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Alexander Catala
Written by noiZe Staff
Enter Alexander Catala. Originally from Puerto Rico, he is a traveling professional and a self-described “Circuit pro.” When he went to that final Ice party in the spring of 2004, he was at the end of his Circuit rope. “I was towards the end of my experience. I asked myself, ‘What exactly am I getting from this?’ Traveling and spending all this money - something had to change. The prices were getting astronomical. At that point I had already started contemplating promoting and producing my own parties, but I never understood how I could really fit into that puzzle.” All of that changed when he met Dan De Leon.
Dan remarks, “We complimented each other well. Alex is the quintessential Circuit boy on the dance floor and perfectly understands the Circuit experience from that perspective. I have this sort of worldly musical view from my rave background. The pieces of the puzzle that I didn’t get about the Circuit, what appealed to the gay community, and the part of the puzzle that he was looking for: that’s what I had to offer to him.”
They came together not only as a couple, but as partners with a vision that they could both finally realize with each other. Lattitude Events was born. It was a product of what they each had to offer in a party all their own. They came together not only as a couple, but as partners with a vision that they could both finally realize with each other. Lattitude Events was born. It was a product of what they each had to offer in a party all their own.
The first two Lattitude events were Circuit-style parties completely geared towards the gay community, but with their unique production aspects and impressive roster of guest DJs, they soon became huge successes with both gay and straight LA club-goers. Internationally renowned DJs like Chus & Ceballos, Murk’s Oscar G, and Saeed Younan caught on to Lattitude’s fresh approach to parties and De Leon’s musical vision. The last few events at Avalon Hollywood, one of LA’s leading nightclubs, were so successful that management there has moved it from Friday night to the more lucrative Saturday night slot.
Dan orchestrates the musical aspects of each event, and Alex masterminds all the production aspects and promotional duties that fuel any successful party. “You’re really getting more than just a DJ setting up behind turntables and playing some records. You’re really getting a vision.”
There is no set timetable for Lattitude events because Catala insists that it’s more important to get all the details exactly right for every event than trying to throw as many parties as possible in one year. “It’s a lot of work to do it right. It doesn’t just happen magically: trust me.”
Lattitude has begun to move beyond the shores of California to the high seas. In February, RSVP Cruises brought them onboard to bring new life to the club events on their gay cruise in the Caribbean. The collaboration was successful, and they continued with RSVP on their Mediterranean and Alaskan cruises as well this year. They are slated for this coming February’s Caribbean cruise.
Lattitude Events is a brand and a party tied intrinsically to both Dan and Alex as a couple and as individuals. As Alex explains it, “There is an emotion to every event that comes from between us as a couple.” “Together: that’s the way the formula works,” says Dan. “I don’t think I could have done it without him, or vice versa. It’s definitely a product of the two of us.”
