Not too far from a busy South Beach intersection in Miami, I made my way to a party I’d been looking forward to and a club I’d been hearing about for a long while. A bit unsure of what to expect, I nearly passed the building, looking for a typical ‘club’. The entrance was framed by an almost clandestine gate just out front that led to a warmly lit path to the side door. There, I entered Do Not Sit On The Furniture. It was dark, intimate and had the most textured ambiance of any club I’ve seen.
The iconic, pioneering and versatile Josh Wink was on deck, with his Ovum party showcase for the evening, and a special guest to close it out. It was a darkened room with red light hues, candles in green glass jars and dimmed orange lamps. Subtle glitter-top mini tables framed a line of booth seats leading to the dance floor; a caged overhang with frilled tapestry cloaked the room from above, like hammocks layering the ceiling space, while a cassette-tape wall accompanied one to the bar. All that and so much more, but I don’t want to give it all away. It occurred to me that I’ve never looked around this long at a club’s decor, or simply noticed the weave of a room, all the brainchild and inspiration of noted international DJ, Behrouz.
Josh is pure soul, his sound is old but new, a heavy groove that literally makes you swing. It’s that perfect art of reading a room and using the mixer as an instrument, toying with volume, bathing the space with vibe, a thick atmosphere where the music wakes something within you and actually moves you. The sound was crisp and deep. It was a social mood but the place was dancing. Like this perfect space to get lost in the music solo or with friends. And then Josh takes it deeper. House, tech house, space between the notes, an undulating groove that is a journey, at times rolling chunky house, and the deepest bass lines.
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Unshazamable-tracks, as it were. It was such an enjoyable set I found myself moving and smiling because it was reminiscent of sets I don’t often hear; old school vibe but totally fresh, with mastery in the mixing and the selection. A fun place to be. He cranked it up near the end into a heavier almost techno flavour and most conversations by then had long been turned into one with the dancefloor. I then looked up to see Dubfire in the booth and about to take the helm. The innovative, constantly evolving SCI+TEC label boss was the special guest, a very special occasion in a club holding about 100-150 people. He brought the darkness with a minimal, yet incredibly layered, powerful brand of techno. It was this heavy, perfect opening vibe – I felt like we went from Josh’s masterful, deep soulful dance party to an equally superb, groove-filled tunnel of darkness.
I’m totally dramatic, I know, but it was really that good. Time flew as we were locked collectively into this unified rhythm. It was only my second night in Miami for music week, but my fourth party in a row and any plan to “go home and get some rest” was duly foiled by both Wink and Dubfire, friends and ambiance. As 5am rolled around, the time spent, the fun had, the emotions felt, the memories carved were all worth it. Near the end they went b2b and melted the room with an ethereal, atmospheric sound to take it home. And with that, I called it a night – happy to have made it out, to have not just heard music, but experienced it, and appreciative of the fact that in life we can experience such an incredible event, the culmination of years of mastery and the coming together of many minds and efforts, all pooled into the space of hours. In the end, I’d say nights like this are what it’s all about.
