20 June 22-28, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times b e s T o f m i a m i ® 2 0 2 3 B E S T R E CO R D L A B E L Sports Records @sportswax (Instagram) Vinyl takes a long time to press. It’s also clunky. Whether it sounds better than an MP3 is up for dance-floor debate. None of that deterred a rag- tag group of University of Miami grads from creating the vinyl-only record label Sports Re- cords. In six years, the label, spearheaded by Michael Bird, Jacob Friedland, Kyle Parker, Will Cormier, and Daniel Edenburg (AKA Brother Dan), has generated nine releases, 42 parties, and an unmistakable house sound that is sleek and sexy. Turntable fodder aside, the la- bel is known for its funk-filled parties at Floyd and at warehouses across the Magic City, so the uninitiated will have plenty of opportunities to savor their production cred. B E S T LO C A L A L B U M Homecore! Miami All-Stars Various Artists omnidisc.co How do you condense Miami’s electronic mu- sic scene into one album? If you’re Omnidisc, you don’t. The Danny Daze-led label released Homecore! Miami All-Stars last December, with a whopping 44 tracks from the city’s top producers. No one is left behind on this release, from the long-established like Otto Von Schi- rach, Jesse Perez, Murk, and Dino Felipe to emerging acts like Nick León, INVT, La Goony Chonga, and Sister System. So deft is Daze’s cu- ratorial touch that he even managed to lure producer and scene icon Push Button Objects out of retirement to contribute to the project. Taken together, the compilation gives you an auditory peek into where Miami’s electronic music scene has been, where it is, and where it’s going — and the future sounds exciting. B E S T M U S I C P R O D U C E R Justin Wiggins @jwigg15 (Instagram) If you’re familiar with R&B and hip-hop artists Pouya, DRAM, Cedric Brazle, and Zya, you should also know Justin Wiggins, who has manned the boards to produce some of their signature sounds. Most recently, Wiggins teamed with Twelve’len and Denzel Curry to produce their single, “Lady Draco” with a moody, shape-shifting beat. Wiggins — who is inspired by Brandy, Justin Timberlake, Desti- ny’s Child, and Donell Jones — is orchestrating a contemporary spin on early 2000s R&B and hip hop. His growing roster of hits signals that his vision for R&B is taking root. “I want to make an impact on R&B, especially being from Florida and Miami,” Wiggins says. B E S T L AT I N AC T Oro Fresco soundcloud.com/oro-fresco Inspired by alternative Latin scenes they dis- covered in metropolises in Central and South America, Miami natives Golden Flora and Dar- win Figuero are on a mission to show that Latin music expands beyond reggaeton. Performing as Oro Fresco, the duo mixes electronic music, hip-hop, and comedy to create a sound that’s unique yet not too discordant to dissuade any- one from the dance floor. This year saw the re- lease of Oro Fresco (Remixes), a collection of four tracks reinterpreted by other artists mess- ing around with the band’s Spanish-language tracks in praise of marijuana and in dread of the climate crisis. Arts & Entertainment
