Eats Everything Misses the Days When Dance Music Didn't Take Itself Too Seriously

The Bristol-bred Eats Everything ain't like most techno scenesters.

“I just wear black T-shirts because they're slimming,” producer Dan Pearce says. “Not because I want to be cool and techno. It makes me look a bit slimmer, and I need all the help I can get on that.”

He's the type of dude to tell you exactly what's on his mind, and if an expletive here or there gets the point across more powerfully, so be it. He's big, he's loud, he's more than a bit silly, and he brings his giant, affable energy to everything he touches. Lately, that's been his new label and party series Edible bEats.

“It's not different because it's a fucking record label, and it's not different because its a rave, but we're trying to put our own spin on it,” he says. “The music's got to be good, but they've also got to be good people... I don't want to be hanging about with fucking pricks. The people I want to put music out by, I want to be able to have a laugh with.”

He founded Edible with his management and tapped legendary UK label boss Nick Harris, famous for his mid-'90s to mid-2000s underground house and techno label NRK, to run it. It's meant to be a home for struggling underdogs and well-established stars alike, a place for nonprick producers of all kinds to come together in the name of fun.

“The biggest part of it to me and to everyone involved is that it's not too serious,” Pearce says. “Dance music is so serious sometimes, and it shouldn't be. When it started, it was about the opposite. It was about getting off your nog, taking as many drugs as you could, and having a fucking brilliant time... It can be serious in the sense that some [producers] really are full-on musicians, but when you're making fucking 126 BPM loopy tech house, I don't think you can be too serious about it.”


You'd think dance music, with its outsider roots and PLUR-y ethos, would be anything but a haven for stuffy big heads, but Pearce has played all over the world and unfortunately, he says some people still turn their noses up at weirdo party people who like to let their freak flag fly.

“I do go to some parties, and I do feel out of place,” he says. “I'm the one DJing, and I don't feel cool enough to be in the place. If I feel like that, and I'm the bloke everyone is looking at, then how many people are feeling the same way?”

With his Edible bEats parties, Pearce has made it his mission to shoot down pretension one club at a time. This month, he's bringing that vibe stateside, and he's super excited about it.

“American crowds are really appreciative. They really let you know,” he says. “They're so friendly, and they kind of make you feel like it's hard work for me, like, 'Thanks so much for coming out here.'"

It's a quick flash of a tour with only four dates, but you know he had to make room for one of his favorite cities in the world.

“I love Miami,” Pearce says. “The guys that run the party, David, Coloma, and Lucaz, they're some of my favorites in the industry. They've booked me for, like, four years now. They're the only people I play for in Miami, and we just have a fucking great time together. They're just good fun, and Trade is fucking great. Its just, fucking, I love Miami.”

Eats Everything with Lauren Lane. 11 p.m.Friday, May 20, at Trade, 1439 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-531-6666; trademia.com. Tickets cost $15 to $20 plus fees via residentadvisor.com. Ages 21 and up.