23 March 26 - april 1, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | 23 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | High Octane Black Coffee will turn the Hialeah Race Track into a dance floor. BY GRANT ALBERT E very Music Week gives the electronic music community the opportunity to throw a party that expands past the festival grounds or the brick-and-mortar club. This year is no exception with the return of South Africa’s producer and DJ, Black Coffee. But his duties are not touching the club — indeed, not even North Miami or South Beach. The Grammy-award-winning artist’s deep, soulful selections will be heard at the historic Hialeah Park Race Track on Saturday, March 28, in collaboration with Club Space. “The Hialeah Race Track is a historic land- mark in Miami,” says Leo Piscioneri, Club Space’s Chief Marketing Officer. “The Park has a hundred-year history and just cele- brated its centennial, which is incredible.” The Hialeah Park Casino, which includes the Race Track, is not your typical Vegas casino or a rundown racetrack that has run its course. Between its south-of-France architecture, lush landscaping, and circular walking ring, which, as its website describes, was inspired by the Parisian racetrack Longchamp, is a South Florida marvel. According to the web- site’s history section, a Missouri cattleman named James Bright and an aviator, Glenn Curtis, donated land for community use “while helping to acquire funds for construc- tion of public buildings, facilities, and, yes – a horse racetrack” during the beginning of the Roaring Twenties. On January 15, 1925, Hialeah Park Race Track opened for thoroughbred horse racing, a practice that continued until 2001. The fin- est milieu, from the Vanderbilt and Du Pont families, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, traveled to South Florida to watch the races. On March 5, 1979, the National Register of Historic Places added Hialeah Park to its registry. “I believe that the racetrack has had con- certs in the past, but maybe two or three in to- tal. This is certainly the first dance-focused experience,” says Piscioneri. The show runs from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m., which could be an ideal nightcap for some- one who wants to go out but not commit to all-night festivities or a great escape from North Miami. Piscioneri, however, is quick to note that this could be a mere prelude to head out to Factory Town, also in Hialeah, for all- night DJ sets. VIP attendees will enjoy an open bar for the first hour of the show. There are also “ex- citing and beloved Miami-based restaurant” options for VIP attendees that will likely be announced soon. “I would go as far as to say that if you’re a foodie and you love music, this is the event to be at.” The crowd, VIP or otherwise, can also ex- pect a one-of-a-kind stage setup and produc- tion. The crew will construct the stage on the racetrack, featuring a bespoke design devel- oped by the Black Coffee and Club Space teams, a first of its kind. Also on the bill are Carlita and Kaz James. “It’s an experience that will fuse together the old and the new,” posits Piscioneri. “When you get to the venue, you will walk past the entrance to the casino, and specifically the entrance to the racetrack, which has these beautiful, huge arches and pink flowers that are crawling up the vines of the facade. So you walk through that, and then you’re in the grandstands.” Also in attendance will be the casino’s leg- endary flamingos, who were imported from Cuba in 1934 to live in the grand lake (the fla- mingos will be kept away from the music and otherwise undisturbed). “You can either have a seat in the grandstands, there’s an elevated view of this really open, beautiful, scenic racetrack, with a lake and flamingos behind. You can make your way to the dancefloor, which is just below.” The show, with its allure and beauty, offers yet another reminder that music lovers can experience great sound in a setting that feels less frantic. Attendees will dance to the sounds of Black Coffee against a green back- drop — no packed clubs or sleepless nights, just your feet planted somewhere with a sense of history. Black Coffee. With Carlita and Kaz James. 6 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at Hialeah Park Ca- sino, 100 E. 32nd St., Hialeah; 305-885-8000; hialeahparkcasion.com. Tickets cost $85 to $199 via dice.fm. ▼ Music Music The Hialeah Race Track just celebrated its centennial. World Red Eye photo Untethered Attila Mobile Studio helps Miami artists find their sound. BY SHAWN MACOMBER “I ’m here to remind you to release those fucking songs,” Attila Mendez says, making his impassioned plea directly into the camera. “I know, it’s easier said than done. But, how long have those songs been on your hard drive, or just in your head, or on your phone? Please, don’t let another year go by without shar- ing your unique voice as an artist with the world.” Mendez isn’t just another wannabe influencer, however, dropping motivational bon mots for clicks before disappearing into the digital ether. No, with his Attila Mobile Studio, the French singer-songwriter and producer is making it easier than ever for artists to make unique, innovative, and — above all — authentic recordings of their art. And when Mendez says he is mobile…dude is really mobile. Last year alone, he recorded in an airshaft in Barcelona, on the beach, at a puppe- teer’s loft in Maine, a North Miami Playground, a Little Havana backyard, a gutted Miami Beach apartment, a garden in Miami for a luminescent last-minute Tiny Desk submission by Pazyflora, and his own backyard. “I don’t want my recordings to sound like they could be done just anywhere in the world,” Mendez tells New Times. “As a producer, I’ve come to realize chemistry isn’t just about myself and the artist — it’s about the environment, too. I am always trying to be sensitive to the fact that how we adapt to and create spaces leaves an im- print on a recording, whether the listener con- sciously recognizes it or not. And you want that to be something that enhances and raises a re- cording up, not the opposite.” Necessity truly was the mother of invention for Mendez: An artist himself, he started experiment- ing with the GarageBand recording app more than two decades ago. During the pandemic, Mendez, seeking to hone his skills, hired Audio Nomad author Adrian Parzentny — who Mendez and his world music band Bondeko had previ- ously flown from Portland, Maine, to Albania to cut an album with — to give him lessons in how to record, mix, and master. Along the way, he was in- spired by Parzentny’s global work, which, as the bio for Audio Nomad notes, “brought professional recording to refugee camps and remote regions, proving music knows no limits.” It was an ethos and methodology that reso- nated with Mendez: “There are so many amazing artists who go to a traditional studio where the prices per hour are just insane, and they’re intim- idated or rushed or both, and they just end up feeling defeated,” he says. “They might get a technically good recording, but not one that re- flects their art or their soul. Part of what I’m try- ing to do is fight against this kind of perfectionism in music. Because, to me, it doesn’t matter if you’re talking about hip-hop or pop or world music, perfec- tion isn’t what moves people, it’s authenticity — it’s the parts that have a bit of an edge to them; a bit of urgency or vul- nerability.” And by placing the focus on quote-unquote “realness” and removing the wasted energy of chasing an unattainable perfection, Mendez is better able to help clients overcome creativity- killing bouts of self-doubt or imposter syndrome. “Probably eighty percent of my job is coaching,” he says, “and I love that part of it.” Miami was supposed to be more of a way sta- tion than a permanent home — the plan had been to move from Maine to New York. During a few months’ layover staying in North Miami with his partner’s mother, however, Mendez began to hit the open mic circuit — especially at Thank You, Miami Cocina & Beerhouse, whose stellar, soulful open mic host Trikstah is now a recording client — and something clicked for him in a new way. “I don’t like being constrained to specific genres or labels, and so many scenes are like, ‘Okay, you play indie rock, but what kind of indie rock do you play?’” Mendez, who also records clients in a home studio, says. “One of the things I love about Miami is that the scene and music here is so diverse yet also connected. It’s more about the vibe and quality of what you’re doing than it is about putting a label on it. Once I was exposed to everything Miami has to offer, I was like, ‘Done.’” It’s been a year, and he’s busier with a slate of projects than he could have imagined. “I couldn’t be happier about it,” he says, adding that working with other artists has reinvigorated his own musi- cal journey. “I held off on this career path for a long time because I felt like, ‘Oh, I’m an artist. If I serve others, am I forgetting about my own art?’ I was so wrong. I get so inspired by the artists I work with. I learn so much. I can’t wait to see where it all leads.” [email protected] | CROSSFADE | “I GET SO INSPIRED BY THE ARTISTS I WORK WITH. I LEARN SO MUCH.”
