Milwaukee's Mantra Lounge Owners Are Making the Music for the Market

Ever so often a partnership forms in this industry that is so remarkable, it begs for its story to be told. Call it fate; call it fortune — time, creativity and ambition have a way of perfectly aligning to produce a club concept that simply was meant to be — and this is precisely the case with Milwaukee’s Mantra Lounge.
    The minds behind Mantra, Mike Vitucci and James Amato, are an unlikely business duo at first glance, but that’s what makes their concept all the more intriguing. The 41-year-old Vitucci, who has 20 years experience managing clubs in the area, offsets the rising star drive of 27-year-old Amato, who already has established himself as a promotions and music maverick. Together, these guys are the pisans of profit, and Mantra Lounge is the proof.
    Much like the defining elements of Chi, as Amato says, the club balances the differences between a Martini lounge component and a progressive music component — and it does it flawlessly.
    “It’s posh without being pretentious, slick without being flashy, and above all, it brings together a diverse clientele who drink and dance to the best sound and light system in Milwaukee,” Vitucci says. “And we’re just getting started,” adds Amato.

Creating the Vibe
    At nearly four years young, Mantra’s impact on the local populous has been impressive to witness since its doors were opened and its promotions came to life. Many club operators across the country may not be aware that Milwaukee has had a strong and virtually unrestrained underground dance music scene, but Amato, Vitucci and Co-owner Jose Claudio recognized the potential there, and today they and their club are flourishing along with it. Initially, the challenge of making the market fit the music as opposed to making the music fit the market was broad, but careful planning and decisive action have turned Mantra Lounge’s unconventional market concept into a Milwaukee party-goer’s reality.
    “You can’t rush things in life, and good things come to those who stay focused,” Vitucci says. As the majority owner and management veteran, he knew when the time was right to create the club’s concept, and his careful patience over the years — honed, perhaps, by the practice of yoga and meditation — paid off when a nightclub/restaurant in the area closed its doors after 45 years of operation. Dispelling the notion that another club in that location would be bad luck, Vitucci instead thought of it as a way to be easily identified and connect the local cultures. “Everybody has a mantra,” he says. He adds, though, that mantra is more than a buzzword — it’s his philosophy. “There was a lot of pressure on us when we began the project, but we focused on dotting the ‘i’s, crossing the ‘t’s and creating that vibe.”
    The result is a club with two, equal facets — lounge and dance — and it’s much less a split personality than it is yin and yang. It possesses equilibrium.
    While Vitucci says the renovations on the existing property were more expensive than the $300,000 or so initially planned, he says it was all worth it. Virtually, he had a clean slate.
    “The infastructure was there for me to utilize. It was like a puzzle,” he says. With concrete floors and ceilings, however, he says the lighting of Mantra was a sizable obstacle. “It took a lot of fine tuning,” Vitucci says.
    Pulling carpet and spending $12,000 on the floor finishing alone gave the place a more organic texture, and then the floor plan became the focal point. Vitucci says he and a crew of four friends also were challenged by a circular room, which is especially difficult in terms of construction, but a nice Eastern meets Western feel was achieved by designing arches over doorways. With these major renovations, as well as sound and décor work, Vitucci and company were free to concentrate more on the concept of the club.

Tasteful Libations 
    Guests entering the 7,000 square-foot Mantra first are greeted with a busy Martini bar, which Vitucci and Amato say is advantageous with its energy. It’s considered a comforting, entertaining step below and isolated from the faster pace and different feel of the dance music room. Patrons in the lounge component like to mingle and enjoy cocktails and conversation before it gets later into the night.
    Here, there is no food service — the partners prefer to maintain a strictly club format — but guests do enjoy hookahs and a buffet of beverages. Favorites include Cosmos and strong Martinis flavored with banana, apple, chocolate, cinnamon and grape. The Mango Martini also is popular, Amato says, as is the ever-prevalent Red Bull and vodka combination. In fact, Mantra Lounge is a top five Red Bull account in the state of Wisconsin. Stoli, Vox and Effen are the club’s top vodka sellers, Vitucci and Amato say, and wine and Champagne sales are solid, as well. Additionally, Mantra Lounge staff offers pureéd Martinis, such as banana, peach, mango and strawberry. “It’s a favorite; it’s easy to make; and it’s profitable,” Amato says.
    Most cocktails are in the $4-10 range, which are very fair drink prices for Milwaukee, Amato and Vitucci say, and that price structure helps to draw in earlier guests before the typical rush around 11/11:30 p.m. While there is a cover charge every night Mantra is open (Thursday to Sunday unless privately booked), this, too, is fair. Vitucci and Amato say there are time breaks or a free cocktail with an early cover, for example.

A DJ’s Destination
    Mantra guests have no concerns about paying a cover charge, regardless, after the entertainment factor kicks in and takes effect. They come for the chance to experience top DJ performances and promotions unique to the area, and they are not disappointed.
    “Hard work on Mantra’s events has it being a place where DJs hang out; their followings are strong, and there is a bridging of crowds,” Vitucci says. “We’re maintaining a reputation for that.”
Amato adds that Mantra is one of few clubs in Milwaukee to cater to multiple crowds and earn respect for an array of music genres, and the full spectrum of a 21- to 35-year-old demographic is showcased during the club’s events.
    Thursdays kick-off a week’s end with the all-popular ladies’ night with a twist. Called Empress Envy, the branded, female-friendly night draws in steady traffic of dress code-adhering patrons.
    “At Mantra, women rule,” Vitucci says. “So, we want to treat them like empresses.” True to theme, the Stolichnaya-sponsored event does just that with women given cards entitling them to three free drinks each. After nearly four years of operation, Vitucci says he, Amato and Claudio still have the biggest ladies’ night in the area. “If you protect your women, you protect your profits,” Vitucci says.  
    Fridays proffer a different format and, noticeably, a different style of crowd. Dress code dropped, guests come to Mantra for perhaps its most prized possession: incredible DJ talent. Officially labeled Kamasutra for the past two years, Mantra’s Friday nights feature international DJ talent and often a more underground scene.
    “From a promotional standpoint, I always wanted my events to stand out more than others’,” Amato says. Kamasutra does. Advertising by print and e-mail has been immensely effective for Mantra’s operators, but the real genius lies in baseball card-sized, glossy flyers featuring the cartoon likeness of each of the club’s primary DJs, the Kamasutra Kids (remember the Garbage Pail Kids?). They attract massive attention and interest.
    Examples of the famously featured are DJ Icey, Mark Farina, LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad and DJ Rectangle. Each card’s back also provides information such as when the set is playing, what other events are happening in the Martini bar, what drink specials and cover charges are, etc.
“The Kamasutra Kids cards have worked out very, very, very well,” Amato says. He says he prefers to do two- to three-month flyer runs, which are less expensive that way, and his designs also save money while branding the club’s creative side.
    Saturdays are more mainstream, with Top 40 and Hip-Hop frequently played. The dress code also is back in place for this night, but it deters few Milwaukee music loyalists out for a good time.

The Dynamic at Work
    The amassing of such successful nights for the club is no accident. Creativity at Mantra is as easily identifiable as hard work is, and this is where the Vitucci/Amato/Claudio dynamic shines. Each partner has a flexible but defined role with the operation.
    Vitucci is versed and disciplined with operations, Claudio controls and streamlines Mantra’s staff scheduling inventory, and Amato is the event producer and promoter.
    At 27, Amato already has promoted nearly 1,000 shows in five years. The Milwaukee native says he gained his experience growing up near his early House DJ influences such as Derrick Carter, Diz and Halo, and by his late teens he was a regular fixture on the Midwest rave scene. Emerging as a DJ, producer and promoter just made sense, and with the creative and day-to-day support of Vitucci and Claudio, the established music scene has an established music home: Mantra Lounge.
    Now, with solid and set operations, a successful promotions paradigm, devoted staff appreciation and a marketing niche that Super Bowl commercial creators would be jealous of, Mantra’s owners are on top of the entertainment game.
    “The majority of clubs in Milwaukee have a life span of one to two years,” Amato says, “and we’re going on four.”
    And still, Amato and Vitucci continue to bring in added value for guests, such as the recent addition of Celebreality Saturdays for visitors such as MTV personalities Don Vito and Ryan Dunn. Another example Vitucci cites was Mantra’s recent New Year’s Eve party, “the best and biggest yet.” With a one-night exception to Milwaukee’s usual 2:30 a.m. closing time, he says there was a long line of guests waiting to get in the club at 6 a.m. “And that’s it,” Vitucci says. “You never want to see the peak — it’s like stock.” NCB