Photo by Julian Martin
Audio By Carbonatix
Nine years ago, Troy Kurtz felt he’d outgrown Miami.
The Vero Beach native made his way down to South Florida to attend the University of Miami, where he found the city’s nightlife intoxicating. He quickly immersed himself in the scene, DJ’ing at long-gone venues like Heathrow, Bella Rose, and Cafeina. Kurtz also joined the Overthrow party collective, best known for the annual Basel Castle event, and cofounded the weekly Slap & Tickle shindig at Bardot.
But the City of Angels was calling for Kurtz, who already felt he’d plateaued in Miami. If he was going to grow his career, he’d have to seek opportunities elsewhere. He already had connections on the West Coast, so moving there seemed logical if somewhat cliché.
“I had an electronic music blog, Gotta Dance Dirty, which was based out of Los Angeles with my good friends,” Kurtz says now. “Every time I went to visit, there was just something about LA that kept drawing me out there.”
Having grown up surfing, Kurtz says he missed catching waves. California could help him indulge in his favorite pastime and open new doors for him.
“In Miami, I had accomplished so much and met so many people, whether that was through Slap & Tickle or Overthrow,” Kurtz explains. “But why does anyone go to LA? They gotta just chase the dream.”
In LA, Kurtz’s professional career blossomed. More than just being a DJ and producer, he wanted to work in the music industry. After a couple of years hustling, he found himself working for a startup called Boomrat, owned by Live Nation, doing music curation. Eventually, he got pulled into another Live Nation subsidiary, Insomniac, the electronic music powerhouse behind Electric Daisy Carnival, doing content management and talent booking.
Afterward, he took a job at Red Bull Music, doing curation, editorial content, and development. But when the pandemic struck, he was left furloughed and wondering what to do next.
“First the first time in six years, I found myself not having to go into an office,” Kurtz says. “That’s when I started my record label.”
Launched last December, Pulp Trax fulfills Kurtz’s longstanding dream to have his own space to curate music. So far, the nascent project features three releases, the latest being Kurtz’s collaboration with Los Angeles producer Lubelski, Plasmatics. He hopes the label will serve as an ode to the past, looking back nostalgically at ’90s house, disco, and 2000s blog house while also keeping an ear toward future sounds.
The pandemic pushed Kurtz to relocate back to Miami – a very different city from the one he left.
“It’s been a complete renaissance, in my mind, from when I left in 2012,” Kurtz says. “It looks to me like the city has a fresh new coat of paint and shiny wheels. There are all these amazing new venues, but yet all the same great people who I had the fortune of meeting back then are still there for me now.”
Kurtz, now 34, is especially excited about the young talent he has seen – and admittedly somewhat envious he didn’t have the same kind of network to push him as an artist nine years ago.
“There 20 fucking amazing young DJs that would pretty much blow the socks off any headliner I would see in LA,” he quips.
Who are the DJs that have him cocking his ear?
Kurtz says he’s been hanging with Brother Dan, whom he met at the Ricardo Villalobos party back in May. “I think he’s an incredible selector and everything he’s done with his label, Terresitial Funk.”
He also points to the local producers Danny Daze has brought under his wing through his Omnidisc label, acts like Sister System and Jonny From Space.
“There’s honestly so many good young DJs right now that it’s tough to think of them all,” Kurtz admits.
He’s also found the time to host parties again, with a monthly series at ATV Records dubbed Pulp Friction. The second edition takes place on Tuesday, August 24, with Los Angeles producer Pilo headlining with two local DJs Kurtz is a fan of, Autobahn and Frny. (Pulp Trax dropped a mix by Pilo ahead of the event, in case you’re looking for a warmup.)
“Pilo is just a techno wunderkind,” Kurtz says. “He’s collaborated with Boys Noize, has had records on Spotify with millions of plays, has his own record label, Motor Reflex. He’s an incredible producer, and I don’t think a lot of people know about him, especially here in Miami.”
And that seems to be what excites Kurtz most about his return to the Magic City: the chance to introduce eager audiences to new sounds he’s taken in during his time away.
“I definitely want to be putting on the next wave of artists,” he says.
Pulp Friction. With Pilo, Autobahn, Troy Kurtz, and Frny. 10 p.m. Tuesday, August 24, at ATV Records, 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-456-5613; atvrecords.com. Tickets cost $10 via eventbrite.com.
