Take Me Back Home Part 1 – Miami

Take+Me+Back+Home+Part+1+-+Miami

Katherine Mickewich

Upon deciding what to write this week, I became inspired by thinking all of the people i‰’ve met at AU. Though American is not the most racially diverse place, it is pretty geographically diverse. I‰’ve met people here from Missouri to Hawaii to South Korea, and most of my friends are from vastly different places than I am. So i‰’ve decided to begin a series inspired by the music my friends grew up around and that shapes their music taste today. When I think of the music that I grew up with in Connecticut, a distinct sound doesn‰’t really come to mind. Other than the DIY music scene, Connecticut doesn‰’t really have a clear vibe or a city that could define a sound. Of course there are East Coast inspired artists but none specific to my area that dominate the vibes. So, it‰’s really fascinating to me when I hear about the music my friends listen to that does have regional significance.

Someone who greatly inspires me is my friend Emily from Miami. The way she talks about Miami culture paints a vibrant and exciting picture of a city full of different influences from the Latin American community to rich club and nightlife culture. The dense latin american, especially cuban population have a great influence on the Miami music scene, and can be found in so many facets of life in the city.

Something that I noticed when I interviewed Emily about music in Miami was that she talked about music as if it were built into the city itself. Like the city, the music has movement and a life of its own that can only be described as purely unique. You can feel the influences of the ocean and nightlife in so much of it. The music is very electronic and has a lot of beat drops but strays very far from house influences. One musician Emily mentioned that was incredibly, dominatingly popular in Miami is Flume. If you‰’ve never listened to Flume, he is an incredibly innovative artist who makes experimental electronic, hip hop and electro pop beats. When listening to Flume it isn‰’t hard to imagine what spending a night out in Miami might be like.

Not only does Miami bring cultures and sounds together, it also celebrates these sounds. Music festivals in particular are really popular in Miami. Notably Ultra, celebrating the electronic beats that the city is so famous for. Miami boats quite a few local and underground artists as well, namely hip-hop inspired.

Listening to my friends speak about the music that influenced them growing up, it paints an even better picture of the place they lived, the sights they saw, and the experiences that are unique from place to place. Miami is certainly no exception. I don‰’t know if I can think of anything more vibrant than this city, and the music speaks to this idea to the fullest extent.