Miami's Sports Records Crew Tackles Dance Music With a Spiritual Mindset

If Sanctified People of Righteousness Truth & Soul sounds like the name of a '60s Aquarian cult, that's because the collective behind this budding Miami record label tends to wax mystical when it comes to music.

"As musicians, it is our sanctified duty to share our souls in a manner that cultivates truth," says Sports Records' Daniel Edenburg, who also goes by the DJ moniker Brother Dan. "Music is one of the most powerful tools our species has begun harnessing. With righteous intentions, music can induce joy, inspire peace, and spread love."

DJ/producer Clyde Corley, who contributed two tracks to the label's auspicious debut release, shares a similar philosophy. "For us, music is a way of finding ourselves and sharing transcendental experiences with our friends and strangers." And though the label's sound clearly takes its cues from the Detroit techno and Chicago house traditions, the crew also touts itself as exploring the relationship between avant-garde art and dance music. 
"When we refer to avant-garde, we’re speaking of a multifaceted realm that strongly taps into both audio and the visual," explains Edenburg. "The sounds of our label are building off the Detroit roots of techno as they mutate into the strange array of sound we hear today. On the visual side, we have Sam Care out of L.A. working on album art, and we had Marcos Baiano, label head of B.Soul Music, develop our poster for this first event. Moving forward, we’re bringing on local artist Gabriel Alcala to both our Sports Records events at the Electric Pickle as well as our Floridian Love events at Naomi’s Garden."

It's a bit early to predict where Sports Records will go after its first release, but the upcoming material from these ambitious locals is certainly worth keeping an eye out for.

"Our main criterion is soul-inspired music — from jazz to techno and everything in between," says DJ/producer and label partner Kyle Parker. "We plan to release an array of genres through limited series, and each series will have a unique and consistent theme. Our first offshoot, Vanir, will be a four-part series, respectively titled Wisdom, Nature, Magic, and Fertility."

But for a proper introduction to Sports and all it has to offer, you'd do well to join the crew for its monthly residency at the Electric Pickle, which kicks off on Thursday with a special headlining set by West Coast deep house sensation Urulu.

"We anticipate a lot of hip gyrations, balancing acts, and genuine dance music appreciation," says Corley. "We hope the event will be an authentic extension of our musical tastes and offer something new to the local Miami scene."

Sports Records presents Urulu. 10 p.m. Thursday, August 11, at the Electric Pickle, 2826 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-456-5613; electricpicklemiami.com. Tickets cost $10 to $20 via residentadvisor.net.