Grand Rapids’ Jason Beukema has created one of the world’s most successful and unique electronic music celebrations, with this year’s cruise embarking later this week. Todd Ernst has the inside scoop.
Seafaring Spectacle: Groove Cruise boasts 96 hours of music over four nights. (Courtesy Photo)
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In the eight years I have been writing “Looking for the Perfect Beat” for Local Spins, I have always tried to take readers on a deeper dive, a look under the hood, so to speak.
So much so, I often say out loud that I don’t write name-rank-serial-number pieces, which have become so common in the world of electronic music journalism.
To be fair, the publisher gives me a LOT of latitude, but ultimately, as a lifelong music journalist himself, he knows best what tracks in the print and digital world.
To accomplish the aforementioned objective, it necessitates that the subject allow you within their inner circle. In my very first article with Mark Farina, what was scheduled to be a 30-minute call drifted into two hours. Same with Cristoph, of which blossomed into a solid friendship.
Jason Beukema (Courtesy Photo)
Little did I know the impact that interviewing Groove Cruise founder and Michigander Jason Beukema, along with his parents no less, would have on my life.
While I’m not going to revisit every detail from last year’s article for Local Spins, the short of it is that Beukema and I share the same hometown of Grand Rapids, and despite meeting one another a handful of times over the years, we never really had a chance to talk.
And in the case of Groove Cruise’s tagline — “a transformational journey at sea” — never in my 50-something years have I experienced anything that embodies a brand statement quite like this.
This year’s sold-out Miami-to-Nassau Groove Cruise takes place Thursday-Monday (Jan. 22-26) with headliners John Summit and Clonee, and a lengthy who’s who roster of electronic music stars.
Rather than use superlative adjectives to explain everything, maybe it’s easier to just tell you how things went last year.
EMBARKING ON A CRUISE UNLIKE ANY OTHER
As a disclaimer, while most journalists receive media credentials for events and festivals, on Groove Cruise, I paid the same as everyone else. That’s an important detail to share, as oftentimes reviews feel a bit like a sponsored puff piece.
When one arrives at the cruise terminal, the excitement can be cut with a knife. Groove Cruisers are adorned in themed attire, with white denoting what’s referred to as “Groove Cruise Virgins” — so garbed so more experienced folks know who to watch over and potentially help.
To say I was anxious and stressed the day of embarkation is an understatement. To be honest, I’m not even sure why: It wasn’t my first cruise, getting around Miami is hardly a challenge, and I know many of the DJs. But there we were, me not exactly being the best version of me, so much so that I almost don’t dare ask my wife about it.
Walking onto Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, the very first person we saw was cruise founder Jason Beukema. We hugged. I teared up. (I later told his parents I felt bad; they quickly expressed that I shouldn’t, and what I experienced is quite normal, actually.)
After getting to our cabin and settling in, we walked back to the entry area, and there was Beukema, hugging old and new friends alike as they boarded. This continued for hours and might be the most important part of Groove Cruise, as it’s not uncommon for a CEO or founder to be holed up in their ivory tower, hidden behind their handlers and PR team.
Not Beukema, he is as front lines as it gets, and therein lies the defining attribute of Groove Cruise.
EMBRACING THE #GCFam
A decade or so ago, the term “fam” was getting used as slang in social media, especially with DJs and promoters. It was this colloquial effort to be more inclusive, to cause people to think they are not only close, but an important piece of the puzzle. Even then, while much of the time it made sense, just as many times it elicited an eye roll.
In the case of Groove Cruise, once you have experienced just one sailing, you are now part of a lifelong family that can never quite be explained, only experienced. It’s as real as the air you breathe and the water you drink.
Any business school will talk about how the Midwest work ethic is revered and studied worldwide. When you grow up here, it’s as normal as clouds coming off of Lake Michigan, or sounds of steel being hammered in Detroit, which incidentally was the basis in the formation of techno.
“Growing up in Michigan and graduating from Central Michigan University, it’s not hard to imagine the Midwest means a lot to me,” Beukema said. “The Groove Cruise talent buyers always do an amazing job acquiring the best DJs and producers available, so it’s no surprise you can draw a straight line from the Midwest to the very foundation of that talent pool.”
That foundation Beukema speaks of is quite prominent, and as he told me during last year’s interview” “Surround yourself with the best people, and they will make you look like a genius.”
It’s in that spirit that perhaps this Midwest talent foundation featured as part of this year’s Groove Cruise gets the credit it’s due, listed alphabetically below.
Anthony Attalla (Chicago, by way of Detroit, by way of Cleveland) – Attalla has been a Groove Cruise resident DJ from day one, and his “Incorrect Afterhours” sets are darn near as famous as the cruise itself. Aptly named after his prominent record label Incorrect Music, Attalla’s signature galloping groove takes Groove Cruisers on a marathon set often lasting upwards of 8 hours… and no, that’s not a typo. Ask any #GCFam veteran, and they will tell you if there is one set not to miss, this is the one.
https://www.instagram.com/anthonyattalla
https://soundcloud.com/anthonyattalla
Azzecca (Courtesy Photo)
Azzeca (Chicago) – The term “genre-bending” comes to mind when talking about the Chicago native, whether it is at her revered “Dirty Disco” parties, or one of her mood embodied productions. “My sound tends to be dark and sexy, which allows me to experiment with different genres and vibes. The sets are always dynamic; surprising the crowd is perhaps my favorite thing,” Azzecca told Local Spins a few years ago. “My diverse musical tastes offer me extreme versatility as a DJ/producer, resulting from early influential Bristolian electro rock, artists like Massive Attack and Portishead.”
https://www.instagram.com/azzecca
https://soundcloud.com/azzecca
Cristoph (Chicago, by way of Newcastle upon Tyne, England) – A somewhat recent transplant to The States, Cristoph’s work ethic is what sets him apart from his contemporaries. Last year, his slot immediately preceding Eric Prydz on Thursday night set the tone for the weekend, but it was the unpublished b3b with fellow heavyweights Jeremy Olander and Yotto that rocked the ship to its foundation. Touring on the recent launch of his podcast COSmix, along with the success of his full-length release “Life Through a Different Lens,” featuring the global smash “Where Do We Go” (a re-imagination of Alan Parsons Project’s “Games People Play”), Cristoph is one of the few proper offerings of progressive house in 2026.
https://www.instagram.com/cristophmusic
https://soundcloud.com/cristophmusic
Gene Farris (Courtesy Photo)
https://www.instagram.com/genefarris
https://soundcloud.com/genefarris
Green Velvet (Chicago) – If the aforementioned Farris is house music’s ambassador, Green Velvet is its esteemed elder statesmen. Best known for his signature green mohawk, it was his effort as the artist Cajmere and the global smash “The Percolator” that first put him on the map back in 1992. Green Velvet’s ‘secret sauce’ is his ability to continue to evolve and redefine his sound as he has over a three-decade-long career. That was on full display with his technical precision when Local Spins saw him perform at Experts Only Festival (NYC) in September, and EDC (Orlando) in November.
https://www.instagram.com/officialgreenvelvet
https://soundcloud.com/green-velvet-1
John Summit (Chicago) – Drawing generational inspiration from Green Velvet, Summit is perhaps the most in-demand DJ in the world right now, and people are still talking about his Groove Cruise set from 2024. His driving, vocal anthemic smash hits like “Where You Are” and “Focus” are perhaps the best sounds for a group of this magnitude at sea. A brand new amphitheater in Nassau, Bahamas, will be the setting for Summit’s headlining performance in 2026. While there is no official performance scheduled on the Wonder of the Seas itself, both Beukema and Summit are known for having tricks up their sleeve… and Groove Cruise’s talent buyer posted that a cabin has been held back for Summit just in case.
https://www.instagram.com/johnsummit
https://soundcloud.com/johnsummit
Ranger Trucco (Courtesy Photo)
https://www.instagram.com/rangertrucco
https://soundcloud.com/ranger-trucco
Shannon Williams: Back on the Groove Cruise. (Photo/Matt David)
https://www.instagram.com/shannonscottwilliams
https://soundcloud.com/djshannonwilliams
Cristoph: Regaling fans on the 2025 Groove Cruise. (Courtesy Photo)
So over four nights, with eight themes total, 13 stages, and 96 straight hours of music, along with a stop at a proprietary Royal Caribbean island, Groove Cruise was the one thing I thought about every single day of 2025, a voyage billed as “The Realm of Wonder, where every path leads to an extraordinary destiny.”
Indeed, the world’s largest cruise ship by staterooms has been sold out since the spring of 2026, with the 2027 sailing all but sold out before the 2026 ship even leaves port.
Anchored by the belief that bringing people together is at the foundation of Groove Cruise, Beukema’s vision of how people gather and ideas get activated has continued to define a generation of electronic music enthusiasts.
That’s why an entire ship of seafarers looks forward to Beukema’s signature morning announcement: “Goooood mooooorning Groove Cruisers!”
VIDEO: Groove Cruise 2025
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