Moran Heats Up Miami's Winter Party

This year's winter party dance event in South Beach has a double meaning for Tony Moran.

The veteran DJ, producer and songwriter met his partner Beau Clarke at Miami’s annual Winter Party five years ago. In addition to celebrating this anniversary, Moran will also be spinning as the main DJ at Beach Party on Sunday, March 14.

On top of this, Centaur Records releases Moran’s remix record, “Party Groove: Winter Party Vol. 7,” this Friday, which marks another important achievement for one of the best-known gay DJs.

“The Winter Party is very special to me,” Moran says. “It is a party that I have been going to for years and I have many friends there. The event has consistently delivered so much positive energy and I’m excited about playing the party at the beach.”

The part-time South Beach resident feels that the beach and the daytime itinerary make the Winter Party a very unique event.

“People that usually don’t come out at night will come to the beach event because it is in the afternoon,” he says. “This party is all about acceptance. It is like one big family. You see the young guys dancing with the more mature guys, and the muscle boys dancing with the fat guys.”

Over the past 22 years, the Brooklyn-born DJ has made a big name for himself with chart-topping production and remix work for artists like Celine Dion, Jon Secada, Cher, Janet Jackson and Gloria Estefan. More recently, he has worked in the studio with Donna Summer, Kevin Aviance, Becky Bealing and Deborah Cox.

Moran, 39, started out as a DJ in New York, but soon became involved with making records, which took time away from playing at clubs.

Over the last year, the tanned and toned celebrity has returned to the club scene to take a break from the recording studio.

“I started to get back into DJ-ing when I played Crobar in Miami last year,” says Moran. “I ended up in this enticing wave of the circuit where I get to play a lot of incredible parties and get to meet people with a lot of energy.”

Moran believes that his work as a DJ keeps him fresh as a producer and songwriter.

“DJ-ing keeps me from restricting myself,” he says. “It helps me to keep my ears open for new kinds of music. It is like working out. It helps me to stay creative to not become complacent.”

He agrees that his extensive production skills and experience influence his work as a live DJ.

“I’m very keen on the whole technical part of what I do and on how I prepare for my performance,” he explains. “I love to weave the music in a way that you don’t think, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’ It is all about the flow of the beats and the music.”

Moran credits his drive for perfection as the reason for his success as a producer and songwriter.

“I just have a feeling of what things need to sound like in the studio,” he says. “I’m not intimidated by anybody. I’m focused on doing a great job. When I worked with Cher, I told her exactly how I wanted it to sound even if it would take her five hours to record it.”

The new winter party remix CD represents an important milestone for Moran. In the beginning of his career, Moran did not disclose his sexuality to his fans. This CD finally allows him to share his passion with his adoring gay following.

“I can finally channel my energy to give something back and show people who I am,” he says.

“Tony Moran has been such an amazing addition to our DJ/artist roster,” says Jamie Baxter, spokesperson for Centaur Records. “He puts such positive energy into his nights of spinning and his CD compilations and always offers something unique to the listener. Tony is always first and foremost concerned with the audience.”

The CD includes material by Donna Summer, Haru, JJ Flores, Latin Soul Drivers and the Alegria anthem by Moran and Ric Sena.

The friendly DJ admits that even with all his experience, he gets nervous at times before playing in a live environment.

“I’m very self-conscious about what I do and I can get really nervous before I play many of these parties,” he says. “People make a significant investment to go to parties and I have to do my best to deliver every time. I might not be the best DJ in the world. I just want to be the best I can be.”