Jezus Juice spouts off: System 33 reunion at Triple Rock tonight!

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House music once had a place in Minneapolis -- a heavenly place above techno, psytrance, minimal and all other subgenres of electronic music that have since come to the forefront in the Twin Cities. Ten years ago (and beyond), a fan could sweat away the midnight hours at the Quest, First Avenue, Sursumcorda (how's that for a blast?) and tons of afterhours parties. These days though, you have to go on quite a trek in the city to find a place where soul-grabbing 4/4 beats and diva vocals reign. One of the hot spots of ye days of olde was System 33 at First Ave., led by DJ Jezus Juice and friends (Jiz Tha Goods, Alfredo, Echo, Strangelove, Dirty Mackenzie, Dean Vaccaro, CeeBee, MPLS Soul Music and more...). The energy was always thick and wasn't like today's dance parties where so much of it is about your look and getting wild for the sake of it. At System 33, everyone came for one reason and one only: To dance.  Tonight, that ethos is celebrated with a reunion featuring Jezus (aka Tim Schweitzer) and his Tambuca live house troupe. We caught up with him after many years and asked him about the reunion and what's been up.

Gimme Noise: What was your absolute favorite memory from System 33?

Jezus Juice: That's a tough one, way too many. First, standing on the stage with First Avenue's Managers Molly McManus and Chris Olson on our first completely packed night, with a line down the block - can't beat that. Also, the weekend after the Winter Music Conference in Miami, the DJs rotated and played all of their new tracks. Unbelievable.

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GN: What was special about System 33 to Minneapolis? Why did people come back again and again?

System 33 was a 21+ weekly house music "event". We constantly moved the DJs around the room and played with First Avenue's space to give people a different experience every week. Back then there was nowhere to hear house music -- just a few things here and there, but not a weekly at a big venue. I think people missed the music they heard at Rogue [which sat where Foundation was]. Plus, the energy at System 33 was amazing - "house music all night long!"

GN: Do you think house has lost its place in the city?

I don't think it's lost it's place as far as quality. Quality house is still being produced locally and played in Minneapolis, but hearing it out on a "weekend event" is rare. DJ's are still playing good house music, but in the middle of the week and in a small venue.There just isn't a big venue playing soulful, deep, funky, vocal house [on a regular basis].

GN: What did you think when you heard about the System 33 reunion? Are you sad it's not at First Avenue?

I thought, "Wow, has it been 10 years?!" and "Yes! That sounds like a great evening of friends and music!" The top questions I've been asked about this reunion: "Why is this not at First Avenue?" and "Can I get in with my VIP Card?" I think it's just great that Chris Olson at the Triple Rock thought about it, threw it out there for discussion and the response has been incredible! Everyone is excited to vibe together again and that's good enough for me.

GN: What have you personally been up to since System 33 closed?

Since System 33, I have continued to DJ parties and events, play with Tambuca, co-produce music for Soulfood Media and hold residencies as smaller lounges like the Caterpillar Lounge and Moto-i. I'm also a working visual artist, landscape designer and illustrator.