Miguel Migs

Miguel Migs
For the Love of Music!

By Dominick Scala

Doing what you do with no concern for popular opinion, trends or critiquing journalists is to me at the very least, the foundation for expressing oneself creatively. All those that ride the coat tails, study the demographics or anticipate reception result in an unsatisfying hand job as opposed to those who stay true to their passion and light fires of influence and inspiration in the bones of countless artists and patrons of the same.

With the emergence of the technological age, the palate of possibilities has become somewhat infinite. There are always opposing sides though: analog purists versus digital tech heads, schooled math musicians versus feel-oriented live players and the list goes on… I find comfort in embracing technology to achieve the ‘best of both worlds’ and limitless boundaries (even though less decision making is usually easier. Ha!). These are some of the reasons I find it easy to respect an artist like Miguel Migs.

Northern California native Migs grew up with a true love of reggae, soul, classic rock, R and B, jazz, punk and hip-hop. At 18 years old he was playing guitar and writing songs for a local Santa Cruz band called Zion Sounds. The band split up in the mid-1990s. This was right around the time Miguel first heard deep, soulful house music, and began his focused attention toward the production of electronic music.

Migs is a world-traveling DJ and a producer. His sound and style is a chill, funky, groove-infected and uplifting combination of the electronic world and his experience in live instrumentation. As a producer, Miguel tunnels out a connection between his house productions and reggae roots. He writes his own lyrics and plays his own guitar, bass, percussion and keyboard. As a DJ, Miguel maintains the same elements in his sets as in his productions. He blends a variety of influences and styles scoring funky, deep, soulful, bumping house music. His productions have been slipping their way onto numerous compilations and are found in the record bags of top deep house DJs across the globe. Migs has since found himself on the remixer A-list of dance music’s top record labels and producers.

Migs has put out more than 90 original songs and remixes on seminal independent labels like Naked Music, Yoshitoshi, NRK, Black Vinyl, Large, Chez, and Transport — all of which have made waves in the underground circuit and hit DJ hype charts of international media. (Not to mention his remixes for major label artists like Macey Gray, Lionel Ritchie and Brittany Spears.)

Migs also stands apart from the DJ mindset by focusing on making music you can enjoy and listen to at home or in the club, not necessarily just to rock the dance floor at its peak.

As a personal venture, Migs started his own label, Salted Music, in 2004. This is his creative outlet for releasing forward-thinking, soul-based electronic music that is not limited in tempo. Salted has become the vehicle not only for Migs, but also for upcoming and well-known artists who come across his path and catch his ear.

Miguel Migs will DJ at 10 p.m. on Feb. 27 at Vagabond, 30 N.E. 14th St., in Miami. Call 305-379-0508 or visit thevagabondmiami.com for more information.

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