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Editor’s Note: PAUSER is a PHENOMENAL entertainer from the greater San Diego area. He is an artist who has the ability to take any crowd and take them from having a good time, to having a Vegas-style riot within minutes. We are proud to be working with him, and look forward to getting him in front of as many people as possible!

Meet Sam Pauser, aka DJ Pauser, Man of our DJ dreams.
Written by: Hailey Stewart/ Instagram: @hippie.hailz

Not many of us can say we have the talent to get the whole crowd vibing to good energy, but this up and coming DJ, Sam Pauser (aka DJ Pauser) has enough energy to get the crowd jumping so much, the second floor of a house has sunken through. Being a mix of a little bit of everything, this versatile yet eclectic style Pauser emanates has the crowd entranced into a “party hard” state of mind till the club shuts down. (Everything you’ve ever wanted in a DJ right?) Pauser started out as a DJ in the more underground party scene, becoming the heartthrob of many young adults. But after seeing his sets now at countless events, from House of Blues in Anaheim and San Diego to Bassmnt and Sidebar in San Diego, I sat down with Pauser to really see the story behind this underground gem of a party starter.

What made you want to start DJ-ing?

When I was in 8th grade, my brother gave me my first techno mix tape. It had twelve tracks on it and I listened to it for months straight over and over on the bus in middle school.  After that I went to high school and then, I don’t know, but one thing led to another and more electronic music like dubstep and trap started to come out. I remember the first time I heard dubstep I was a sophomore, about 16 years old, in the backseat of my friends car with his subs and I was saying ‘oh my gosh this is pretty frickin awesome.’ I started going to concerts and raves, and I remember I just thought, why couldn’t I do something like this? So I tried it out, and now I’ve been producing for two years and DJing for one year.

Would you say you have a specific style?

That’s always been a conflicting factor for me. I’ve always jumped all around the scene, going from jump style to twerk style to dubstep to headbangers stuff, like all over the map. And still, to this day, I haven’t really picked a specific genre that defines me.  I would say my biggest, and personal favorite that I just love to do is headbangers. I love when the crowd goes nuts and I love when they rage. So I mostly just read the crowd, it depends on the mood, depends on the scene, and how the crowd reacts to what I’m doing and then I react to what they’re doing.

Who are your greatest influences?

There is one specific artist that is my greatest influence. My friend showed me Bassnectar the first couple of weeks I started listening to dubstep and that’s when shit just hit the fan. Right as I heard his music I couldn’t stop grooving to it. He’s the biggest EDM underground artist that’s all about the headbanging genre too so he’s my absolute biggest influence and I’m his absolute biggest fan.

Seeing as you’re most known for your energy being off the wall awesome and infectious, I have to ask: where do you get all of that performance energy?

Haha I don’t know actually, I guess I put a smile on and try and make people happy. It’s better to give more than receive and I feel like I want to give everybody the best time of their lives every single time I DJ. I want to give them the most memorable night like ‘Oh my gosh that was amazing, I went out with my friends, we were sober, we were drinking, whatever, we all just went out and had the best night ever.’

What’s happening in terms of labels? How’s the business aspect going?

The business aspect right now, I’m still in the process of discovering my specific style of music. And when I’m 100% confident that this is my music, this is where I’m going with it, this is what I want to do, and then I will become part of a label. I’ve been offered a couple times from a couple different record companies, some small time some a little bigger, but my primary focus is to become a part of Mad Decent, owned by Thomas Wesley Pentz (Diplo), that’s my ultimate label record I want to be a part of.

How’s working with Groove International? Has it been a good experience?

In one word I would say it is: awesome. Honestly working with my manager, Jonathan Avila, has brought me out of my shell every time they book me for a gig. I have been pushed so much more in every show they’ve booked me in. It’s been a great growing experience for me, and honestly so awesome.

Does the idea of your discovery excite or scare you?

Of course I’m excited! I’m always excited about music but sometimes you can let it get to your head and it can really start to freak you out. And one of my good friends had to sit me down and tell me to calm down. And as soon as I did that, I took a step back, found what I was doing wrong and started doing it right. It’s my passion and whether I make it and go big or not, I don’t really care because I’m going to still DJ anyways.

Okay, finally, out of all your experience preforming, what was your craziest night DJing?

Haha well, I was DJing at this guy’s house party and he was super cool and the party was packed. And basically what happened was, I was playing on the second story and the crowd was jumping so much the second story floor started sinking, like the floorboards were breaking. I was so afraid my DJ set up was going to fall through, but the owner was cool with the floor breaking, so that was pretty insane.

Pauser, a San Diego Native, truly brings a different feel to not only the DJ scene but also the electronic genre itself by always staying true to his underground roots and ever changing style. We highly encourage you to check Pauser out on his soundcloud: soundcloud.com/pauserofficial; but if you want to experience one of your most memorable nights and Pauser’s infectious high energy for yourself, you can check Pauser out at his upcoming shows:

House of Blues Anaheim on March 10th & Sidebar in San Diego on March 25th

Also check him out on: Instagram &Twitter : @pauserofficial and Snapchat: @sam_pow

Written by: Hailey Stewart

Groove International is very proud to announce that we have made more donations to charity this year than any other year! Among the charitable organizations are: American Cancer Society, Susan G Komen, Wounded Warrior Project, United Cerebral Palsy, and Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy.

As the near year approaches, our team is looking for bigger and better ways we can give back to the community. We are looking to participate in even more causes, such as autism awareness and suicide prevention as well.

As our charity programs grow, we feel like all options should be on the table. If you or anyone you know would like to contribute your time, energy, and ideas to makings a bigger impression on the world, please contact our director of operations!

Photo courtesy of Hard Rock Hotel San Diego.

Groove International is proud to announce that we are officially moving into Hard Rock Hotel’s 207 Nightclub in San Diego! Like we do, we plan on celebrating by hosting an epic expansion party in the beautiful city that we have come to call home.

Our first event will be our annual Winter Wonderland Bash on Friday, December 18th, 2015! Brace yourself for a wild night filled with Live Bands, DJs, dancers, photographers, sexy santas, hosts, fake snow, candy canes, and everything else that we can throw in the mix!

Bigger. Louder. Better. Sound The Groove.

| RSVP on Facebook | Purchase Tickets Online | PERFORM|
Note: Tickets are always cheapest when purchasing through a performing act, then online, then at the door.

We are proud to announce that Groove International is officially expanding our parties into the beautiful F6IX Nightclub of Downtown San Diego! To celebrate the expansion, we are hosting our infamouse “RISE N GRIND” Expansion Party on Friday, December 18th, 2015! (21 & Over Event)

Rise N Grind is an incredible Hip-Hop Mixer, where we showcase some of the hottest up and coming talent in San Diego’s Hip-Hop community. We’ll have live acts, DJs, go go dancers, photographers, confetti, and everything else we can throw into the mix to make this event an EPIC night for all!

Come be a part of what can only be described as an EPIC movement in San Diego. Be a part of the rise. Be a part of the grind. Party with whoever’s going to be the next big thing.

| RSVP on Facebook | Purchase Tickets Online | PERFORM|
Note: Tickets are always cheapest when purchasing through a performing act, then online, then door.

Written by: Jeremy Copp

James Lewis has a lot on his mind. And he’s not afraid to share it. In fact, he thinks it’s a musician’s obligation to do so. “As artists, we have a responsibility to report what we see to the world” he says, because he believes the media will only tell us what they want us to hear. And right now, James sees the world as a slightly dark and chaotic place. As the lead singer and songwriter of Hurt and the Heartbeat, he shares hurt, pain, suffering, happiness and joy. He is of the mindset that it all keeps us in balance, like some great cosmic yin and yang. That is really the essence of his band’s name. There is the yin, which is hurt, but there is also the yang, that heartbeat that keeps the blood moving and pushes the body and mind ever onward, towards healing. And that’s the thing. James Lewis is an eternal optimist, with an unshakeable faith in the power of positive thought. He believes that the only way to truly effect change is to spread positivity to each and every individual; and because we are all interconnected, it’ll spread like a contagion. And if he has his way, his band will be the next big epidemic.

Hurt and the Heartbeat originated ten years ago, when James met bassist Raundi Moore Kondo in the park while strumming the guitar in what James refers to as an “organic happening.” But then they drifted apart. Fast forward to two years ago, when James moved into an apartment with rhythm guitarist Richard Cadman, and the two of them focused on working up as much material as possible. James reconnected with Raundi, and they booked their first shows. However, they still needed a drummer. With fortune smiling upon him, James basically ran into drummer Timo Prietto on the street. As James tells it, “Timo just had that energetic look of a musician.” And just like that, the core lineup of Hurt and the Heartbeat fell into place.

James is adamant about not having Hurt and the Heartbeat pigeonholed into any particular style of music. “The most boring question is ‘what genre are you?’” he states bluntly. He prefers to walk out on stage and perform to a crowd that has an unadulterated point of view. Hurt and the Heartbeat has purposefully kept their website and Facebook page devoid of any description of their sound. Therefore, there will be no such spoilers here. Instead, here are some examples of what Hurt and the Heartbeat DON’T sound like: Tool, Outkast, and Rammstein. Hurt and the Heartbeat’s music will make you want to drive through the California desert with nothing on the horizon but endless highway and the late afternoon sun, brilliant and glowing in the sky.

Hurt and the Heartbeat truly want people to react to what they are hearing in the moment. And if James has his way, what people will be reacting to is raw emotion. For him, the emotion of the song is much more important than the sound quality. As James describes it, he has had a rather turbulent relationship with music, even going so far as to give up playing guitar or writing songs for ten years. And then he realized that he was much better off emoting his problems through music. “I’m just like everyone else,” James claims, “F*cked up and trying to deal with my pain on stage instead of with alcohol and drugs.” His openness is refreshing, and he tries to bring that to stage every time Hurt and the Heartbeat performs.

At the time being, Hurt and the Heartbeat are trying to slow down their performance schedule to focus on recording. James says that they are writing their second album, and he already has the songs for a third album in the works. So see them live soon, while they’re still gigging incessantly. Chances are you will find their passion, honesty and energy highly infectious.

See Hurt and the Heartbeat at Groove International’s Sunday Funday Bash on July 12 (House of Blues-Main Stage, Anaheim, CA).

For more information on Hurt and the Heartbeat, visit:
http://www.hurtandtheheartbeat.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hurtandtheheartbeat

Written By: Chelbi Olsen – Groove International’s Assistant Operations Manager

The Suicide Doors – Inside Scoop

The Suicide Doors are a DJ/Producer combination made of up DJ Roueche and DaCapo. I asked them both to to answer some questions that would not only shed some light into who they are as a group but individually. What their goals are, their motivations, their journey, and what we can expect from them in the future. This month we are happy to announce that Groove International will be holding their upcoming CD Release! They will be playing at our Masquerade Bash on June 26th at the Avalon’s Bardot in Hollywood! This date is exceptionally special as both their birthdays are this month and it is on DeCapo’s actual birthday.

DaCapo added that he is, “ reversing in age getting younger by the day. You know…The Benjamin Button/young Will Smith type.” So, naturally, everyone should come check out this fabulously aging man and his partner DJ Roueche .

How would you describe The Suicide Doors?

DJ Roueche describes The Suicide doors and an experience, “ Whether we have shows that are with our Conga Drummer and Saxophone player or a straight DJ set, we’re performing, not just hiding behind the DJ gear.  Our original music, remixes and shows all have an energy to them that sets us apart from most DJ/Producers.”

DaCapo also noted that, “Engaging with our supporters is everything. We want to make sure that every single person after seeing a Suicide Doors show says ‘wow…that was pretty freakin’ awesome…and just DIFFERENT.’ They gotta get their money’s worth & that’s why we pride ourselves on doing everything LIVE.”

What are your goals as DJ’s and producers?

“As The Suicide Doors, our goal is to have us traveling the world playing DJ sets with our own originally produced music while getting into studios with artists and making amazing music for people to dance to.” (DJ Roueche)

“We don’t want to just ‘blend in’ the scene. As we progress in our art we want to establish our own scene; our own sound. This is an opportunity to leave our fingerprint on a music industry that is more receptive to change than ever.” (DaCapo)

Who have been your motivations or influences to creating music that not only moves you, but your audience?

“For me, my biggest influences have been Diplo, A-Trak, Timbaland and The Neptunes/Pharrell.  Especially A-Trak.  A-Trak is the true definition of a DJ/Producer.  He won the DMC Championship (Turntable battle) at the age of 15 and now tours the world showing everyone you can actually DJ live and still put on an amazing show with your own produced music.” (DJ Roueche)

“Hmm…my biggest influences are Quincy Jones, Kanye West, Dr Luke, like 3 of DJR’s picks, and DJ AM on the decks. I’m really big on being able to be versatile and still killing it in different genres and all these guys do that to perfection.” (DaCapo)

How long have you two been interested in DJ’ing and producing music?

“I’ve been DJing since I was 17 and I’ve always been interested in producing music.  I just never knew how to get started.  DaCapo and I used to put a mixtape out together every year starting in 2009 and after we dropped a mixtape in the summer of 2011, we decided 2012 would be the year we release an EP of our own music.  Luckily DaCapo had already started getting into producing and I made some friends who knew how to produce and they all helped me get started.  Producing feels like the next natural step from DJing for me.” (DJ Roueche)

“I started DJing my senior year in high school. Got hurt playing sports, so I needed something else to splurge my time into. I remember my first set of decks were these crappy plastic Numark belt-drive turntables that I got off of eBay for like $150. It was one of those just add water DJ starter kits. I only had 5 vinyl records at the time. So The Prince Revolution and the Star Wars Soundtrack saw the most action. If I was really feeling brave I would throw in The Fat Boys from time to time. My 20 minute old school set game was strong! haha I was always interested in producing when I started djing, but I sucked at the time and I knew it so I stuck to just DJing. One of the most important things about music is knowing what’s not hot. haha. I fully picked up producing in 2012 full force and here we are now.” (DaCapo)

Why did you two decide to start playing together in 2008? What were you drawn to about one another?

“DaCapo contacted me in 2008. I have my own DJ company and he was looking for some new gigs.  We chatted and hit it off right away.  I knew early on we had the same mindset about DJing and the music business.  Working with DaCapo is seamless for me as we are both always on the same page when it comes to where we want to take The Suicide Doors.” (DJ Roueche)

“DJ Roueche is my brother from another mother. It’s kinda scary sometimes how we are almost always on the same page. Dj Roueche’s professionalism is what drew me initially and it’s just very difficult finding someone who is a straight-shooter. No BS. and that’s why we get along so well. and by no fault of his own….the ladies love Roueche. It makes me look better too. LL Roueche is what i’m going to start calling him now. haha.” (DaCapo)

In 2012, you two went from playing with one another to The Suicide Doors. What were your goals in creating this collective?

“Calling ourselves The Suicide Doors was to brand ourselves as something different than the DJ names everyone had known us as individuals up to that point.  I wanted to produce music under The Suicide Doors name and with the DJ/Producer world the way it is now, with these big name DJs traveling the world playing their own music, we decided since we already know how to DJ, let’s also perform as The Suicide Doors but make sure it’s a different sound than what people were used to hearing from us as individual DJs.” (DJ Roueche)

What is it about The Suicide Doors that set you apart from other DJ’s?

“We always mix, scratch and beat match live when we perform.  Not all DJs do that these days.  We can also perform with a Conga Drummer and Saxophonist which always makes for a really cool performance.” (DJ Roueche)

“Like I mentioned a bit earlier, crowd engagement is everything. We like to be one with the folks we party with. You might see me singing some of our lyrics live in the crowd or see DJ Roueche playing the tambourine standing on top of the bar. You name it, and it’s fair game. Nothing’s safe!!! mu-hahaaa.” (DaCapo)

What do you hope to bring to your audience with your upcoming CD release?

“Our first EP was in 2012 and even though we’ve released some remixes, bootlegs and produced a few songs for some singer/songwriters, I hope this EP shows our growth as Producers and gives people an idea of where our music is headed.” (DJ Roueche)

“We want to bring a good time. We want to take our audience on a ride. Different tempos. Different arrangements and compositions. Just a different take on EDM. Even if you’ve never listened to Electronic Dance Music a day in your life, we want that person to appreciate just plain good music.” (DaCapo)

How has your experience been working with Groove International? What do you like about working with us over other promoters?

“Working with Groove International has been great.  What I like the most is how professional everyone is and we all want the same thing, to give everyone who comes to a Groove International event, an amazing experience.” (DJ Roueche)

“The folks at Groove International have been really good to us. Straight up and fair and I agree with DJ Rouche. Professionalism is big for me. I’m also all about positive energy and these guys have it locked.” (DaCapo)

Is there anything you would like to add?

“Yes, we wanted to take this time to simply thank our supporters that continue to ride with us in everything that we do. All of the rehearsals, sleepless nights in the studio, everything, is all to give our folks the best that they deserve. So THANK YOU! You inspire us.” (DaCapo) 

We are proud to announce that Groove International is expanding our events into the prestigious Hard Rock Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter of Downtown San Diego! To celebrate the expansion, we will be hosting our infamous “Sound The Groove” music bash on their rooftop poolside, Float, on Friday, July 17th, 2015! (21 & Over Event)

Our expansion parties are notorious for being over the top. And now that we are expanding further into our beloved City of San Diego, we want to make this as big as we possibly can. Come join us for a wild night filled with live bands, DJs, dancers, photographers, models, beach balls, hosts, and everything else we can throw in the mix! Our last expansion party was PACKED so be sure to come early!

| RSVP to our Expansion Party on Facebook! | Purchase Tickets Online |