music culture

The Miami Techno Renaissance

There’s a shake-up in Miami’s electronic music scene – at least in the intimate venues. A sound which historically has only been pushed by a few distinct artists in the area and not many promoters is now available to be experienced nearly every weekend. Of course, I’m talking about techno, a genre of electronic music known predominantly in Detroit and Berlin, which slowly is taking over Miami’s locals and simultaneously experiencing a world-wide resurgence.

And while there have been artists in Miami playing techno for years, there’s been one artist who has emerged as the “techno-evangelist” promoter for the area. No, I’m not talking about Ramon this time – I’m talking about Anatoli Russki, also known to many of you as Red Commi Bastard.

Originally from Russia, Russki moved to the states at the age of 17, where he began his journey to South Florida. Starting in New York, then moving to Tennessee, then to Atlanta – he eventually ended up in Miami just a few years ago where he immediately began to make an impression on the local artists, the venue owners and the music fans. It was only a short time before he started to shake things up.

“Electro in Miami was just becoming too repetitive,” said Russki. “I knew there were artists down here pushing a unique sound, and I wanted to start doing something different – something that would really catch people’s attention.”

With that thought, the “Dirty Gruv” parties were born. I asked Russki to define what the parties were, and his response was pretty simple: to promote good vibes, parties and artists. It’s clear when you go to one of his events that this is what intimate venue nights are all about. A good following of friendly people getting together to enjoy unique music and have a fantastic time with attitudes, egos and drama checked at the door.

The nights remind me a lot of the intimate Gainesville and Orlando nights from 2001 – 2004 in the post heyday of Simons, where you had the truly passionate and music loving artists still doing their thing, and the people who were there for all the right reasons were still enjoying themselves.

Russki has put on events at a variety of venues, from local South Beach staples like Blue and Laundry Bar, to underground warehouse parties – but the same positive vibe is ever-present. It’s clear he’s got a passion for what he does, both while DJ’ing and promoting.

As a promoter, Russki offers chances to almost every artist to be a part of his events – from new guys to the area (but not new to the scene) like DJ Way, to Miami staples like Stryke. “I really feel like everyone needs their break,” says Russki. “I try to help them out and give those artists with a passion a chance to succeed. Many times, the crowd enjoys them even more than a big headliner – the up-and-comers are always putting their heart behind it.”

It’s guys like Russki who drive electronic music for the big players worldwide. By pushing intimate nights and giving local artists (not necessarily just the ones who already have a following) a chance, he keeps the scene alive by inspiring DJs to write and explore new music, and give them the drive to spread it to new ears. Sometimes in a city like Miami, it’s easy to become discouraged; however promoters like Russki are a breath of fresh air and an inspiration. The big clubs play a role as well, but it is through people like Russki that the passion is spread in a genuine way both to fans and artists.

I asked Stryke for his thoughts on Russki who added, “Igor’s passion is serving our community well. He strives to deliver a quality night, which is first and foremost, fun! He has a really great talent for finding undiscovered talent here at home, mixing it with the established guys and gals, and then topping it with out of town guests, some known, some not. He’s a rare breed, and I’m so happy to have him in this city.“

As an artist, Russki plays an eclectic mix of techno and minimal with an underground feel, always playing to the energy of the crowd and with a style all his own. “I spend hours searching for new tracks, and carefully select only those which are really well done,” said Russki. “I’m influenced by songs going from the roots of electronic music all the way to the newest, breakthrough sound.”

Russki’s musical tastes run the gambit from Plastikman and Orbital to the Rolling Stones, Juno Reactor and even Elvis. He’s also inspired heavily by locals such as Noise Artistry, Michael Christopher and Stryke.

To get in on Russki’s parties, visit http://myspace.com/redcommibastard.

© 2005-2009 Adam Singer.