It was a Wednesday night. And we attended a pop-up show in Wynwood, starring Miami's own Austin Paul.
The next day, we hung out with Austin on Miami Beach and he showed us an unreleased video for his most recent release "The Garden."
Oh, and we saw a dolphin swim by the pier.
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It had been awhile since Crossfade's last conversation with Austin. (Not to mention the conceptual R&B impresario's last new release.) So we asked him what he was currently working on.
"I'm trying to do a lot of art, short films, scoring films, and stuff like that. That's what I'm on -- new music and movies," Austin reveals.
Paul was scheduled to perform at Wynterfest, an event put together by YesJulz, featuring internet phenomenon ILoveMakonnen. When the event was canceled, he didn't hesitate to organize a substitute show with his friends and Twelve'Len.
The concert took place on a Christmas-lit tow truck in the middle of a street in Wynwood. The energy was peaceful yet electric.
"When I found out it was canceled," says Austin. "My first thought was that we should just have the show somewhere else. Twelvelen took it from there. I just planted the seed and it turned out perfect."
The night was magic.
"Honestly, it's more than I expected. We weren't expecting some crazy show. We ended up having an amazing time in the middle of the street. Like, what the hell?"
As for his current collaborative partners, Austin says: "Right now, I'm working with Bakery. It's a group out of Berlin. Bakeallday.com is the website. They're sick, and I'm working in Los Angeles with some other people."
These days, he's thriving off working with new and old creative acquaintances.
"I like to sit down with somebody and make the music with them," Paul explains. "It's more authentic. You can feel it in your gut."
Soon, he'll also be playing some shows on the West Coast, in the City of Angels.
"At the Soho House in Los Angeles. There's no set date yet. They just started booking it today."
But meanwhile, for the holidays, Paul plans to spend time with family in Alabama. And while there, he's going to be working on abstract paintings.
No doubt, dude's a renaissance man.
-- Rob Portal
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