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Miami is slowly but surely emerging as an underground EDM capital. And it’s thanks in no small part to locals like Lazaro Casanova who are building musical bridges to sister cities such as London and Los Angeles.
No music scene is an island, and collaboration between artists and labels is key. Case in point: Lazaro’s new LAX EP with esteemed UK DJ-producer and Leftroom label boss Matt Tolfrey, and Los Angeles-based producer Nikko Gibler — a true international affair.
“The new EP is just three friends with very different backgrounds living in three different locations, sharing a like-minded approach to music,” Lazaro tells Crossfade. “Matt is very good with making collaborations happen. So we fired off a stripped-down version of ‘LAX’ to Nikko. He added a lot of parts and sent it back to me.
“Once I got it back, all I had to do was strip down a few things and incorporate it into our original arrangement,” he adds. “It kind of just balanced itself out. We thought it worked out great. So naturally we got Nikko to do some stuff on [the EP’s other tracks] ‘Globe’ and ‘Metronomy’ as well.”
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Lazaro’s own petFood label has also become a bridge of sorts between the Miami and UK house scenes. In just the past year, it’s signed several artists from across the pond. “Our connection with the UK music scene just happened naturally. That’s how we know it’s a special connection,” he explains.
“When Jay [You] and I glanced over sales a while back, we noticed that a good percentage were in the UK. Coincidentally, we also just started getting some demos from the UK too, and I’m glad we listened to them. We got a nice roster going on with petFood now, and some of the fam from the UK includes No Artificial Colours, Waze & Odyssey, and Jae B.”
With its dubby bass-heavy grooves, the LAX EP perfectly encapsulates that transatlantic tech-house flavor that’s currently dominating dancefloors from Miami to London. Get your copy when it drops via Culprit on May 30.
Lazaro Casanova with Little Beard, Sven, and Ray Milian. Saturday, May 19. Bardot, 3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami. The party starts at 10 p.m. Call 305-576-7750 or visit bardotmiami.com.
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