Miami Music Blog

​thenextgeneration is the DJ/production duo of locals Mikkel Dankner and Aaron Feld, a partnership formed in 2004. Mikkel started out cutting and mixing tapes at age 12, and has since gone on to play at some of the most renowned nightclubs around the US, including Limelight, Tunnel, and Palladium in NYC, and Ohm in Chicago. Additionally, he has some serious production credits under his belt, including a remix of "Change For Me" by Eric Roberson and Osunlade on the esteemed Yoruba label, plus "Hypnotize You," as Soulscience, an original on Lars Behrenroth's Deeper Shades Recordings. Aaron, meanwhile, is the more business-savvy member of the duo, matching a higher education in marketing and PR with plenty of charisma to go with his musical leanings. The duo specializes in classic soulful deep house infused with Afro-Latin flavors, and can be heard regularly on Wednesday nights at Sushi Samba and on Saturdays at Beer and Burger Joint in Miami Beach. Catch them at Samba tonight, or on Thursday and Friday nights of this week at Hakkasan in the Fontainebleau Hotel. Meanwhile, you can get a feel for their deep vibes on this two-part DJ mix.

Click here to download "White" (part one of the mix).

Click here to download "Black" (part two).

​At her tender young age, Inbal Lankry is already something of a scene veteran. At age 15, the Brooklyn native was promoting for legendary NYC clubs Limelight, Tunnel and Paladium, while helping out older brother DJ Baby Sean with his residencies at various hot spots all over the city. In 2002, Inbal and her family migrated to South Florida where they opened Sonar nightclub in Hollywood, voted Best Club of 2004 and 2005 by New Times and City Link. A natural progression into DJing followed, making her one of the only female DJ/promoters in Miami's local underground house music scene.

In 2006, Inbal and Baby Sean started the weekly Retox party at club Blue in South Beach, which has since provided locals with some of the finest underground house music from around the globe in the most intimate of settings. While she continues to spin at Retox every week, Inbal has also gone on to play at Ultra Music Festival and has shared the bill with the likes of Christian Martin, Vincenzo, Sunshine Jones, Roland Clark, and Scott Wozniak. Inbal's new DJ mix is one hour and nine minutes of pure unadulterated groovy deep goodness, and if it gets your juices flowing (and that it will) be sure to catch her spinning in the flesh tonight at Blue along with special guest DJ Greg Cuoco of Aqua-booty NY.

Click here to download Inbal's new Curling Beats mix.

​DJ/producer Michael Christopher is a Boston transplant who moved to Miami in 2004 to pursue a college baseball career, and soon became a mainstay of the local underground dance scene, playing various weekly residencies and parties throughout the years at local venues like Blue, Laundry Bar, White Room, and PS14.

He has since become affiliated with the local PL0T collective (headed by DJs Alejandro Sab and Basti) spinning in support of artists like Adultnapper, Ryan Elliott, Seth Troxler, Butane, and most recently Matt Tolfrey and Crazy Larry. Christopher additionally has some collaborative productions in the works with local artists Tucson, Basti and Pedro Zanetti, with expected releases in the near future -- in the meantime you can check out some of his dark, atmospheric minimal stylings on Myspace.

Here is an exclusive recording of Christopher's opening set for Matt Tolfrey and Crazy Larry at the last  PL0T party at Electric Pickle on Friday, September 18. A mix that perfectly encapsulates the sultry and hypnotic sounds of minimal techno and microhouse that have taken over the Pickle's upstairs room at PL0T's Friday night sessions.

Click here to download Michael Christopher's opening set from that party.

​The knock on the door came late; too late for most folks. But DJ Heron was working in a recording studio, where work often doesn't start till the witching hour. And the cat doing the knocking said he was a friend of a friend who'd been working in the studio earlier that night, and that he was supposed to meet him. Was the friend still there? He asked Heron. No? Did anybody know where he'd gone?  

Heron couldn't really see the would-be visitor's face, but his story sounded legit. So he unbolted the door -- and knew it was a mistake the moment he did it. At once the knocker had a gun to Heron's face and an accomplice by his side. Quickly, the two ushered the DJ back into the studio where they tied him up, wrapped a gag around his mouth, and left him to listen as they proceeded to clean out his entire studio.

Every machine, every microphone, every wire was carried out and loaded on to a waiting truck. Most devastatingly, though, the robbers stole Heron's hard drives, which were loaded with untold beats and rhymes. Beats and rhymes he could never get back. 

​Ready for the weekend? Well, you might think you are, but not until you download this DJ mix by local mix-master Sean Drake, also known as Mister Drake. Formerly a resident DJ at Pawn Shop Lounge, Drake has been away from the music game for a while. He made his return a few weeks ago when he celebrated his birthday at Back Door Bamby at the Vagabond, dropping plenty of house-y grooves and indie-dance staples.

Maybe that short stint reignited Drake's passion for DJing because he returns tomorrow night at the Vagabond with Heidi and Audiofly. The Get Physical beauty should be reason enough to stop by the Overtown locale, but for those of us with fond memories of partying between Pawn Shop's trailer and thrift store knick-knacks might appreciate the extra nostalgia.

Still, if your expecting a open format set from Drake these days you'll be sorely disappointed. He has successfully abandoned the middle-of-the-road "genre" for deep groove and house. Check it out!

MP3: Mister Drake Gets Deep Sept. '09

​PL0T resident DJ Alejandro Sab has been quite active in the last couple years, playing along some of the finest underground EDM talent we've had in Miami, such as Konrad Black, Ryan Elliot, Alexi Delano, and Camea. Besides his DJ accolades, Sab has also delved head-on into collaborative production work with the world-renowned techno producer Alexi Delano (the preview of which you can currently check out on his Myspace page). Despite his reputation as our preeminent local proponent of minimal techno, Sab's latest mix embraces a far headier melodic sound, much in tune with the current international deep house revival, but without straying far from his signature stripped-down minimal style.

Click here to download Alejandro Sab's "Sentience" Mix.

​What to say about local DJ Danny Daze that hasn't been said before? Daze has been one of the most in demand DJs around the country for the last few years and he keeps busy with side projects like DiscoTech and Señor Stereo. Is it any surprise we picked him as this year's Best Club DJ?

Well if you got to hear it to believe it, check out Daze's contribution to the White Light mix series. The mix includes tracks by PNUA, Kraak & Smaak, Holy Ghost!, Tiga and the aforementioned Señor Stereo.

MP3: Danny Daze "White Light Mix, Vol. 9"

​A Sunday afternoon barbecue on South Beach is probably not the best place to interview a DJ, especially if the spinner's been knocking back mojitos for a couple hours before you pose your questions. Then again, this is the Magic City, and a large part of its allure comes from the fact that pleasure almost always supersedes business. But after a curiously slurred preliminary, everybody sobers up to get to the matter at hand --to let it be known that we've gotta another hot chick head spinner in our midst. Her name? DJ Elle.

That's right, Miami's lured down another New York DJ. She's been shuffling back and forth between the two cities for a while now, but this time it looks like we've got her for keeps. Elle's first Miami spin was at Buck 15, which put her right in sync with the all the right locals. And since January, she's been holding court every Thursday at the Catalina, where she switches off with Miami's own Self Born.

​DJ/producer Sebastian Silva a.k.a. Basti is an Argentinian transplant and former indie rocker who relocated to Miami in 1999 to pursue a career in music. Basti has since established himself as a regular in Miami's underground techno scene, and as a PL0T resident DJ he's played alongside some of the most talented international artists they've hosted in recent years, including Mark Henning, Seth Troxler, Damian Schwartz and Robert Dietz. He has also made the leap to incorporate live elements in his performances, using hardware MIDI controllers and analog beat machines, and demonstrating a forward-thinking approach to his live sound. Basti will be playing a set this Saturday night at the "Leisure Pleasures" party in North Miami, in support of NYC's No Regular Play and a lineup of local artists. His new mix gives us a taste of the minimal grooves we can expect to hear on Saturday night.

Click here to download Basti's "Together is Better" mix.  

Cookieheadz

Cookieheadz a.k.a. Fish Boy has a new podcast out and it's predictably dope as hell. The long-running DJ has a history of residencies that reads like a what's-what of Miami underground parties, like Revolver, the Church, Poplife, and so on, as well as a pioneering stint hosting the Electric Kingdom show on WVUM.

His latest musical journey to the center of the last century focuses on old time rock and roll, mainly pulling from the '50s. Here's the dirty version, titled Burning Hand of Friendship -- Who is Killing Rock and Roll?

Click here for a free download.

When New Times got with DJ A-Train a few months back, the neo-classicist head spinner was holding court every Tuesday night at the Vagabond's beat-crazy Stone Groove, and every Saturday for the same joint's long-running Back Door Bamby. Well, guess what? He's still holding it down at Bamby, but has traded Stone Groove for the Vagabond's Thursday night Shake. And both parties are giving it up better than ever.

A-Train's also now riding out Wednesdays at Electric Pickle's Champion Sound, and Fridays at The Mondrian for Sunset, which gives us a perfect excuse to slip you one of the mixmaster's radical mixes -- and for you to slip on some kicks and start bustin' a move.

MP3: DJ A-Train -- Rump Shakers mix

DJ A-Train. Wednesdays at Champion Sound at Electric Pickle, Miami. Thursdays at Shake at the Vagabond, Miami. Fridays at Sunset at the Mondrian, Miami Beach. Saturdays at Back Door Bamby at the Vagabond, Miami. djatrain.com

The latest petFood podcast, petCast003, came out this week and this one is mixed by L.A.'s Shoddy Lynn. The podcast series is the brainchild of Miami natives Lazaro Casanova and Jay-You. They put out a nice stream of electronic based music that incorporates elements of Miami's Caribbean flavor and rhythms. Once a month they put out a podcast in addition to DJing around the country in between recording their own and others' releases.

Download this month's petCast here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/ly67cr  

The Techno Loft at Space opened in May and has so far fulfilled its promise of indulging Miami's ever-growing taste for techno with stellar international bookings including Steve Bug, Camea and Adultnapper, plus weekly parties and afterhours by local DJs Maurizio & Danyelino, Dsan Powell, Simon Wish, and Jason Baez. A new DJ mix by Baez captures the appropriately spacey and atmospheric minimal techno sound enjoyed by Techno Loft patrons at Space every week.  

Click here to download Baez' new "Space Monkey" Mix.

The "Cosmic Twins" Derrick May and François K put on a spectacular show at Nocturnal last Saturday night, and sadly the turnout did not nearly do this rare booking justice. For those of us who made it, we can thank Miami's own DJ Nova and Pornograph Events for making this special night happen. For those of you who missed it, here are links to the live recording of Nova's opening set that night, an inspired selection of minimal grooves.

Click here to download part one of DJ Nova's Cosmic Twins opening set.

Click here to download part two of DJ Nova's Cosmic Twins opening set.    

With a penchant for the more soulful and emotionally compelling sounds of the dance underground, PL0T resident DJ Mansur continues to mark Miami's downtown minimal scene with discerning taste and cultivation. When he's not opening for the likes of Justin Martin, Seth Troxler, and Lee Curtiss, Mansur goes digging deep for those exceptionally rare gems, crafting artful compilation mixes that flow with seamless precision. His latest mix is notable for its sexy and eclectic selection, drawing from sources as varied as the endearing funk-pop of Junior Boys and the 303 acid-soul of Larry Heard to a smooth melt-in-your-mouth Soul Clap edit of Womack & Womack's golden oldie "Conscious of my Conscience". This is baby-making music that's what this is!

Click Here to download Mansur's mix, Another Love Theme. 

via myspace.com/diallosharif

When New Times first caught up with DJ D-Up, the DC native was bringing his no holds barred "party music" to The Rose Bar at South Beach's infamous Delano each and every Saturday night. He also was swooping into the continually cool Mokai once a month or so.

Fast forward half a year and the cat's not only still holding sway at both joints, he's taken up with the Scratch DJ Academy. That's put him spinning everywhere from private corporate affairs to Crunch, where he gives after-work gym rats an uplifting beat to get fit with. Come fall, Scratch is also sending D-Up out on the high seas, for a five week throwdown with Royal Caribbean.

As choice as that sounds though, we're more interested in what D-Up's been doing for us lately. And if the rad mix delivered in his just-dropped Rare Form: Live at Mokai! is any indication, he's doing much more than even we expected.

Carlos Ramos/Miami Fever

DJ Tamara Sky is always in the spin cycle.

To say Miami via Puerto Rico DJ Tamara Sky is gorgeous is sort of an understatement. I've been at plenty of parties around the city where she's been like two feet away from me but never had the nerve to introduce myself. One day, when I finally did introduce myself, it was after a copious amount of drinks. Yet, even then I think I stuttered my way through the whole introduction.

But I bet it has to be a tad frustrating to be beautiful woman and be a DJ. Woman receive little respect in the profession as is, and being looked at just some sort of thing to ogle at probably doesn't help. Yet, it seems after reading Sky's interview with Missbehave Magazine, she seems to embrace her beauty because people underestimate her. She says to Missbehave:

"Some just think, 'I'm hot, so I'm going to put together a mix tape, act like I'm a DJ, and put some pasties on my boobs.'" And while Tamara's had her own fair share of skeptics, explaining one instance in particular when, "DJ Scribble was giving me attitude, then after finishing my gig said, 'Wow. You're so good. I really thought you were going to suck.'"

The element of surprise is always good one to have. You can read Sky's full interview with Missbehave here. And if you need a bit more convincing that she's more than meets the eye, you can download her Pussy Violence Live Mix here.

[via The Midnight Rambler]

DJ PJ

Patrick Walsh aka DJPJ who has been making waves at the News Lounge at Nightdrive and occasionally at Psychic Tuesdays over at Bella Rose is making a DJ appearance at Artwalk's Awarehouse this Saturday, May 9. You can expect an eclectic and varied set with plenty of rare grooves and b-sideish stuff.  In preparation, Walsh has few sets up for free download. The event is www.freefreefree.com and has art stuff by Venezuelan constructivist Jesus Caviglia.  Try to fit it in around AHOLSNIFFSGLUE's P(ART)Y jam.

DJPJ mixes are after the jump.

Local DJ Jason Baez has been a fixture of Miami's underground techno scene since he first began spinning on SoBe's The Womb internet radio in 2005. He has since played in support of numerous techno parties around town, including a set at this year's Saw Recordings & Oslo Records 9th Anniversary WMC party, and continues to delight listeners with an ear for the hottest contemporary minimal sounds.

To check out Baez's new "Monkey Business" mix lick here.

DJ Lopera, part of Miami's expat Colombian techno mafia, first got exposed to electronic dance music as a student in Germany, which makes it no surprise that he's a great proponent of the minimal sound. Having gained massive popularity in the early 2000's as a resident DJ in some of Colombia's hottest clubs, he immigrated to Miami in 2005 to partner up with Dsan Powell and the CDM Music label, and has been spinning in support of different weekly techno parties at Space, Nocturnal and the former Pawnshop. You can hear Lopera live at tonight's We Love Terrace After Dark Nocturnal afterhours. In the meantime, click here to check out his new "Think_mnml" mix. 

Danny Daze

Miami's own Danny Daze and Induce are now part of the Midnight Moroders, a loose-knit group of music lovers.  Induce, also of Casual Sax, is a brightly colored lad, known to also DJ in short pants and a hat, playing from his hip-hop roots to more current and eclectic underground dance favorites.  Daze is a hometown dance/techno/house boy made good.  Their mission is to bring you mixes of Italo Disco, i.e. space-y, electronic Euro-dance music from the 1970s and 1980s. 

Their first all-vinyl mix, Disco For Abruzzo Vol. 1, is now out and available for free download at the link below. Check it out, this!

http://www.zshare.net/audio/55527212fb4b5e74/ 

DJs E360 and Miss Nikki have combined musical forces under the Twisted Elegance moniker since early 2008, making them the first male/female DJ duo out of South Florida. With residencies at Nocturnal and 330 Lounge, various remix projects in the works, and their first EP due for release in fall of 2009, Twisted Elegance is one local DJ duo you'll want to keep your eye on! T.E. will be hosting the WMC '09 Sound of Now party at 330 Lounge on March 27, and spinning alongside a stellar international lineup. In the meantime, you can get a taste of their signature big room tech sound on this hot new promo mix.

To download their Best Kept Secret Mix click here.

Ryan Smith, a.k.a. Induce, is a great DJ, a skilled rapper, a damn fine singer, a super producer and he puts out a very nice mix(tape) from time to time. This edition is the second Valentine's/Lovey - dovey - mushy version.  The first one was purportedly made only for his lost love and this time we, the listeners, the audience, the unwashed masses, get access to volume two. The mix is for loves lost as well as for the hope that love can prevail despite whatever hardships crop up.  Not too shabby for a guy who has been known to DJ in short pants. Link and track list after the jump.
 

I guess this is a week for me listening to local DJ's get down on mix tapes.  I know they aren't mix tapes anymore, but that's how I think of them.  There used to be little kiosks in Manhattan that us bridge and tunnel kids would flock to in order to purchase cassettes from DJ Clue?, Tony Touch, et al.  Now we have the interweb and Miami transplant Dan "Doormouse" Martin's fantastic mix 100% Real Wisconsin Cheese.  

Colombian transplant Dsan Powell has been gaining steady recognition in the sultry world of Miami afterhours since 2005 when he held DJ residency at Space. An early purveyor of minimal techno in Miami, he is currently teamed up with the We Love Techno and Tech Division events at Nocturnal, in addition to spinning in support of different regular week to week techno parties around town.

To download Powell's latest Medellín Style mix click here. 

The last Wednesday of every month, the Grand Groove crew takes over the upstairs at Jazid, playing a hip-hop, funk, and soul-heavy blend of classics and soon-to-be classics.

Here's the description from DJ Sire Esquire, who, full disclosure, occasionally writes about music for New Times: "Dope DJs, music & vibes that you won't get at almost any other spot in the city, classic movies on the big screen and a venue to dance, kick back & have fun hassle-free like we used to do. And live music downstairs from Xperimento."

To whet your appetite, here's a free mix that should give you an idea of what to expect.

Click here to download the Grand Groove mix.

Follow the jump for full party details and a track listing.

PL0T resident DJ and downtown scenester Mansur Arevalo will be hitting the decks tonight at White Room in support of Justin Martin and some of his local musical consorts. While you wait for the sun to drop, here is a teaser mixtape by Mansur with plenty of deep and soulful grooves to get your party on!

Click here to download Mansur's mix, Love in Times of Art.

Local producer and PL0T resident DJ Alejandro Sab a.k.a. Sabox was a staple of the burgeoning downtown minimal scene in 2008. For those of you who missed out last year, here's a killer mix encapsulating some of the sexy stripped-down funk sound patrons heard at White Room Fridays and other exclusive sets, brought to you by Sabox. Stay tuned for more PL0T parties coming up!

 

Click here to download Sabox's mix, Magnum Opus 2008.

Nomadic veteran DJ and producer St. Marc, who now operates his studio out of Miami Beach, currently hosts South Florida's local weekly broadcast for Montreal-based Techno.FM online radio. The show features St. Marc's top five techno picks of the week, including unreleased tracks, and live mixes from special guest DJs/producers both local and international.

Miami Techno City airs live every Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. EST.

Tune in for the broadcast at http://techno.fm/dj.php?dj=stmarc