Name like The Electric Pickle will easily stand out from the rest. However, it’s not the name but the reputation that keeps this underground club going. 8 years and counting, this club has welcomed some of the world’s top act and yet humble enough to give opportunities to homegrown DJ to share their passion for the Miami underground scene. It’s no wonder they were included #12 in One of the world’s best small clubs.
With only a few tables and mostly dancefloor, it’s clear that people come here with one thing in mind, to dance the night away. Their custom build system can certainly take the abuse of electronic music and output some serious wattage to satisfy any music critic. With a background of sound engineer from IAR and countless events for over 20 years, I know what it takes to tune a sound system. Without a doubt, Mitch the sound engineer in this club has mastered this setup. The ambience kept low lighting as it should be. They do have a cool disco ball and a few lights to enhance the build ups of the tracks and it’s done tastefully. Some decor elements have a retro feel to it but who says underground spot can’t have a bit of class.
We entered the club on Friday around midnight. The first floor has a feeling of a cool neighborhood bar/lounge with a great sound system as well. This night Arremer Jack was playing a mixture of Hip-Hop, R&B, and Reggae. Depending on a night they will play more lounge and chill beats but once you walk up to the second floor, you entering a whole other level. On the decks, Lazaro Casanova from petFood Record Label is throwing down some groovy tunes. Although the party was just getting started, it was nice to see everyone was already dancing and responding to every beat and build up. With a tight low bass and crystal clear mids and highs, I too found myself dancing my way to the DJ booth. Starting a conversation with Dude Skywalker from Deep Playa Records about their successful 1-year celebration of The Bolero Ball monthly event at The Electric Pickle
Q. Congrats on your one year. Can you tell me what was your inspiration behind Dude Skywalker and Deep Playa Records?
A. We are all from Miami and been friends for a while. Sam, Alex and myself Fabio are behind Dude Skywalker for around 5 years. After our first Burning Man 3 years ago, we felt it was important for us to give back to the community and that’s how our Deep Playa Records was born. The name Deep Playa resonated with us. It had a special meaning from our Burning Man experience and it also represented Miami Beach feel as well as Hispanic culture.
Q. How did Burning Man impacted your life?
A. We always come back with new ideas, recharged and on fire. We love to share the energy and the positive Burning Man culture in our everyday life. Hope our fans feel it through everything we do. At this point we just keep the momentum going. We love to do both, create and share music.
Q. What is the vision for your label?
A. Our vision was always to branch out and invite other artists to share the experience. That’s how we partnered up with Lazaro Casanova to do our monthly The Bolero Ball events. It’s all about building relationships as well as share an outlet with other artists whether we do events or release music.
Q. In regards to the local underground scene, do you think it’s growing or staying the same?
A. It’s definitely on the rise and it challenges us to always give it our all. There is a lot of good local and international talent in town and we can’t just settle in and hope it’s going to be a good party. We have to make it a good party. Also, many homegrown DJ like Oscar G and many others started to get more out of town bookings and people want to discover and support the next up and coming artists. Because it’s a small community, the word spreads quickly, so if you doing something right, you will get local support.
Q. Is your following mostly locals or do you get tourists as well?
A. Our monthly events have a great local following. We feel that Miami has a lot of growth potential and always find new ways to stay invite and stay connect with our crowd. Miami is also a music mecca and has an aura for quality underground music. Ultimately, our goal is to represent our local scene and carry that flag as far as we can. That’s why it’s important to us to always collaborate with other artists and companies who share our vision.
Q. What advice would you give to someone who just breaking in the local scene?
A. The best thing you can do is to start going out and support local events. Network, make friends and start connecting with other people and artists. Naturally, you need to have good taste in music and quality mixing. Most importantly your personality, being patient, and humble will go a long way. Don’t be shy to make yourself know. We all been there and despite what people might think we actually like to help others. Put yourself out there and show support to your local DJs, promoters, and clubs.
Q. What’s next for you as artists and event production company?
A. It took us a few years to get local recognition and we are happy with our events at Electric Pickle and few other places. Although we are far from where we like to be, just by being here and doing what we love, people around the world take notice. We enjoy the freedom that club gives us and take full creative rights for the event.
As for making music, we will continue to collaborate and release new tracks on our labels as well as contribute to others around the world. We are happy to continue this path and enjoy the ride.
While Lazaro Lazaro Casanova ova and Dude Skywalker did their switch on the decks, I couldn’t resist to get on the dancefloor and enjoy the quality and the richness of this incredible sound system. Lesha and I truly enjoyed ourselves getting lost in the crowd and dance with everyone to the contagious beats of these three young and talented DJs. They masterfully took everyone on the journey through Deep to Tech and Miami Funky Bass House. It was amazing to see that the crowd stayed dancing throughout the whole night supporting and cheering DJs with every mix. The club typically doesn’t record DJ sets referring to the old saying, you just had to be there. If you into underground music, then The Electric Pickle should definitely be one of the clubs to visit in Miami.
Facebook Links:
Dude Skywalker - Deep Playa Records
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With love,
Mark Salner (founder of Universal Love Tribe)
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