Black Friday Rave Commemorates a New Movement in DIY Miami

If you’ve frequented Miami’s after-dark hot spots anytime in the past few weeks, you might have heard rumblings that something — even if you weren’t sure what — will happen on Black Friday. Perhaps an index card bearing its name and address were lying in wait next to an ashtray. It’s imaginable you might have caught sight of a similar card floating past your foot as you stepped over a puddle and into your early-morning Lyft. For all you can remember, you might have overheard a strange girl rocking a hat indoors talking about it between kick drums at Club Space.

It’s the Black Friday Rave, and it’s shaping up to be one of DIY Miami’s most exciting events of the year.

Put together by DJ True Vine and fellow mixer Sister System, with the help of a cadre of family and friends, Black Friday Rave will be held in an inconspicuous Miami warehouse this Friday. True Vine and Sister System — real names Santiago Vidal and Alexis Sosa — will be joined on the decks by local duo INVT as well as Jonny From Space, who will make his public debut.

All of the artists are set to spin — as opposed to perform live — in order to “fit the concept of a rave — a high-intensity dance party,” Sosa says.

“The music will be on the darker side. We want it to feel very industrial,” Vidal adds, specifying that techno and electro will be the prevailing sounds of the night and morning.

“Techno and electro share the attitudes we want to express. They can be very punk, metal, or rock 'n’ roll but with the sustained endurance of electronic dance,” Sosa says. “We selected artists that are relevant and contribute a highly active role in the community. We all have different musical approaches and interests but can share the same attraction towards high-energy, high-intensity, textured performances.”

Besides the shared promise of abundant energy, "community" is the operative word of the day. In addition to presenting the artists performing, Black Friday Rave will host various Miami-based vendors and groups sharing their wares with partygoers. Besides INVT’s homemade clothing line as well as merchandise and records from local labels Space Tapes and Terrestrial Funk, there will be a number of pop-ups showing what homegrown Miami has to offer at the moment.

“The idea was to make an accessible event for our friends, family, and the community to attend,” Sosa says, noting that many Miamians will be in town visiting for Thanksgiving break. “So it happened to shape the concept as a commentary on the consumerism of Black Friday: Evade the commercial market and support local efforts.”
As it stands, Black Friday Rave may well be the greatest convergence of DIY Miami’s disparate parties in some time. Although several of the people producing the gathering are involved at the uppermost levels of the city's creative community (Vidal has been a member of the III Points team for several years, and Jonny From Space works at Club Space — go figure), they’ve all tended to their own personal projects that have been steadily building steam in smaller circles. For example, look no further than Vidal’s Droogfest production team and camping retreat, the proliferation and popularity of Space Tapes, or Terrestrial Funk’s ascendance to a local night and recurring record fair.

As these distinct groups rave together under one roof, it’s perfectly possible that Black Friday Rave will be the greatest culmination of Miami’s resurgent enthusiasm for intimate and localized events yet.

“At the moment, I believe the DIY scene is at the forefront of reforming Miami’s culture,” Sosa says. Referring to Miami as “a transient city,” she notes it offers very few roots for creatives to grasp.

“Happenings like Grand Central and Tobacco Road created a sense of established identity, a familiarity within the community. And, unfortunately, places like these are bound to be uprooted and overthrown by the next new sky-rise development project of condominiums and malls,” Sosa says. “That creates discouragement to even attempt to create a recognizable culture and a sense of home.”
Referencing the heyday of Miami Vice, freestyle music, and South Beach hedonism that left a distinctive and memorable mark on the city's identity in the '80s and '90s, Sosa and the team behind Black Friday Rave believe there’s a new generation “waiting for the next great movement to spawn from this city," she says.

“I believe among our community there’s a restlessness to breach the false ideology that Miami is dead and shares no identity,” Sosa adds. “Releasing consistent work, being engaged, and contributing value are assets we believe all the participants in this event showcase. As long as we remain active, the story we form will always surpass the places that remain... because people are what create a sense of home.”

Black Friday Rave. With INVT, Sister System, True Vine, and Jonny From Space. Friday, November 23, at a location to be revealed. Tickets cost $5 via eventbrite.com.