Miami's electronic music scene has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade. But some of its local movers and shakers feel our city has yet to embrace the music's artistic potential outside the context of nightlife.
"It's important for the music to be separated from the club," SAFE's Diego Martinelli tells Crossfade. "Nightlife has nothing to do with music, if you ask me. This goes farther than just aiming to dispel the notion that all electronic music is about raving and dancing. Miami lags very far behind in this respect, and most people here still see electronic music as a mostly homogenous genre -- things could not be further from actuality. Electronic music is as hyper-specific as most other art forms, and it has a rich and beautiful history."
See also: Review & Photos: Modern Love: A Live Audio-Visual Experience - Light Box at Goldman Warehouse, Miami
While the marriage of electronic music and art has become a staple of some events during Art Basel week, these types of specially curated audio-visual experiences are more rare in Miami throughout the rest of the year. But along with SAFE, the folks behind Klangbox.FM radio and the Wynwood Arts District Association aim to start changing that on Saturday with hopefully the first of many special pop-up events.
With the contemplative experimental techno of Andy Stott and trippy atmospheric aural tapestries conjured by Demdike Stare on Modern Love, the UK label's sound lends itself perfectly for a show re-contextualizing electronic music as auditory art. Especially outside the club and in the setting of a legitimate performance art space, like the one provided by Wynwood's The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse on Saturday.
See also: EDM's Five Greatest Delusions
"I'm especially excited about the Modern Love show because it's the first of many cultural events presented by the Wynwood Arts District Association," WADA program director and Klangbox.FM co-founder Patrick Walsh tells Crossfade. "From our perspective, Wynwood's soul and foundation is with the arts, and this world-class multimedia performance reinforces our commitment to keeping the arts in Wynwood."
"The line between art and entertainment is inherently blurred, and electronic music is often overlooked as a product of gratuitous youth culture," he adds. "This performance is an attempt to re-associate electronic music -- techno specifically -- with artifacts that can be appreciated, interpreted, and discussed. This event is primarily an art experience. It emphasizes audible texture, composition, and techno's minimalist tradition, while relating it to the emotional and bodily response of dance music."
You've already worn your dancing shoe heels thin at countless DJ parties in the club, Miami. This Saturday, expand your cultural horizons with a different kind of electronic music experience.
"We love the idea of taking techno culture out of the club and into the performance art space," says Diego Martinelli. "We are inviting Miami's art and music communities to experience this event because it is about the convergence of intelligent electronic music and auditory art."
Crossfade's Top Blogs
Modern Love: A Live Audio-Visual Experience Featuring Andy Stott, Demdike Stare and Millie & Andrea. Presented by SAFE, Klangbox.FM, Wynwood Arts District Association, Miami Light Project, and Powered by Beck's Access. Saturday, September 20. The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse, 404 NW 26 St., Miami. The show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets cost $20 plus fees via residentadvisor.net. Call 305-576-4350 or visit miamilightproject.com.
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