Celebrating Friendship with Chus & Ceballos

Having heard much about the wild parties that Groove Cruise was throwing, I was pleasantly surprised to find what a humble and passionate ship they were running a couple years back when I met the team. Not to talk smack about other companies or anything, but it is rare to see a team with such a unified culture of serving and being at such a reachable and personable level with all it’s supporters. Having had the chance to meet Jason on multiple occasions, I could tell that he was the source of why that culture trickled down from it’s leader to the rest of the company.

I was first introduced to Groove Cruise by Kim when she told me what a party it was and how she was going to be a lifer. However, I began to pay attention once I found out about The Whet Foundation, an awesome non-profit Jason started to support different charities. If you want to read more about the awesome adventures they take us cruisers on to give back, you can check out out other feature highlighting that here.

The vision of chartering his own cruise ship came about during a boring family cruise many years back. Although it took him 7 years to charter his own full cruise ship, the journey was nothing less of an interesting one. Whet Travel has chartered about 20 cruise ships up to date and has won the charter partner of the year for both Carnival as well as and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Jason shared his humble beginnings of having built his company on credit card debt and having only one end of the ship for Groove Cruise. Yes, imagine a bunch of weird dressed up people on one end of the ship while the regular folks occupied the rest of the cruise. As successful as the Groove Cruise and Whet Foundation brand is today, there were many challenges that came along the way for Jason, including having no money and needing to work another job during this journey of building his empire. From pre-med to network marketing to selling timeshares, Jason has literally done it all. He had always dreamt of never working for somebody else, and although that didn’t always work out, Jason had his vision set and his work cut out for him. Being a big believer of fun being about not where you are at, but who you are with, he has managed to build a business and brand based on creating once in a lifetime experiences for people all over the world!

We also got a chance to chat about the community service and social giving aspect that many of you may not know about. Even when Jason was dead broke, he always believed in giving back. From working with a charity in Africa that helped kids who lost their parents to AIDS, to running the current Community Captains program and Destination Donation, you can always catch Jason knee deep in the trenches for his projects. I have been on 2 Groove Cruises now and was lucky enough to experience both programs from help kids in orphanages to empowering young kids in becoming leaders.

Neon Owl started because we believed in bringing people together through the universal language of music and creating a worldwide movement to give back. It truly excites me when I learn about other companies sharing a similar vision, leading with purpose and not just profits. Jason is definitely a curator and leader in the industry creating experiences of a lifetime. Check out the full interview below where Jason took Kim and I down memory lane of how he built his empire on just a vision and credit card debt. There are plenty of exciting things coming up for Whet Travel including new ports, new locations, new partners, and new activities coming for all you cruisers! If Jason has one mission it is to always bring the WOW factor into the attendees’ experience, whether you are on cruise number one or number ten.

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FULL FEATURE: https://neonowl.co/jasonbeukema/

Tags: adam scott, andrew rayel, chus and ceballos, dash berlin, david gravell, dj, edm, gcmia, groove cruise, interview, jason beukema, josh philips, markus schulz, music, Nifra, producer, whet foundation

Having known and been Dash Berlin fans for quite some time now, Jeffrey Sutorius of this trio finally sat down with us for an intimate chat during Groove Cruise Miami before some deep house yoga on the decks. He took us down memory lane to how Dash Berlin started, from how they got their name, to how he met the other 2/3 of Dash Berlin (Eelke Kalberg and Sebastiaan Molijn) at the record store he used to work at. In case you didn’t know, the track “Till the Sky Falls Down” came to be picked up by Armada with the help of our other beloved, DJ ISAAC.

Adam Scott has been making waves in the trance scene on the east coast in the last couple of years, with the occasional guest appearance over here on the best coast as well. He has continuously drawn in a big crowd at his residency at Marquee NY and just landed his latest residency at NOTO Philadelphia. You may have spotted Adam playing at massive events like EDC Orlando and Dreamstate, and often opening and closing for the homies Dash Berlin.

We got a chance to sit down with this talented musician during Groove Cruise Miami to chat about his losing a tooth during the best weekend of his life (which also happened to be on Groove Cruise), favorite artists to catch, most memorable moment, and how he could never ever leave the music industry. Keep your eyes open for this one, because Adam’s journey is just beginning. If you pay close enough attention, you may spot a special guest appearance during this interview as well.

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Guestmix: https://soundcloud.com/neonowlco/episode83

https://neonowl.co/adamscott/

tags: adam scott, dash berlin, dj, edm, gcmia, groove cruise, interview, music, new york, nyc, producer, trance

I was like a kid on Christmas day when I saw David Gravell on the Groove Cruise Miami line up! Sam Feldt, Jochen Miller, and Andrew Rayel were up there, but I had never seen David Gravell live before in the entire 3 years I had been following this legend in the making, so this was my chance! His dark energetic trance with techno influences has created quite the distinct sound, and created much buzz the last few years.

Partying with David for 5 days over Groove Cruise was awesome, and he was just as friendly, humble, and adorable as I imagined him to be. His set on Thursday was my most anticipated set of the entire cruise, and he definitely did not disappoint as he tore up The Theater that night! I went into the crowd for almost his entire set, and heard nothing but praise from both fans and those who were strangers to his name. My friends who did not enjoy trance still got a kick out of his set as he brought the house down with his unpredictable high energy set.

We sat down with David the next day to have him take us down memory lane to the present day. We have a favorite artist in common that goes by the name of MaRLo, so you can expect that Neon Owl will be instigating a future collaboration without a doubt. David chats about his amazing first experience at Groove Cruise, the support he has received from Armin van Buuren, to his favorite other hobbies which include snowboarding and skateboarding. We got a peak into his remake of Robert Mile’s classic “Children” and a preview into his first mix compilation “Discover” coming out soon with new original tracks and exclusive music from some of his favorite artists.

David Gravell is undoubtedly the hottest rising star in Armada who has discovered his clear direction as an artist. He has been touring alongside Andrew Rayel for his Moments tour all over the states, with San Jose Civic as the first massive stop a couple weekends back. We look forward to seeing him with his own headlining tour in the U.S. soon! Stay tuned for an epic collab with this guy on our Dance. Give. Inspire. charity line!

http://www.djdavidgravell.com/
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Guestmix: https://soundcloud.com/neonowlco/episode70

https://neonowl.co/davidgravell/

tags: andrew rayel, armada, children, dance.give.inspire., david gravell, dj, edm, groove cruise, interview, jochen miller, marlo, music, producer, robert miles, sam feldt, trance

The last 2 years has been playing in CID‘s favor, but luck came alongside nothing less than extremely hard work. CID has been dominating, getting extreme support from guys like Kaskade, Galantis, and Don Diablo. He has been touring side by side with these heavy hitters and even having his own headlining shows, sooner than he himself even anticipated. Having his dreams come to fruition the last couple of years, CID keeps his head down and continues to grind humbly.

His latest release “Secrets” featuring Conrad Sewell has been flying off the charts the last couple of months. The remixes officially released, including artists like BROHUG, Adrian Lux & DJ Carli, our boy Josh Philips, and of course the one and only Kaskade.

After you peep “Secrets”, don’t forget to check out his interview with us at Insomniac’s Countdown a few months back! We chatted about how his continuous collaborations with Kaskade came about, his favorite house track and the CID original he holds closest to his heart. He gives our boys Win and Woo a shout out in here, so we are hoping for a collab in the near future with these three! We’re going to keep shuffling to these jams as CID keeps crushing it in 2017.

You can catch CID this week at New City Gas in Montreal playing alongside Don Diablo (TICKETS HERE) or Shaky Beats Festival in early May (https://www.shakybeatsfestival.com)!

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https://neonowl.co/cid/

tags: CID, dj, don diablo, edm, galantis, interview, kaskade, music, producer, secrets

When you meet these two you can see how genuine of a friendship they have. It’s no wonder why Chus & Ceballos have been staples on the Groove Cruise. Their contagious smiles, energetic sets with their Iberican sound, and pure kindness make them a perfect fit for the Groove Cruise family.

Before I met them, I had the chance to catch their set at 7am. As tired as us Groove Cruisers were after dancing all night, we managed to muster up the last of our energy to keep going during their set. I admit, I might have been dancing with a bagel in my hand. I was filled with joy, music, dancing and food — what more could a girl ask for.

I learned about how they’ve made their 20+ year friendship and partnership work and what matters to them when they’re playing their sets. We talk about what it means to them to make their music and why what they’re doing could have great impact in the world.

This past year they released their first album, Nomadas. Staying true to their music and not letting the pressures of the changing electronic dance music scene affect them, their passion for their music drives them forward. They’re a pair that are truly to be admired.

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https://neonowl.co/chusceballos/

tags: charity, chus & ceballos, deep house, dj, duo, edm, exclusive, groove cruise, house, interview, legend, miami, music, nomadas, producer

We got a chance to sit down with Nifra for part 3 during Groove Cruise Miami. See what she had to say about her very first Groove Cruise experience. We also took a dive into her current wardrobe and talked about her previous “horrible sense of style.” Nifra has been dominating the trance and progressive scene in the last few years, with the continuous heavy support from Markus Schulz. She will also be playing a classic Coldharbour set during Luminosity Beach Festival this year, so make sure you stay tuned for that! Nifra is no new face to Neon Owl, and we are super excited to partner up with her for our Dance. Give. Inspire. charity line to support building wells in developing countries through generosity.org! Catch a sneak peek of the shirt during the interview, and make sure you check back for the official release during Miami Music Week!

Grab Nifra Dance. Give. Inspire. charity merch! https://neonowl.co/dancegiveinspire

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https://neonowl.co/nifra-groove-cruise/

tags: 

If you’re a trance fan, then you know the name Markus Schulz. He’s had a long successful career as a DJ, producer, one half of New World Punx, and record label owner of Coldharbour Recordings.

I got a chance to catch up with him on The Groove Cruise and preview his next Dakota Project Release, the Nine Skies. I loved sitting there and watching the reactions of all his fans to his latest tracks coming out of this album. It’s based on the nine steps to enlightenment. You’ll learn why he chose to release this album and what it means to his legacy.

What I adore about Markus Schulz is the fact that for all the success he’s had in this world, he remembers where he started and why he’s grateful for the life he’s been given. Watch the interview to learn more about what causes are close to him, the future of New World Punx, and much more.

Also catch his interview with Neon Owl at Dreamstate SF:
https://neonowl.co/markusschulz/

http://www.markusschulz.com/
http://www.schulzmusicgroup.com/
http://www.schulzarmy.com/

https://neonowl.co/markus-schulz-groove-cruise-miami/

tags: charity, coldharbour recordings, dakota, dj, edm, exclusive, groove cruise, interview, legend, markus schulz, miami, music, new world punx, nine skies, producer, trance

It was amazing to finally get to sit down with the legendary, Ferry Corsten, during Dreamstate Socal. Not only is his music out of this world, but he also happens to be one of the kindest and most genuine souls I’ve come across in the industry. It’s not easy to have achieved so much success over a decade and still not have an ego, but Ferry was exactly that.

We got a rare share from Ferry about his highs and his lows as well as his challenges with juggling his career and family. He gave us his thoughts on the possibility of playing with Tiesto again, as well as the potential return of System F! He tells us about how he got his start from playing around with music as a little boy, to his clubbing days, and how he almost went down the path of being an electrical engineer!

We are very glad that Ferry decided to stick with music instead of engineering. His Gouryella set at Dreamstate was nothing short of beautiful as usual. Ferry has been on a high for the last couple of years, and we don’t see him coming back down anytime soon.

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https://neonowl.co/ferrycorsten/

tags: charity, dj, dreamstate, edm, exclusive, ferry corsten, gouryella, insomniac, interview, legend, music, new world punx, producer, socal, system f, trance, uplifting

If you’ve never heard of Talla 2XLC and you are a techno fan, then you need to brush up on your history! Considered one of the founding fathers of techno, he’s been very influential in the electronic music scene. If you ever get a chance to hear him live, do it.

Talla 2XLC has had many releases over the years, some of his recent releases include “Free Your Mind” and his new collab with Pay and White called “Don’t Stop“.

I had the chance to catch up with him at Dreamstate SoCal and it’s evident why he’s been around for such a long time and continues to get support from some of the biggest names, including Markus Schulz. We learn about what’s important to him when he’s playing a set, to his secret passions, and the legacy he plans to leave behind.

http://www.talla2xlc.com/
https://soundcloud.com/talla2xlc
https://www.facebook.com/talla2xlcfansite/
https://twitter.com/djtalla2xlc

https://neonowl.co/talla2xlc/

tags: charity, dj, dreamstate, edm, exclusive, insomniac, interview, music, producer, socal, talla2xlc, techno, trance, uplifting