troy of gottadancedirty.com talks to miami nice
miami nice has a few words with Troy Kurtz, the Miami based branch of gottadancedirty.com and the man behind the new Thursday night party at Coco de Ville. If you're a regular miami nice reader, you know that we don't really do the party scene, don't get me wrong, we love a good party, but it's not really our thing. But, new contributor GuarchIII brought this electronic music blog's message to our attention and we knew we wanted a quick chat:
Before we start can you give us a quick overview of the blog GottaDanceDirty.com?
GottaDanceDirty is an electronic music blog that in a few years has become one of the most highly read and respected in the world of electronic music lovers. The blog started in LA, but has 10 contributors that live in San Francisco, London, myself here in Miami, and the rest in LA. We're also the #1 most followed blog on Hype Machine.
On to the local stuff: Can you tell us a little about this Coco's Habit event and some of the other events you and the Overthrow group are holding in Miami?
Coco's Habit is just a month old, which takes place every Thursday at Coco de Ville on South Beach. Pirate Stereo and myself are the resident DJs, and with the Overthrow backing, we were given the opportunity to curate a real groovy vibe. We play pretty much everything from nu-disco to dubstep.
You mention the South Beach vs. Downtown aspect of Miami nightlife, and for the most part the causeways do separate the two, so why bridge the gap?
South Beach is a very over-saturated market of redundancy. The more popular clubs pretty much look, sound, and feel exactly the same, except for the name that changes them. However, there are a few places that are starting to expand their horizons. And with that comes a demand for good creative direction. When you properly bring a downtown mentality to a South Beach venue, you can create a nice little fusion.
Are there any other events, locations, or people or influencers we should all know about?
Overthrow's next big party is taking place on January 15th at Eve (formerly White Room) with UK dubstep producer named Jakwob. Eve has been totally remolded and is supposed to sound pretty mental, so I'm sure he'll test out the new speakers right nice. Alongside him will be Caligula, Pirate Stereo, Gooddroid, Magoula, and myself.
Seriously, what is up with that "Jersey Shore, Ed Hardy, bottle sale douchebaggery" (as your site puts it)?
I'm hoping the Jersey Shore fad dies out quickly in 2011. I really can't wrap my mind around the notion of wanting look like the national icon of mockery.
Some people think the music scene in Miami is starting to turn around. What's it turning from and turning to?This goes back to the Downtown vs South Beach thing again. I don't think the music scene downtown left. You can go out to any number of venues and hear good music. But South Beach is a different story. A few years ago I'd say most clubs formatted their nights to a predominately hip-hop set, whereas now you hear more electronic music slipping in. For the most part, the music scene on the beach is rank. You have to really pick your spots and nights wisely. If there has been one thing I have noticed, its been the overwhelming acceptance of dubstep, which blows my mind. You're also starting to see drum n bass come back, as well as some real deep chicago style house vibes.
How does Miami compare to other places in terms of DJ'ing? Any favorite places to play when you're here?
Miami is definitely a fun city to DJ in, especially when its a big week like Art Basel or WMC because people are especially fired up. My favorite places that I've DJ'd would have to be either in Toronto or LA. The crowds in both places really knew electronic music and were open to hearing new sounds. Miami is slow when it comes to pushing new sounds. But I've had a couple shows at Electric Pickle that have been second to none. The upstairs room is real dark and small and has a phenomenal sound system. If more clubs put emphasis on their sound you'd have a lot more happy DJs.
Thanks Troy, for chatting with us about what's nice and what's not in the Miami music scene. We hope to see you all at Coco de Ville on Thursday nights where you can expect to hear some serious jams brought to you by the gottadancedirty team. Oh, and for the record, we're with you, the Jersey Shore thing should be over in 2011.
Interview questions by GuarchIII photo courtesy of the Village Voice