needed a weekend off and asked me for a favor .SOUNDED GOOD..I loved Dancing and the Disco LIFE.. He Said I’ll show you it’s quick ( NO MIXER IN 1973) We would just fade in and out ..I LOVED IT!! SPECIALLY THE LADIES that would come by the booth. My friend never came back he moved to LOS ANGELES from DC. My love affair with Disco was only just beginning . I followed him to Los Angeles , by that time we had started to mix tracks into each other My friend’s name was Pete Sosa He went on to Mix the group Arpeggio’s Love and Desire”
Today Jimmy runs a 24 hour Internet Disco Station ALL HITS RADIO and narrarates books for the blind right here in Miami. Jimmy and his station are a proud supporter of The Miami Disco Project.
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Tag: Disco
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Open House Radio
THE OPEN HOUSE RADIO STORY
Mike and I have worked in just about every nightclub and every radio Station in
Miami. Collectively we share over 30 years in the business. We have been
witness to the evolution of dance music ,since the days of Disco to the
present. Technologically Mike has been at the forefront of Studio Engineering and the
Recording Industry.
Mike’s father, Miguel Triay is the most respected Radio Engineer in the country
,responsible for massive broadcasting projects both in South Florida and Puerto
Rico.Mike Jr.was the producer/remixer of the English version of the worlwide hit :”
La Macarena”There is no doubt that music is our passion. Unfortunately this
business is not kind and most people who work in it only care about one
thing….themselves… and true talent often gets cast aside in favor of behind the
scenes deals and strategies to stay in “power” for as long as possible in this very
unstable line of work. Alliances are formed and those who shine by way of their
talent are often squashed by the powers that be. Radio Formats rely on ” research” .
Most stations play “safe” music ,in other words stuff you’re tired of listening to. So
alot of artists get lost in the cracks,especially those who did not achieve
“mainstream” or radio play.So we took matters into our own hands,hey it’s not everyone that has access to a full blown radio production studio 24 hours a day. We decided to create a “radio”
program for people our age with the music we used to listen to ,plus…. the music
that would catch our attention today. Throw in a little Salsa and those slow jams that
mad us run towards that girl we had our eye on all night and we had a program WE
would listen to and hopefully everyone else too.
We were right………In the first week we had over 2000 subscribers on I Tunes . The
Emails were overhelming. We had connected with an audience that had been
overlooked,an audience that didn’t like Hip Hop ,Reggeaton andother urban styles
that wasn’t really listening to Radio anymore.Our program is 100% authentic mixed the way DJs used to mix with the information you want to hear about these artists that you never knew before.Even the actual
artists themselves in many cases have lent their voices to the program. It’s exciting
,very exciting to be able to talk to and play the music of these great musicians and
vocalists who otherwise may not have an outlet to keep their music alive.
Open House Radio or OHR is a station I always dreamed I could listen to, and
MILLIONS OF YOU seem to agree.
Mike and I Thank you for letting us serve you in this manner.
Part 2
On December 9, 2012, at the age of 48 Mike in the Night Triay host and producer of ” Open House Radio” passed away in his sleep. It was a devastating and emotional event in my life.His influence in my life both personally and musically was beyond words. Mike and I would sit in his studio for hours talking and dreaming .We worked as a team in local nightclubs and concerts. All we wanted was to bring joy to those people like us that grew up during the 60s and 70s. Mike with his voice , myself with the music I loved….. Disco. Filling his shoes on our program ” Open House Radio” would be a difficult task. To find someone who shared the same love of this music and possessed the knowledge and experience in this genre. Long time friend and founder of the group ” Expose” Lewis Martinee fit right in , bringing his DJ experience from the legendary Hallandale nightspot ” The Limelight” and his studio/production expertise from countless of hit records. The show continued. Open House Radio can be heard all over the world on any given night. Cities such as France ( Amys FM, Generation Soul Disco Funk ) New York ( Disco 935) Miami ( Wepa.fm) and Canada to name a few. The show is a selection of personal favorites from the early 70s and 80s formatted in a ” DJ Mix” style to recreate the feel of an authentic 70s Discotheque. Soul dance Crossovers, Boogie Down as well as Rare Disco grooves constantly surprise an audience who had just about given up hope on ever hearing these tracks again.
Mike in the Night was a popular South Florida Radio Personality since the early 80s from the popular station SUPER Q FM , he later went on to work on Salsa 98 , and Clasica 92 where he lead the station in ratings for his shows on Friday , Saturday and Sunday most notably Saturday Night Fever transmitting live from many of the areas nightclubs. Mike was also involved in the Remix of the world wide sensation La Macarena.
DJ Alex Gutierrez has been heard in just about every local nightclub as well as radio stations since 1974.He has remixed hits for many of today’s Latin superstars and has been a fixture in the local Disco and Salsa scene. He is the innovator of the Latin, Beat Mixing technique emulated by most of the nation’s Latin Djs. He has recieved various awards on a local level as well as a nomination from the International Dance Music awards for best Latin Mix Show when he was on Salsa 98.
Lewis Martinee is a producer, songwriter and disc jockey based in Miami, Florida. Lewis reached number one on the Billboard Pop Charts, and has had multiple records reach top ten. Martinee received Billboard Songwriter of the Year as well as BMI Songwriter of the Year. In addition to founding the girl group Exposé in 1984, he also wrote and produced all songs on its first two albums, Exposure (1987) and What You Don’t Know (1989). He also contributed to the group’s third effort, Exposé, in 1992.
Martinee has also worked with many other artists of note, producing, writing and or remixing tracks: including Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Celine Dion, Company B, Arika Kane, Jermaine Jackson, Sequal, the Cover Girls, Debbie Gibson, Vanessa Williams, Pet Shop Boys, Son by Four, and Elvis Crespo, among others
Combining our technical as well as years of music industry experience Mike and Alex and now Lewis have set out to capture the essence of a 70s style local Disco show ,reminiscent of the popular ” SHOW DE RIKKI TIKKI’ with Enrique de la Maza back in 1977,78,79
Lewis and I also produce a weekly Dance Music Program ” Rhyhtm Mix 24/7″ heard on Clubbing Station in Canada ( Clubbing Station) and have remixed several projects for local as well as International artists.
You can Listen to past shows at our Mixcloud
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Disco Returns to Coral Gables
The Fever at The Open Stage in Coral Gables Call for our next event NO COVER ………
When I started the Happy Hour at Alcazaba at the Hyatt Regency Many years ago I knew this was the place that would support this music that Miami was in love with since we first heard it during our teenage years, Unfortunately Alcazaba closed it’s doors in 2009 and an Era came to an end. The well dressed crowds , the classic sounds replaced by Bachata and Reggeaton and a crowd that opted for a cold beer instead of a Johnny Walker ” Neat”. We were getting older but we still wanted to dance and have a great time. Our choices were limited ,and when we finally found a place more often than not our music would be mixed in between those same styles we tried to avoid .
Bob Quesada ( Mr.Q 305 ) is a veteran of the Miami Nightlife of the 70s here in Miami, resident DJ at such Clubs as Alexandre’s at the Omni and Daphne’s at the Sheraton. After I started the South Florida DJ Association Bob and I would constantly discuss that there was a segment of Miami’s population that was being ignored , that segment was US. We had NO Radio station to hear our music and a very limited amount choices of places to go. With the exception of an occasional Disco Concert by Charlie Rodriguez Live Entertainment our Friday and Saturday Nights were limited to movies and restaurants. We would have to listen to our music in our cars or at home.
Looking for the right place became a mission. This crowd demanded quality and class. By chance we were contacted by the owner of a fairly new establishment in Coral Gables, The Open Stage Club.A unique combination of restaurant and live entertainment venue. Located just a block south of my old Alcazaba the place contained all the elements we were looking for Class, Location and a state of the art sound system that could bring out every violin and cello in Romeo and Juliette.
It is with great pleasure that we present to you ” The Fever” A One Night Affair an evening of Classic Disco Music, Soul Ballads and music that put our city on the Map from groups such as The Antiques, Mantrap , Conjunto Universal and much more. In other words …A night dedicated to You and Me who have called Miami home since the early 60s.
Saturday November 1st ,2014 7:30 PM NO COVER Dinner Reservations strongly recommended.
Update: Our November 1st event was a huge success bringing together hundreds of fans of the genre.The night was ” A magical evening of Music and Memories” as so many described it.
Owner Juan Della Torre ” Patrons have been asking for a Disco themed night for quite a while we are glad to offer it’
New Dates have been announced for the coming months. November 26 ( The Day Before Thanksgiving) New Years Eve ( The Solid Gold New Years Eve Disco Party) December 31st and our special Valentines Party on February 14th.
” We want to give fans an opportunity to plan for these nights, as special events t, to make arrangements to Come to ou ” Fever” events and relax and enjoy themselves listening to the music they love, sharing these moments with others who lived it” 
DJ Alex Gutierrez