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At the forefront
of dance music’s deeper realm stands 29-year-old musician,
producer & jet-setting DJ, Miguel Migs. Personifying the elegantly
lustful, soul-driven vibe of the Naked Music concept, Migs’
numerous original productions and remixes combine the best of electronic
music with live instrumentation to create an organic-soulful sound.
His remix of
the Naked Music single, ‘If I Fall’, was the smooth, groove-infected
track that first intertwined Miguel and Naked Music. His 1997 dub
remix on OM Records was a surprise hit, slipping its way into numerous
compilations and sliding into the record bags of deep house DJs
across the globe. Miguel has since found himself on the remixer
A-list of dance music's top record labels and producers (those remixed
by him include Macy Gray, Lionel Richie and Britney Spears).
In the past
4 years alone, Miguel has quietly put out more than 70 quality,
original cuts and remixes on seminal independent labels like Naked
Music, Yoshitoshi, NRK, Black Vinyl, Large, and Transport. All of
which have made waves in the underground circuit and hit DJ hype
charts of international media.
A musician
at heart, Miguel’s professional career started at age 18 as
songwriter and lead guitarist for Santa Cruz local dub band Zion
Sounds, whose Jamaican and African rhythms earned them gigs with
globally known reggae outfits Culture and Burning Spear among others.
The band parted in the mid 90’s due to personal differences.
Miguel then put his focus and creative energy into experimenting
with the production of electronic music.
Conveniently,
Miguel was situated just two hours away from North American club-love
mecca San Francisco, in whose arms he discovered an intense musical
passion that he could express alone in a studio: the feeling of
house music. “I was instantly hooked on the sounds of deep,
soulful house music from the first time I heard it in the early
90’s”, explains Migs. “It was a beautiful feeling
I got from the music, a very positive inspiration”.
As a producer,
Miguel perceives a strong connection between his house productions
and reggae roots. Reflecting on his live musical background, he
writes his own lyrics and plays his own instruments, be it guitar,
bass, percussion or keyboard.
As a DJ Miguel
maintains the same elements to his sets, as to his productions.
Combining a variety of influences and styles fused together. Deep,
sensual, soulful, house music. “I like to mix it up and keep
it moving, taking the crowd on a very spontaneous journey into the
realms of quality, deep house music depending on the mood in the
room”, says Migs. “But, whether it’s vocal, tracky,
dubby, moody, percussive, broken beat or whatever, it just has to
be very soulful with emotional content.”
Miguel currently
can be found regularly travelling the globe as one of the industries
top-leading DJ’s, as well as at home in the studio creating
music, which is his main love and passion. “It’s all about
the balance”, says Migs, “This is just the beginning.”
Miguel Migs
will tour Australia for the third time in Feb/March 2003.
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