Crush is a staple in Orlando.

A legendary party.

A one of a kind movement that sparked a dance music revolution in this town… and next monday we will say goodbye for the final time.

When this party started the downtown Orlando clubs were immersed in hip-hop, and top 40 music. Dance music had died in Orlando, and had been officially dead for a while. Pauly Crush AKA Paul Geller went against the grain when he started Crush. This was not a copycat party, this was the original. If not for Crush we would have never seen parties like “Takeovr” or “Riot!“, and the snowball effect that all these parties have had on dance music both in Orlando and across America. Pauly Crush officially announced today via his Crush e-mail list that he was moving on, and that Crush was coming to an end.

On a personal note, I would like to say that this party and Pauly Crush have been inspiring to me. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him. He is a legend in Orlando, the Michael Jordan of the underground dance movement in Orlando. What he accomplished will never be duplicated, yet often imitated. Below is the mother of all farewell letters… I swear Pauly Crush knows how to pull on those heart strings.

I will see you all one last time at Crush, this Monday night.

A FAREWELL TO CRUSH

I have trouble letting go.

Those of you that have known me for the near decade that I’ve been spinning and promoting knows at least that. Even if we’d only met in passing; or maybe you didn’t think you were cool enough to be my friend at all (promoting sort of produces some aura of elitism,) you’ve still seen the ups and downs of the events I’ve done all over the U.S. I didn’t care how you dressed or that you were broke as shit. You know I always tried to keep CRUSH, PULP, S/T accessible. It’s because you are all my brothers and sisters.  I mean that. People give me a lot of credit that I don’t deserve for the dance music scene that exploded in Orlando under my watch. The truth is, you’ve made me what I am today, so don’t be afraid to give me a hug on the 11th whether you think I know your name or not. I’ll have trouble letting go of you too.

You were there through some pretty crazy times: PULP, Saturday / Thursday, J.E.S.U.S. Those close to me saw me go through three major personal tragedies in that time, two only just weeks ago. Those have shaped my decision to close Crush more than anything. It’s not about money. (It never was.) It’s about learning when to let go.

As has become a sad tradition, I like to mention some of the people who have been amazing in their support. Eight years. So many people. But it goes without saying that there are Back Booth staffers who went above and beyond in their support and friendship: Aaron and Adam, Josh and Jeff. Chris Anderson. You are my brothers. The dozens of bartenders, security and support staff I’d seen come and go, not one of them would I wish anything but the best of.

I wish I could name all of the door people and deejays that have worked for me. I have half a heart to try. Okay. Let’s work backwards: Andrew Kublinski, Alex Mirling, John Haglof, Justin Allen, George Skrapitz, Evan Strange, Anita Fields (Miron), Sean Egon, Matt Cash (Now rolling with DFA), Jessica Who (the self-appointed queen of Miami), and so many guests. Those of you who are still with me: I love you and I want you to succeed. I’ve been a shadow over you, deservedly or not, for a long time and I am excited for all of you to step out. The CRUSH alumni have spread far and wide. They’ve thrown parties in LA, NYC, Miami and Chicago. We are a pedigree.

There were so many door girls. But a few that became my close friends. Brittney, Lindsay, Hailey, Allison, Kate. Lisa Herman gets a special thank you because I couldn’t have started the party without her. Meghan, my best friend and confidant. Tim for all those early morning drops. My former partner Isaac who got me into promoting in the first place. Josh (Revolver), Barbie and Aramis (Poplife) who I credit for starting the indie-dance revolution in Miami that spread across the states. Really. It was them and there before it was in LA and NYC. Trust me. I just moved it into new markets.

The street teamers. There must be close to a hundred. You’ve all done your share to make Orlando a better place to live. Kevin and Jason over at SFC (and their many friends), who have taken the ball and run with it. I hope they can keep their independence in this onslaught of corporatized party networks, that I am probably partially responsible for inspiring, albeit with regret, as well. I hope they never learn to let go, so I have a place to hang here in Orlando when I come visit.

Of course, I need to thank our fans and supporters. You all are so special to me but everyone goes through phases. Lots of the faces that were there when we started 8 years ago have moved on. However, Marvin and Mary are staples that you will see to this very day. Adrian, who introduced me to the love of my life, things may not have worked out but I won’t forget what you did. Thank you.

But what of me? Why this abrupt decision? Well, I’m moving to New York.

I know what you are thinking: just another hater who outgrew Orlando and moved-on. But, it’s not like that. I have real work to do. I’m going to write female-fronted pop music and do startups. I’m going to fight this epic lawsuit and I am going to continue to help spread music in an open environment on open platforms to open people. I’m going to help create products that revolutionize media delivery, that change the way people think about government and most importantly, that bring the most amount of happiness to the widest array of people possible. I’m going to pet some cats.

This is not the end for you and me, Orlando. I was born in New York and I grew up in South Florida but when people ask me where I’m from, I’ll always say Orlando. It’s just time to let go.

Thanks for partying with me. Let’s do it one last time.https://www.facebook.com/events/373308476051159/

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<3 Pauly