Hosted during a store’s regular hours, Late Night Madness initially launched as a way to appeal to a younger, more experience-inclined clientele. It has slowly spread to other Seafood City locations across California and the West, including Nevada; Sugar Land, Texas; Canada, and, most recently, Chicago.. Oversaturation in the nightlife scene, low pay, and “horror stories” of feeling unsafe in clubs inspired Breganza to think outside the box for opportunities. Seafood City, he says, trusted his interpretation of how a Filipino American party would look.. “If you’ve been around Filipino culture, we know how to make something out of nothing and party anywhere, at any time, to celebrate with each other,” he says. “I play to honor the way I felt at those house parties, but I want to touch every generation. It’s a very cultural event, that’s what sets it apart. But you don’t have to be Filipino to join in.”. In true pop-up fashion, these parties aren’t dictated (or deterred) by the size of the produce section or checkout counter.. Photo by Angel Montalvo for Tequila Cazadores. MUNDO Soundsystem, a trio of DJs Guari, Rich Pascasio, and Flako (the latter known as Dos Flakos), transform bodegas in the Bronx, redefining nightlife with culturally driven raves.. At MUNDO, it’s crowded, it’s hot, it’s sweaty. As the bass thumps, the cooks behind the deli counter make slinging chopped cheeses “look like hibachi,” Flako says.. The Bronx natives say popping up in the bodega was the natural choice. After recognizing many neighborhood faces at their regular gigs in Brooklyn and Manhattan, the trio says they realized there was a lack of party venues uptown and in the Bronx. “The bodega is the nucleus of the community,” says DJ Guari says. “You can buy anything, you mingle with different people, you end up talking, you get comfortable. You’re at home, there’s no separation from your people.”
