Magic City movers: seven parties incubating Miami’s next generation

For the last two years, VERBS has been bringing a bit of a European, no-phones techno experience to a Cuban diner. “The venue, it’s different, it pays homage to Miami, and even though I’m not necessarily Cuban, my mom’s from Brazil and my dad’s from Italy, and I grew up in a restaurant my entire life. So I really love the place — that it operates as a restaurant during the day,” says VERBS founder Gio Elia. And, at night, the sounds range from the gabber-and tekno-influenced experimentalism of Spekki Webu to the cosmic trance of Caim, supported by local acts like DAY/DEM. “I think it’s the coolest party right now in Miami,” says Santiago Vidal.

Elia discovered the venue through sheer persistence. “I literally made a list of family-owned restaurants/diners, looked up photos of them, and for three months, three times a week, would just drive around and go to these places,” says Elia. She knew she’d found the spot when she pulled up to Los Parados. “I was like, ‘I wanna do this party here’, and she looked at me like I had five eyes,” says Elia. “But I just kept coming back, I was persistent, I was like, ‘Look, you don’t understand, I’m not just trying to throw a party here and wreck your place’.” The diner has since become the rave’s unofficial home. “Now we trust each other, we have a great relationship, the place is really cool. It’s a blank canvas every time.”

Though that first party at Los Parados wasn’t packed, the experience inspired Elia to keep going. “I was up to the day just messaging everyone I know like, there’s this party, you need to come see this artist, you won’t regret it,” says Elia. “The room filled up. But towards the end, the last hour of the first set, there were maybe four of us. Sometimes I really do feel like it’s quality over quantity because it was just the four of us dancing in the end, but the artist was so happy about that. It was a great vibe. And that motivated me for the next time. I love playing, but I think my passion lies in making an experience: making the artists, the guests, and the audience happy.”