CHR Radar Miami | House, Vinyl, Afrobeats + Dance - Sept 18-20
Miami brings vinyl, soulful disco, African club music and Latin social dance into the same orbit.
The DJ matters, but so does what the room does with the music.
1. ⭐ CHR LEAD: The Disco Express
Friday, September 18 | 8 PM | ZeyZey, Little Haiti
London’s The Disco Express brings soulful disco and house to ZeyZey, with support from Abilaú b2b Mixed Feelings. The collective grew from a London loft party into a label and international series centered on nu-disco, funk-informed house and contemporary edits.
Why CHR: This sits almost dead-center in the CHR musical Venn diagram: sophisticated dance music, disco lineage, selectors rather than spectacle, and an outdoor Miami setting.
2. 💿 Dante’s HiFi: Chicago House, New York Roots and a Weekend of Selectors
Friday-Sunday, September 18-20 | Dante’s HiFi, Wynwood.
Friday: Rich Medina + Dvize + Jamie 3:26 - September 18
Saturday: Pressure — Dvize + Merlin Bobb - September 19
Sunday: Le Groove Eclectique — Mark Gorbulew - September 20 | Solo, all night long
FRIDAY - Jamie 3:26 brings a direct Chicago-house connection. His releases on Nu Groove combine classic Chicago influences with contemporary club production, while his musical background runs through the city’s South Side. Alongside Rich Medina, whose vinyl collection and musical direction underpin Dante’s listening-room identity, that gives this booking substance beyond a familiar name on a flyer.
Why CHR: House lineage, record culture, experienced selectors and the opportunity to hear different musical perspectives share one intimate room. This is the kind of booking that makes “Less algorithm. More selection.” feel tangible.
SATURDAY - Merlin Bobb’s history connects directly to New York dance culture: his own biography identifies him as a Brooklyn native, a former WBLS mix-show DJ and a co-founder of Club Shelter. His career also includes work at Atlantic and Elektra Records.
Why CHR: New York house history meeting Miami’s listening-bar culture, with Dvize hosting a guest whose experience extends across radio, records and clubs.
SUNDAY - Le Groove Eclectique is an established part of Mark Gorbulew’s work, encompassing compilations and radio mixes that explore global dance music, lounge, jazz-influenced selections and house. That background supports an eclectic listening angle, although the flyer does not promise a specific genre-by-genre playlist for Sunday.
Why CHR: Musical discovery and sustained programming. An all-night set gives the selector space to develop connections rather than fit everything into a short guest slot.
3. 💿 DJ Vinyl Workshop for Beginners
Saturday, September 19 | 2–5 PM | Jolt Radio, Miami
Amigos Meet hosts an intimate hands-on vinyl-DJ workshop led by Noah Davalos, covering turntables, cueing, mixing and transitions, with actual deck time rather than lecture-only instruction. The format is intentionally small-group and includes a networking/community component.
Why CHR: This is the machinery underneath DJ culture. It also gives CHR a way to talk about vinyl without turning vinyl into nostalgia furniture.
4. 🌍 STAMPED: Aya x Friends
Sunday, September 20 | 5–11 PM | Higher Ground at Arlo Wynwood
Cameroon-born DJ Leslie “Aya” Ayafor created STAMPED as a space devoted specifically to African music. The September edition centers amapiano, Afrobeats and other sounds from across the continent rather than folding everything into a generic global-club format.
Why CHR: Music, diaspora, identity and nightlife intersect naturally here. The party also makes a useful distinction between African music scenes and the wider Afrobeats/dancehall/hip-hop cocktail often marketed under one umbrella.
5. 💿 Big Eff, All Vinyl
Friday, September 18 | Midnight–6 AM | The Corner
Miami selector Big Eff is scheduled for an all-vinyl set moving through funk, R&B, soul, reggae and hip-hop until sunrise. The Corner’s own event calendar confirms the date and format.
Why CHR: Probably the most purely “Crown Heights Radio” musical brief of the weekend. No genre tunnel vision. Records, selection and a room small enough for musical personality to matter.
6. 💃 Karibe September Social / Bailamos!
Saturday, September 19 | 9:30 PM–2 AM | Karibe Dance Studio
The evening begins with a bachata class led by Erica Menezes, then shifts into a social with DJ JLuis playing salsa, bachata and merengue, plus midnight performances. Karibe confirms that its main social is held every third Saturday and that the studio teaches salsa, bachata, merengue, zouk, hip-hop and other styles.
Why CHR: This is participatory culture. The audience is the event.
7. 🇨🇴 Made in Colombia
Friday, September 18 | 10 PM–5 AM | M2 Back Room, Miami Beach
Pitch Park’s Made in Colombia gathers AKO, DJ KK, DYER, MOONVAL and Nathalia Palacio for a house-driven celebration of Colombian music and culture.
Why CHR: The strongest angle is not simply “Latin night.” It is how a specific cultural identity gets translated through contemporary house music in Miami.
Miami after-hours alternate:
Dance Therapy x House of Roses Records begins at ZeyZey at 11:30 PM Saturday, with progressive house, Afro-tech, deep house and tech-house from MindGazm b2b Ro Rousseau, Dean Walker, Megaladon and Max Maldon b2b Aaron Raz.
“Music You Have to Move To.” Last week was about the floor remembering. This week feels like its natural sequel: records, rhythms and traditions stay alive because somebody keeps putting their body into them. 📡💿🪩💃🏽
