I found myself in a retail space on a Saturday night, hopped up on an excitement not usually cultivated by a behemoth of consumerism such as Block E, and well, it felt plain wrong. And this says nothing of passing through many sets of restrictive, dress-code-enforcing eyes.
However, I kept my eyes on the prize, steeling myself against Escape’s velvet-rope nightlife to see San Franciscoan DJ/musician/remixer extraordinaire Miguel Migs. If you ignore how you get there, Escape is a fine, beautiful space: low-lit, sensual and a complete din of liquor, pretty club-goers, and scenesters policed by a swath of burly, black-suited security guards who manage to keep a lid on the proceedings.
I've heard several million dollars were sunk into this nascent nightspot, but whatever the price tag, thank god their talent budget brings in the likes of Migs. He also records as Petalpusher and Nitesource (with DJ Rasoul) on a spate of labels including Large, Om, Yoshitoshi, Farris Wheel Recordings, Transport (his own label); his more ubiquitous works resides on the deep and sexy Naked Music, a patron of his first Minneapolis appearance Saturday night. He regularly produces stunning remixes for labelmates and house music colleagues. His work reflects a musical upbringing heavily influenced by reggae and dub. Tracks like "Rely on Me", "Mi Destino"and much of his remix work are infused with a laid-back sensuality and complex, prominent percussive layers that you may find buried a little deeper in other house tracks.
His two-hour set Saturday night was plenty full of his signature sexy percussion and fat basslines designed to rumble a dancefloor tied together with an infusion of West Coast electro-esque I also found in Andy Caldwell’s July 26th set at Mell's, or on Naked's latest release "Lost on Arrival". I'll be bloody honest, however, I could not for the life of me have taken notes, so my apologies! Trying to prop myself up in the crowd and trying to ignore the jarring presence of go-go dancers on either side of the stage took most of my energy. So rather than savagely elbow someone in the eye trying to take wobbly notes, I just let it ride. The beginning of the show, as is the custom with each drink imbibed, was more vivid. He sunk his hooks into me early by dropping a stripped-of-its vocals Olav Bosaski mix of First Choice's "The Player". I was hooked after that, bumping through the next two hours’ new to old cuts, ending with an incredible mix of Soul II Soul's "Back to Life".
As quoted by my friend Bryan, local DJ and regular attendee of the yearly house music pilgrimage to South Beach that is Winter Music Conference, it was "a Miami crowd". No doubt-pure, un-adulterated, bass-driven energy, bodies massed together under a groove, house music pouring into every gyrating man and woman. As a veteran DJ, Migs effortlessly turns out a party, even one filled with a crowd unfamiliar with the names Migs, Petalpusher or Nitesource. Talking with him before he took the stage, he was duly aware most of the crowd had no damn clue who he was (evidenced by the fact that we stood in the midst of it all with no fanfare or recognition trailing behind him, save the house fiends like me bugging him for a little chat). The upscale, commercial atmosphere of a venue like Escape most likely led him to ask me how deep the house scene really ran in Minneapolis. I gladly replied it's been surging as of late, with appearances by him, fellow remixer Andy Caldwell, DJ Kaskade, Derrick Carter; fed by summer's rooftops and patios thumping with house beats; supported yearly with your choice of weekly residencies by local DJ's; and continuing with the likes of Brent Laurence (Beatopia Anniversary at the end of September) and Om powerhouse Mark Farina (October 18, also at Escape).
And that was my attempt to encourage a return by Migs to Minneapolis to keep the house scene alive and kicking. I believe the satisfied, sweat-drenched crowd would have said the same had they identified his tall, lanky, laid-back presence on First Avenue around 3 am as we bid him goodbye (he was running on two hours of sleep!). We all promised to hook up in Miami next March and thanked him for a red hot set on his first trip to the hinterland of Minneapolis. Come back soon, Miguel, we dig thee.
