22 December 19-25, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Glory Bibi A grateful Michael Bibi made his long-awaited return to Miami. BY GRANT ALBERT L ast year, DJ/producer Michael Bibi announced that he had cen- tral nervous system lymphoma, a rare form of brain cancer, under- going five rounds of intensive chemotherapy. On Instagram, he shared how the disease had affected him not only physically but mentally as well. In March, he finally got the first bit of good news that his scans had come back clear. And in No- vember, a year after receiving a stem-cell transplant and finalizing his treatment, he was officially declared in remission, with doctors giving him the green light to travel once again. Unsurprisingly, the Solid Grooves Records founder quickly made his way back to Miami for a block party downtown, sandwiched be- tween the Dade County Courthouse and the Claude Pepper Federal Building, and his first appearance in the city since his cancer diag- nosis. (He also spun at Club Space on Mon- day afternoon during the venue’s 24-hour Miami Art Week closing party.) “It feels amazing; it feels like everything in my life is renewed,” Bibi tells New Times a few hours before he’s set to take the stage. “Coming back to Miami and having this his- tory with Miami in this renewed second phase of my life makes me feel grateful. Each moment, even if it’s a bad day, I feel lucky to be alive.” Bibi has been at it for more than a decade, making his Miami debut shortly before the pandemic. Even with a two-year lull during the lockdown, he built a name for himself, regularly appearing in the city during Miami Art Week and Miami Music Week once re- strictions were lifted. “I wanted it to be something special,” he says of the block party. “I was waiting for the right time, and it sounded perfect.” For Bibi’s grand return, the team at Club Space transformed the downtown area, syn- onymous with jury duty, the Metrorail, and crowing roosters, into a legitimate outdoor rave venue for seven hours on Sunday eve- ning. The club’s lauded sound system and lighting were brought to form an elevated steel structure to serve as a stage. At 8:05 p.m., Bibi took over the decks from locals Miguelle & Tons, receiving a hero’s welcome from his fans before kicking off his set. Then, the sounds of flutes came out of the speakers, and a hazy voice repeated, “Life is a dream/ Embrace the rhythms.” For the next three hours, Bibi delivered the bass- heavy tech house he’s known for, marking his official return to Miami. “It’s going to feel different; it’s going to feel emotional,” Bibi says of Sunday’s show. “All the sets I have played so far since coming out of the hospital have been very emotionally charged because each place I played has got a history, and having so many good times here and meeting so many great people, it’s going to be emotional.” If Bibi’s set had a theme, it was about sur- vival. That was made evident when he dropped a remix of Destiny’s Child’s 2001 hit single “Survivor” — “I’m a survivor/I’m not gon’ give up/I’m not gon’ stop, oh.” Shortly after came a remix of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” — “I’ve got my life to live/And all my love to give and I will survive.” The entire set felt cathartic, even for those in the crowd. Prior to his diagnosis, the most a fan could do was remark on his skills behind the decks. Now, Bibi wants an attendee to feel grateful for each day they are alive. “Appreciate every moment you have while you are well and can enjoy music. Embrace that. You never know what’s around the cor- ner,” Bibi shares. “That’s the main thing I learned from this whole experience. It’s so important that you have the ability to enjoy life — just to enjoy it.” Don’t worry, though; the unequivocal sound that makes a Bibi set his own is still there. While he sprinkled bits of acid and techno throughout the set, Bibi still plays ethereal, deep tracks with sleek, silky rhythms and purring basslines. He dropped his own tracks, like “Got the Fire,” an homage of sorts to minimal techno, and his 2023 ear- worm, “Different Side,” which features spongy chords, hypnotic vocal work, and the use of the Amen break during the build-ups. While Bibi admits he did not create the sound, tipping his hat to the Romanian DJs, he nonetheless found it and fell in love. “There just wasn’t that sound around Lon- don, and I guess we took that sound from the Romanian DJs and the minimal sound and added UK elements like garage,” he says. “I think sound comes from your life experience, and, even if you don’t realize it, it comes from a subconscious level, and it just comes out.” Bibi is ready to return to the studio and start producing tracks for the new year. How- ever, he acknowledges that his body still needs to build back strength, which means fewer shows and primarily performing in the daytime so he can rest. He insists he will make it back again to Miami soon. “One thing I want to do moving forward is just to help people more — people who are in a similar situation as myself or have been,” Bibi says. “There’s something in me that says I can do more. What that is exactly, I don’t know, but I’m going to figure it out.” [email protected] Michael Bibi performed in downtown Miami on the last day of Miami Art Week. Photo by Elena Lopez-Trigo “EACH MOMENT, EVEN IF IT’S A BAD DAY, I FEEL LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.” | CROSSFADE | t Music
