Here’s the official press releases regarding the nature of the events that transpired between members of Sazon Booya (causing the end of the groups original lineup), ROT10 Musik, and the Moomba+ And Friends party where   dramatic and disputed events occured.

From Moomba+:

(Please read this statement before continuing to read. We are not starting drama with this press release and the names of those not directly involved will remain confidential. We are NOT commenting on the situation with Sazon Booya. Everything in this post is what really happened during, and leading up to the show, and where we stand.)

Hello everyone and I wanted to post this announcement ahead of the curb and lay everything down and make it clear because we are about to take some actions that might raise some questions in the community and we want to be transparent, upfront, and clear so that we can move on from this.

From the beginning of Moomba+ our team has had one and only goal, to provide the best platform for Moombahton and what that means is taking spectacular artist who are small and   not necessarily big and expose them to a wider audience through different mediums; whether its though broadcasting, blogging, videos, or live shows. On top of just artist we also contact labels to help promote them as well because our belief is that if we all worked together we can achieve something greater. Even with our small size and almost $0 budget we achieve things thanks to the sales and donations from you the reader and listeners.

In the case of Rot10 Musik we have supported them from the beginning with every release whether its Sazon Booya, Minimaxx, Djej, Mr. Vega, Otis, etc all of whom we are fans and have bought music and enjoy their music. We even provided them with a biweekly show on the site where they had a direct connection with listeners. At the same time, they provided excellent content to the stream.

So 2 months ago a venue from Miami spoke to us about doing a show one the Friday of the 2nd week of UMF. We agreed and we decided that we wanted to bring all the people that have supported us to have a place to play at during Ultra. Initially, we got approached by many artists and decided to come and play. We understood that these people to us were family and that we made it clear that after the debts from the show were paid off to investors. We would try and provide compensation to the artist. Again this all stems from our core belief that we are just the medium to provide great music and support this small community deserves because there is so much trust, love, and respect.

Then when we noticed that this could be a big thing we wanted to invest in a headliner and so we saw how Sazon Booya hadn’t been booked so we approached one of their members and asked what their booking fee was. Long story short we agreed on the cost and were completely fine with coming up with the down payment. However it is important to note that the money was going to go to Rot10 Musik and not Sazon Booya. Again my investors were completely fine and we sent out the down payment to that email.

Fast forward 6 weeks before the show when the lineup was pretty much locked and the flyer was going to be made, we were approached by one of Rot10 members who was avidly excited to be a part of this and wanted to help promote and he had some great ideas, all of which sounded fine. When we asked about his fee he just said to give him something for helping out in which we absolutely agreed upon.

2 weeks before the show when we had locked in all of the headliners, we noticed that the Rot10 Musik group had organized a show the day after our show with almost identical headliners, artist, and djs. It was suspicious because we had organized our event months prior and this event has sort of popped up without any event page, mention of venue, or RSVP. However we assured our investors that they were our friends and that it’s all one coincidence.

The situation got even stranger when a week before the event, we found that the date of our show posted on the Sazon Booya page was showing not just that our party was the next day, but it linked the presale ticket link to the wrong site. This would mean that if anyone would buy presales from the link that Sazon Booya made, they would have bought the wrong tickets for the wrong show and probably have a conflict with us when it came to the door. Once again we believed that this was just a small error and we spoke with one of the members of Sazon Booya that he would fix it. TO THIS DATE: You can still go on Sazon Booya’s page and the link for our show would still show it being the 23rd. Screenshot below:

 

 

Less than a day before the event the member who had promised us all of these wonderful promotion texts us asking for the rider and a deposit for the money in which we replied that we had agreed upon that he would be the first to be reimbursed. However, he did not take this lightly and threatened to pull the entire Rot10 crew and other artist out and accused of us not doing anything (when in fact we had been promoting the event page before Rot10 released their event). So after a heated conversation via text we decided to call this member and told him that the final offer was that he would get paid at the end of the night. He didn’t like this and rather than reason with us he threatened to pull out all the acts that were involved with rot10.

 

24 hours before the show, we sent a message out to ALL of the artists involved – excluding the member who had not agreed upon the deposit- with information about the venue, sound check time, and any requests or questions about the show. Right after this message was sent out the member who threatened to pull out all the artist makes what I call a miraculous change in attitude and he appeared to be completely fine. Again at this point I want to reiterate that we did this event on a very low budget and we were not here to make a dime off the artist and we would compensate the djs and artists IF AND AFTER all debts have been paid off to the investors.

On the day of the show, the Miami weather was not cooperating with us, the main room was all wet. Venue engineers were delayed and everything involving the set up the show was delayed for over an hour. As the main room is being setup and the back room still being in the process of assembled, 3 Members of Rot10 arrive at the venue. I greeted them and told them the situation about how the weather pushed everything back. They walked in and came back and said that they only brought USB and refused to dj on anything else. I told them that this was never mentioned by the three of them to me nor did any of their management send me any of their rider or an email with specification of what they needed to spin. I assured them that they could play at a later time that would be better were everything is ready AND they could play for a crowd, all I asked was their patience in the matter. As though if I said something wrong one of the individual accused me of being dishonest. This caught me very off guard because I have been nothing but transparent with this individual who will remain nameless. This artist who  contacted me 5 days before the show and asked if he could play to which I told him he can but it would be late at night or early in the day, and after timeslots were announced he messaged me saying if I could change it to which I respected his request and carried it out. After he got out what he had out of him one of the individuals told him to relax and I didn’t understand what the problem was especially since the rain just delayed everything. I reiterated again the points above (weather and time slots moved up) and still offered to give them a spot later. Clearly this did not work with these individual they left without saying anything to the exception of one member of Rot10 that explained the situation and asked to be understanding to which I agreed yet still puzzled..

 

Immediately after another party associated with Rot10 Musik appeared on the corner. I greeted them and told them the situation with the weather not cooperating and that the audio for the Moombahton room was going to be ready for their timeslots. This did not sit well with them and after coming back 5 min before their set time a manager not affiliated with Rot10 informs us that they will not be playing either. We called their management and they said because we had in some way “disrespected” Rot10 and that they would pull out all the acts related to Rot10, Shakenbass, Sazon Booya, & Blass.

As the night started and people started coming in, Sazon Booya tweets that they would no longer be playing at our show (Mind you we had already give them a deposit). Immediately we reached out to their management but they did not answer so we called the members of Sazon Booya and we got heard back from one of their members Stephen Vasquez. Stephen then reassures me that he and Mystereo will be at the party and performing. He said that he was going to play for his fans that came and that what ROt10 Musik was doing to this show was wrong.

 

Towards the middle of the night Stephen arrives with his party ready to play. I meet up with him to discuss what had happened. Below are the main points that brings up, all of which are FACTS and are backed with evidence.

1. His password credentials for twitter on Sazon Booya were changed and he could not control what was being tweeted.

2. He never knew about the down payment until I had to contact him about the error with the presales.

Immediately, Moomba+ felt that someone was not being honest and all signs pointed towards Sazon Booya & Rot10 Musik Management. We continued to speak up until 15 before his set time and were he walked to the stage to play.

Stephen plays his set for 30 minutes when the unimaginable occurs in what may pain me to write this because I used to have respect for these entire artists. 30 minutes into Stephens set, the manager of Sazon and Rot10 Musik and 2 artist of Rot10 appear at the venue.  Barging through the crowd straight to the stage, immediately security was called to remove the three individuals out of the premise because we were worried about the safety of Stephen Vasquez. Minutes being onstage the individuals refused to comply with security and stayed on stage, and before any the bouncer could get to the 3 individuals, the manager of the Sazon Booya first attempted to forcibly grab Stephen Vasquez off the deck however after that did not work proceeded to wreck the main stage and disconnect every single cable on the CDJ and Mixer cause the audio to cut. The 4 individuals were then removed from premise and the people who came to see Sazon Booya were left dissatisfied.

With the audio being fixed and people leaving the venue, we had to ensure the safety of Stephen and his guests. While rides were being arranged, the Rot10 Musik people stood outside the door, waiting for Stephen Vasquez to go outside.  It was then we knew Stephen Vasquez needed to be escorted safely out of the premise away from the Rot10 Musik crew and such the members of Moomba+ safely escorted to his ride.

Because Rot10 Musik has shown to be managed by a collective who believes violence, coercion, and deceit are just “part of the game” we at  Moomba+ and all of its members will not support or be affiliated with Rot10 Musik nor any 3rd Parties associated with them. All posts and music related to Rot10 or all of its artist will be deleted from this site. We are opening a case about the deposit that was sent to Rot10 Musik and we will see to it that we are refunded for the service you failed to provide  by having your “management” impact the party.
Actions speak louder than words Rot10, and to go out of your way to mislead Sazon Booya’s followers in putting the wrong date and giving them the wrong link for presales, threatening us with pulling out all the acts because of ONE down payment we NEVER agreed upon a day before the show, their lack of communication when it came to the equipment that was needed from them, and causing physical harm to Stephen Vasquez we feel that your principles represent what is wrong with the “music scene” and we don’t want to be in any way associate with that negativity.

From ROT10 Muzik:

This official statement press release is intended to clear up any public issues or concerns regarding the future of Sazon Booya, as well as the relationship between Stephen Vasquez (pka DJ SAV) and Rot10 Musik.

Foremost, Stephen Vasquez (pka DJ SAV) is no longer a member of Sazon Booya or the Rot10 Musik family. The incident that took place on Friday evening/Saturday morning in Miami at the Moomba+ promoted event at Eve was the culmination of a series of events involving Mr. Vasquez that both led to his termination and furthermore jeopardized the Sazon Booya and Rot10 Musik brand.

Since the inception of Sazon Booya, Joshua Vega (pka Mr. Vega) has been the sole producer. No music in the Sazon Booya catalog has been produced by Stephen Vasquez. Stephen’s role in the group was always as a videographer and DJ. At the same time, Mr. Vega’s role consisted of being a DJ, producer, graphic artist, handling all social media, EP releases and working as a booking agent as well.

Over the duo’s lifespan, Stephen’s involvement with videography decreased as he handed off duties to Jason Ano, Robert Dume and James Defina. Given that this was one of his duties in the group, this was problematic. Ultimatums were given to Stephen about the balance of duties within Sazon Booya, and he never changed the situation on his end. While in Miami, those existing issues – exacerbated by Stephen’s inability to maintain his responsibilities as a member of not only Sazon Booya, but the Rot10 Musik team – again were exposed, leading to his dismissal.

On Thursday, March 21st, Stephen Vasquez was fired from Sazon Booya and Rot10 Musik, and furthermore, all social media passwords and login information were changed preventing Stephen from accessing the accounts since he was no longer a part of the team.
Regarding the Moomba+ event on Friday, March 22nd, as well as the issues regarding Stephen Vasquez at said event, the entire story must be told.

Rot10 Musik artists Sazon Booya and Kid Cedek were hired to play the event. Both acts were made offers to play but only one was partially honored. Kid Cedek made a verbal agreement with Moomba+ webmaster/site owner Tony Forns for a set price that was lower than his usual rate but was a favor to Mr. Forns and for the benefit of the party and artists involved. As well, Cedek secured corporate product sponsorship and the services of DJ Blass. Just prior to the event, Mr. Forns went back on his agreement, which ended in a less than satisfactory manner for all parties involved. As a result of these actions, Kid Cedek informed Mr. Forns that he would not be playing due to the nature of their communications.

On Friday evening, Rot10 Musik artists Minimaxx, DJ EJ and OMF arrived at the venue to find equipment both faulty and not set up, and were told that set times were being pushed so some people would not be able to play. That being said they waited to get answers as what to do and after less than favorable conversations with Tony Forns, Rot10 Musik pulled itself from the event. Ape Management – Rot10′s business partners – were then alerted that the label’s involvement in the event needed to be cancelled. Mr. Forns was notified, and posts went out on Twitter and Facebook that Rot10 Musik would not be playing the event. The deposit given to Sazon Booya has since been returned to the event’s investors.

Insofar as the “Sazon Booya” set played by Stephen Vasquez at the Moomba+ party – given that it occurred both long after Stephen was fired from Sazon Booya and Rot10 Musik – as well as after Rot10 Musik has cancelled their involvement in the event, it provided cause for alarm. Thus, Sazon Booya’s manager, as well as artists Kid Cedek and Otis Clapp went to the club to ask Stephen to stop playing. Sazon Booya’s manager walked on stage by himself and asked Stephen to stop playing as Sazon Booya because he was fired and no longer a part of the group. When Stephen refused to stop, the manager proceeded to pull out the chords from the mixer and CDJs to stop the music. Stephen then began to alert the crowd to what was happening, and the manager pulled the mic out of his hands to cease the issue. Soon thereafter, tensions were calmed between Stephen and Sazon Booya’s management by on-stage security. Finally, Sazon Booya’s manager, Kid Cedek and Otis Clapp were then asked to leave, and immediately left the premises.

Regarding the above described situation, event promoter Angel Castro states the following: “The cancellation of Rot10 Musik and Sazon Booya was caused due to lack of communication on behalf of Tony Forns and myself. Stephan Vasquez was paid on the date of the event to play as DJ SAV (not Sazon Booya). Stephan Vasquez was not assaulted nor did anyone “destroy” the main stage. The CDJs were disconnected by Stephan’s management so he would stop representing Sazon Booya @ Eve Miami on the night of 3/22/13. Only Otis Clapp, Kid Cedek, and Sazon Booya’s manager were present and the time of incident.”

In an attempt to move past the unfortunate events of the past week, Mr. Vega has planned a release for the fans and supporters of not just his music, but of Sazon Booya and Rot10 Musik who have remained patient during this entire debacle. More information on this FREE, brand new music will be forthcoming in the immediate future.

From SAV:

When you start any partnership even outside of music two individuals come together to unite their talents and thus come together to start a business. Sazon Booya was not any different. Personal matters should be handled privately and not scattered across the Internet but since a statement was released I feel the need as an artist to defend myself from false accusations.

To say that I did nothing but video saddens me. All of our biggest shows with Skrillex, Knife Party, Sidney Samson, Afrojack, Diplo, Rusko and a slew of other big shows were made possible because of my relationship with a promoter who always believed in my abilities before the group was even formed. It’s no secret that I was never a producer when this all started but because of my video/film background, affiliations with credible producers, promoters, labels and booking agencies Joshua Vega agreed to start this group with me. Overtime he showed me the ropes and even demanded that I learn production…so I did. My partner knows what songs I helped produced and I’ll let that rest on his conscious. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him as a producer and if it were not for him I would not be a producer today. I learned a great deal from him and for that I will always be grateful.

Mystereo and myself love our fans and would do anything to keep them happy, anyone who has met us or been to any of our live shows knows this firsthand. We played a show in Miami for our fans and our former manager shut us down, nothing will ever change that because it happened. That conduct speaks for itself. Mystereo and myself informed the organizer of the event Tony Forms that we had no return tickets to get back home because our manager never booked our return flights from Miami. Tony and the promoters compensated us to book our flights.

Let this be a lesson to all aspiring producers who wish to form DJ groups or duos, always have EVERYTHING in writing. Create agreements between you and your partner(s) and make sure you TRUST your manager. Unfortunately I trusted a friend and brought him in to manage a group I created and he removed me from a group two days after a major record deal came to fruition. A deal I made possible.

It’s sad that things had to end like this but more importantly Mystereo and I would like to apologize to the fans because they are the ones who ultimately get affected by all of this nonsense.

We will forge ahead with our heads high and will continue our careers in music and entertainment. Sazon Booya posts will not reflect any of our views or opinions so for further updates please visit us on

Twitter: @stephenavasquez
And @mystereomusic
facebook.com/djsavnyc

We wish Mr Vega all the success in the world because he deserves it.

God Bless
“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps, the end of the beginning.” — Winston Churchill

From Sazon Booya’s Hype Man – Mysterio:

For the past two years, I have dedicated my life to touring with Sazon Booya as their hypeman. A duty, I considered an honor and a privilege, and treated more as a life style than a job. Despite the fact that DJ SAV was the one who brought me into the group, I was always straight down the middle in terms of my loyalty, love, and support of both members. Otherwise, what kind of hype man would I have been? However, as time went along; particularly within the introduction of “our” new manager, (who SAV, mistakenly, brought into the group himself); the dynamic within the group seemed to shift; ultimately culminating into this debacle that has shaken my world to the core. I never wanted to be put in a position where I would have to take one side over the other. However, these current circumstances, leave me no choice, but to state the facts as best as I witnessed them throughout my two year stint with Sazon.

When our new manager was brought into the group; his very first order of business was an attempt to phase Mystereo out by making him a separate entity from the brand. He expressed to SAV and Vega that their energy was enough; and Mystereo being on stage the entire time, was simply an added distraction. From inception; it appeared as if our manager wanted this to be a two person group; most likely for financial reasons. The only member of the group who saw the importance of my character being directly tied into the brand; and stood up, and fought to keep it that way, was SAV. SAV is a filmmaker and storyteller who understood the added cinematic element that Mystereo brought not only to the live show, but to the overall brand as well. This was evident in his decision to turn Mystereo’s origin story into a comic, which he not only wrote, but also facilitated by finding and hiring the graphic designer/artist (Harlie Rose) who drew the comic. However, to say that SAV’s work on the creative/video end is where his contribution to Sazon Booya ended, is a downright fabrication. SAV had developed a plethora of resources and connections over the years through his work on the Electro Wars documentary, and his overall ability to express a humility to people that make them want to help him. That being said; everything from Sazon’s appearance on MTV to all of their biggest shows (The Knife Party show at Pier94, Afrojack/Diplo, EDC, etc.) were all facilitated by SAV, himself, through his connection with a Pacha promoter.

SAV approached Mr. Vega with the idea of Sazon Booya, not as a producer, but as an eager, determined, filmmaker/ fan of electronic music. However, if there’s anything I’ve observed about SAV in my time being around him; it is that he is constantly striving to improve himself, and add new accolades to his already impressive arsenal. Through their time working together, I have actually been present for several sessions in which Mister Vega trained SAV on the art of production. And if I may say so myself, SAV truly did learn from the best. I have personally heard the new music that SAV has been working on, in which he dabbles with new sounds. And all I can say is that once this e.p. is released to the world; the music will speak for itself. That being said, it is true that SAV did utilize several of his friends/associates (Ano, Dume, and Defina) from the film/media/video world) to help contribute to the video end of Sazon Booya, as more and more of his time was dedicated to perfecting his producing skills, and facilitating deals with labels, promoters, etc. However, as any of those three talented gentlemen he employed to help out on video content would tell you themselves, he and I were always heavily involved in the conceptualizing, organizing, and production of all content.

As far as the music production end is concerned; I, myself, had the privilege of being able to sit with SAV and Vega on several studio sessions, particularly in the early half of the group’s tenure. In the beginning, it should be stated that there certainly was a camaraderie between the two on all levels. A DJ duo simply does not rise to the top as quickly and efficiently as Sazon Booya did without a clear camaraderie between two talented parties both lending their expertise. That being said, SAV and Vega would work together on music, and Vega was always open to all of SAV’s suggestions; Sometimes, he agreed with SAV’s contributions and made it work, and sometimes he didn’t—As any artist in any field would tell you, that’s simply the creative process, and there’s nothing wrong with disagreement, as long as it ends in compromise. Vice versa on the video end, SAV and Vega had a similar arrangement (even with the conceptualization of the comic), in which SAV always considered and respected Vega’s inputs, and they would work it out accordingly. However, as time moved along; particularly, once Vega had the full support of “our” new manager in his corner; things started to change. Vega, no longer took any suggestions or input from SAV. On the contrary, he began to make music on his own, often behind SAV’s back; and once the track was complete; he would refuse to go back and change what he had worked on. However, he still wanted to have the same say he had always had on the video end, often shooting down ideas that myself and SAV would come up with. SAV expressed this concern to “our” manager, who only seemed to address Vega’s concerns and complaints, but did little to address the points that SAV was making. I found myself writing emails to all members of the group, attempting to get them to see eye to eye again, and work together in the same light that they did when they first started. These emails, I feel, are a managerial duty; however, upon noticing that “our” manager was truly not acting like a manager, I felt that as the group’s hype man, I had to at least it was at least make an attempt to save this sinking ship. Both members acted favorably to my email, however, “our” manager never made an attempt to have the two get in a room together and discuss everything moving forward, as per my suggestion. And this set the stage for the debacle we’ve come to know as our 2013 Miami Music Week experience.

Once in Miami, SAV received a phone call from “our” manager stating that he had been removed from the group. Now, I consider myself to be an extremely loyal person. It’s something that I pride myself in, and have always lived my life by. For that reason, when I realized what had happened: (“our” manager had gotten one step closer to his ultimate goal of turning Sazon Booya into a two man group); there wasn’t a doubt in mind, that I would be standing in SAV’s corner, just as he had stood in mine. There was no way on God’s green Earth that I was going to allow anybody to phase SAV out of his own group. For this reason, I could not maintain the loyalty I once had to Rot10 and Vega, as much as it killed me because I truly consider a lot of those guys family.

SAV’s support of my character was not where his support of me ended. That brings me into the discussion of money, which is no coincidence that I’m mentioning this last because my love and passion for the group, and the art we were creating always came first. I’m not a money hungry animal; rather, I simply wish to get paid in a timely fashion so that I could pay my bills and ultimately survive. Like so many other things I have mentioned in this statement; my payment situation worked perfectly fine for me in the beginning, but got increasingly worst, particularly with the introduction of “our” new manager. The agreement always was that SAV and VEGA each gave me an equal amount that I had agreed on, (and wish to not disclose) out of their sum from the shows. I want to reiterate so there’s no confusion; it was Vega and SAV’s responsibility for paying me (as per our deal) and not the Rot10 label. There were several accounts I recall in which, Mr. Vega either went out of state to play solo gigs as Mister Vega, or was locked away in his studio working on music; During these times, weeks and (sometimes even months) would go by before I would see the half that was owed to me. I, personally, put that blame less on Mister Vega, and more on “our” manager who’s job is to see to it that I be paid in a timely fashion. Regardless, each time that happened, it was SAV who would dip into his own pockets to compensate me, and make sure that I wouldn’t go hungry or be late on bills.

As it stands, I still have not been paid in full for the Mansion show we played nearly three weeks ago in Brick New Jersey. The money from that show was placed in our manager’s hand, and due to a particular set of circumstances and confusion, that money was not dispersed amongst the three of us right away. Despite several attempts and phone calls I made to “our” manager; I was constantly given the run around. While in Miami, he paid me 40 percent of the money owed to me. I have already accepted at this point that I will never see that money. As for the 40 percent I was given; it was good enough for one Miami meal. Long and short of it; once SAV was kicked out of the group; and it became clear to everybody that I would not take part in any shows unless SAV was present; “our” manager left Miami with Mister Vega, and they continued to play all our paid gigs without us. Now, I was left in Miami with no money in my pocket (I had been depending on those paying gigs), and no return flight home. In fact, the only reason I was able to get back home was due in part to the money I collected from the Tony Form’s event we played—An event that I wasn’t even doing for the money, but rather for the fans. I guess in the end—Good karma got me home. It should be stated, however, that the only ticket I could really afford at that point, was far from a direct flight, as I had to make several lay over stops, and ultimately ended up taking a five hour bus ride home from D.C. Between all the layover stops, waiting in the airport, waiting for the bus, etc; I literally had to travel over 24 hours to get home, leaving Miami at 6 in the morning, and not arriving home until 11:00 a.m. this morning, when I was lambasted with phone calls regarding the statement. Going on zero sleep; One could only imagine how hurt, enraged, and down right discouraged I was at this point. I hope that everybody understands why I needed to write this statement. I know that it will rub some people the wrong way, and that upsets me; but there isn’t much I could do about that at this point. I loved and believed in this group..I put my life in danger every time I stepped outside in a public area (wearing my face), whether it be in the airports, or the island of Puerto Rico, where the natives didn’t take too kindly to my shenanigans..I did it all in the name of Sazon Booya, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat–but everybody has their limits. And I have reached mine. The only thing that I’m most grateful for is that Baby Eddie passed before he ever had to witness the demise of Sazon Booya because this has truly been the saddest week of my life. I am uncertain of the future. I can only send out my love to the fans, my thanks for their continued support, and my undying promise that no matter what I do…I will always go hard—I will always go in—And I will always give everything I do my absolute 100 percent. Because that’s just what I do.

Please note that the Sazon Booya page will no longer reflect my or SAV’s personal opinions on any matter since we are no longer in the group and no longer have access to any Sazon Booya social media.

For any updates on us please visit our twitters @mystereomusic and @stephenavasquez

Mystereo

Live For Live Music Interview with Sazon Booya: