LP Mixtape #07 | Coco Hara
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY COCO HARA | THE DJ HAS A nightlife POP-UP coco's playhouse AT THE RED BAR & ARCADE at the catalina hotel.
Eight Questions with Coco Hara
What inspired you for the mixtape and how did you choose the songs? My style of music is open-format, so I play everything from 80’s hip hop to house – this playlist is like a pre-game playlist, to get you ready for a night out.
What was your very first job as a DJ?
I learned to DJ when I was 16, I had a mentor who had a residency at the Fontainebleau – he still does – and he got me my first job at the Bleau Bar.
Go-to song to turn up?
What I play at the clubs that people always react to is It’s Tricky by Run-D.M.C. It's Tricky to rock a rhyme...
Do you have something you have to have when you are DJ-ing?
All I need is the right place, the right vibe, the right people.
Last time you were nervous before a gig?
In the summer of 2013 after I graduated from college, I was asked to DJ for two nights for 40,000 people at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. I was nervous and excited, but it went well.
How did the concept for Coco's Playhouse come about?
I have been DJ-ing a lot and felt like there was something missing in Miami, where you could be relax, have fun and kind of be an adult child. So I partnered with The Catalina Hotel to create Coco's Playhouse as a playground for adults – board games, arcade games, beer pong, a boombox, I even made the cocktail menu.
What is your favorite arcade game at the pop-up?
Pac-man, I actually just got my nails done with a Pac-man theme.
First arcade game you ever played?
Pac-man or Pinball. It’s a toss up.