Jose D. Duran

Poplife founders Barbara Basti and Aramis Lorie.

Nine years is a lifetime in clubland. It’s hard to stay relevant in a business in which the trends change as fast as the minds of the people who frequent it. So when perennial indie party Poplife turns 9 this weekend, you better believe all of clubland will be scratching their heads wondering how the hell did they pulled that off.

Barbara Basti and Aramis Lorie, the creators of Poplife, have for the most part stayed true to the formula that made them a success: play the dancefloor staples patrons have come to expect but introduce new music to stay on the cutting edge. New Times sat down with the pair at PS14, one of their many businesses, to discuss the infamous night, I/O, Miami’s nightlife history and what the future holds for them and Poplife.

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The contrast between Jamey Jasta, normal guy relaxing, and Jamey Jasta, frontman of crushing metalcore latter-day legends Hatebreed, is striking. Onstage, the compact 29-year-old is a man possessed by righteous rage, lathering up a roiling pit of burly guys who pressure-cook just short of a full-blown melee. Often rocking a hardass-style tied bandanna around his skull, pacing the edge of the stage with animal energy, he looks as ready to throw down as he is to, um, bro down.

But as a regular guy, lounging in the back of the tour bus, Jasta is, well, kind of sweet. He’s articulate, friendly, smaller-seeming, almost boyish. (I had to suppress the urge to either give him a hug or rub the downy surface of his tawny, peach-fuzzed head).

Cofounding Hatebreed when he was barely 16, Jasta has morphed from hardcore-scene cult figure to a leading figure in contemporary hard rock at large. He’s accomplished this by leading the band through the d.i.y.-inspired, stay-true-to-yourself-ethos he inspires, and by constantly experimenting with new ideas, sounds, and collaborators. As such, Hatebreed is, five albums in, one of the few underground bands to poke into the mainstream while still retaining the loyalty of most of its original fans.

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