It’s hard to imagine a time when Peso Pluma and Bad Bunny weren’t in deep rotation in Vegas nightclubs. But roughly six years ago, Olivier Sanchez, also known as DJ Exile, couldn’t dream of it.
“It was really weird to hear reggaeton and Latin music in big rooms. There was no scene. It was always underground,” Olivier says. “There was no Latin Downtown. You would hear DJs play it in their sets, but a focused Latin night? Nothing.”
At the time, Sanchez was one of the only Vegas DJs spearheading Latin music nights in the local scene. He soon developed a reputation for spinning Latin-exclusive parties, capturing the interest of Arnol Aguilar, who he met at Tequila & Turntables, a DJ competition at the former Hyde Bellagio.
“Anything that was Latin, Exile’s name was already on it. Whether it was a Latin Grammy weekend or if it was a pop-up with House of Blues or something like that, Exile was literally always involved,” says Aguilar. “It was one of those steps that was like, this dude is crushing it. We gotta just emphasize it now.”
Aguilar and Sanchez went on to found Altura, an indomitable pillar of the Latin nightlife scene, incorporating an eclectic range of music across its branded parties from reggaeton to bachata. “It’s the stuff that’ll make you say, ‘This isn’t a Latin party. It’s a party for Latinos,’” says Aguilar.
The duo launched its first event in 2020 at Downtown’s Discopussy. The following year, they moved down Fremont Street to Lucky Day, where Aguilar says Altura became the runaway success it is now.
“It was supposed to be a Tulum-inspired bar. Eventually the partnering manager hit us up and was like, ‘You guys have officially changed the whole brand of Lucky Day. There’s no way we’re playing anything but Latin music here,’” Aguilar says.
Since then Altura has grown stratospheric, launching a nationwide tour with its Planet Perreo party and licensing more parties to be hosted elsewhere. Aguilar and Sanchez were also tapped to curate acts for the Rumbazo Latin music fest in 2023, a testament to their exquisite taste.
“The merengue, the real traditional Latin sounds, kids that are barely 21 still know those songs because I feel like as Latinos, we love our roots. It just felt like an authentic Latin party ... We’re not just trying to sell something. We grew up with it,” Sanchez says. “Also, me and [Aguilar] are working DJs. He grew up in quinceañeras, playing underground parties, playing concerts. I grew up with the same thing. It’s as authentic as possible.”
That DJ connection also means you might hear mixes at an Altura party you’ve never heard anywhere else. Aguilar says they’ve been heavily inspired by the SoundCloud era of Latin music, when a lot of producers overseas didn’t have access to YouTube.
“They’d upload their music to SoundCloud, and that’s its own culture itself. That’s how Bad Bunny was discovered,” Aguilar says. “Exile would show me edits, and literally I’d send him edits, and that’s how our sound for Altura just started combining.”
The founders’ roots explain why Altura parties have a duality, feeling mainstream and underground at the same time. Viva El Perreo, their reggaeton party that pops off at Neonopolis’ new Substance club every Saturday, brims with classic cuts and sweaty dancing. In contrast, Altura’s Baja Mundo is a carnival-style, Latin tech-house party. For a more traditional, regional Mexican party, the duo recommends La Pista, Saturday nights at Commonwealth.
Aguilar and Sanchez say they’re grateful for all the recognition Altura has received, but especially from their own culture. Convincing Latinos to come to a Latino party was never a tough sell, Sanchez says. It was getting everybody else on board. Now that Latin music has blown into the mainstream, the duo can keep focusing on making Altura even better.
“We don’t take it for granted, and we actually think about people’s experience. We really, really do,” Aguilar says. “We put a lot of thought into it, and we go back and forth internally to make the best show ever.”
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