With the latest release in this acclaimed series Miguel Migs is the latest producer to be crowned an official House Master by Defected Records, dedicating a whole release to the legacy that Migs has built up, Stephen Flynn looks over Migs’ inimitable career.

Northern California: a corner of the world renowned for its beauty, tranquillity, charming character and liberal spirit; a place where the hustle and bustle of its most famous metropolis - San Francisco - is wonderfully juxtaposed by the serenity of its neighbouring lakes, mountains and natural parks. It’s a spot brimming with ideas and ideals, with the hippie culture it helped foster in the 1960’s epitomising the fact. Yet, while so much has changed since that fateful era, many of the area’s key principles remain stubbornly intact, with creative endeavours – from art to music to literature – as prominent and appreciated today as they were way back when.

The sounds emitting from the region are just as eclectic too, although nowadays they’ve another string to their bow courtesy of their preoccupation with electronic music. And one man who epitomises the area’s penchant for such strands is Miguel Migs. Throughout the best part of the past two decades, the veteran producer has been responsible for some of the prime records of the sun-drenched “West Coast sound”, not least "so far", "Breakin’ it down", "Surrender", "Mesmerized" and "Close your Eyes". His label, Salted Music, is an equally fabled exertion of his, while Migs also played a key role in the Naked Music sound that soon swept its way across Europe and beyond. 

Born to hippy parents in the late 70’s, Migs’ childhood - as he proudly states – made prominent use of a “very positive and open-minded mentality and environment”. That the latter statement rings true should hardly come as a surprise either - not least because Migs is the proprietor of a discography that very much mirrors the essence (and ethos) of his colourful and cosmopolitan adopted hometown, San Francisco.

Migs’ output then, (and indeed, his wonderfully varied DJ sets) promote a fusion of pure, uplifting, soulful and intricate vibes, just as a career that’s spanned a catalogue of seminal labels such as NRK, Yoshitoshi – and of course, his own, aforementioned Salted Music imprint - would seem to suggest.  

Yet while Migs himself is quick to point out the influence of his free-spirited West coast upbringing, he’s also at pains to praise San Francisco’s clubbing scene of the mid 90’s - a melting pot of cultures and sounds that played a particularly profound role on the outlook - and music - of the then impressionable youngster;

“It was the communal aspect to it [San Francisco’s club scene] that first captivated me; all these different kinds of people - black, white, gay, straight - all coming to together to these underground parties just to dance, have fun and let loose. I’d never seen – or heard – anything quite like it before.”

The liberal mentality behind these nightclubs and warehouses (and of course, their accompanying soundtrack) thus provided a teenage Migs with a life-changing musical epiphany. Electronic music had left an intense mark on his conscience, entering his life like a preordained calling from above.

“My fascination with this new music revolved around how it was produced and created. I come from a background that listened, played – and embraced – so many styles of music, so this type of music was a perfect fit. So I took the next logical step: I bought a keyboard and started experimenting.”

With his captive ears always tantalised by so many eclectic and contrasting forms of music, (from dub to soft rock to hip-hop) Migs had – much to his delight – almost inadvertently stumbled across a genre that played directly to his strengths: a genre without boundaries and with endless possibilities - the type of music with which he could utilise his many broad inspirations.

As he began to fine-tune his skills both in the studio and behind the decks, Migs soon earned a reputation as a diligent DJ and an astute producer - the exact sort of reputation that enamoured him to San Francisco’s burgeoning club scene of the time:

“I started messing around in the early 90’s on my friend’s turntables for fun. Soon enough, it progressed into an actual career. As soon as you start hearing your own music played out in the clubs and getting requests to do remixes and EP’s, it’s all very inspiring and exciting. So I just rolled with it all. ”

And while it’s a good job he did, Migs’ story is still one of relentless hard work and vivacious enthusiasm. So, while he’s also a purveyor of discerning, reputable music and a musician in the truest sense of the word (he also had stints as a guitarist and a songwriter), Migs is also a pioneer and a risk-taker, which is exactly why he’s provided remixes for the likes of Macy Gray, Lionel Richie and Britney Spears. In a scene that’s all too often derided for taking itself too seriously, the Salted Music man provides a welcome breath of fresh air. Not that Migs fulfils such endeavours for any sort of novel kick. On the contrary, he’s simply an astute musician, and the sort of producer who can cannily notice – and extract – beautiful, textured electronica from the most unlikely and unpredictable of sources.

Migs’ latest long-player, 2011’s Outside the Skyline offers a case in point. A lush concoction of styles and sounds that incorporates everything from early soul, jazz, dub, reggae and funk into proceedings, it emphasised Migs’ status as a producer of some standing and a man with an inimitable obsession with sound and its various complexities. It also proved he’s lost none of his production nous since his maiden full-length, Colourful You, in 2002. Just like the latter, Outside the Skyline is crafted on a timeless tip, and - considering its wide array of influences - it’s certainly aptly titled too.

Those yearning for a fitting snapshot of Migs’ talents then, are sure to be appeased courtesy of his contribution to Defected’s House Masters series. An enthralling retrospective of his career to date, it offers up an intriguing insight into the works of an equally beguiling musician.

Migs was an obvious choice for the series too, not least because he’s a character whose penchant for discerning house strands very much mirrors that of Defected’s. To quote the label head Simon Dunmore; “Miguel Migs has 20 years of House history. He was a key part of the Naked Music phenomena. He produced the very first Defected In The House compilation, and he is a cool looking dude. That makes him a real House Master in my humble opinion!”

And it’s not simply Dunmore’s humble opinion that makes Miguel Migs a producer deserving of his place in this hallowed series. The House Masters compilation is one that’s indicative of its title, and as such, it’s an honour that’s only bestowed on the genres prime movers and shakers, with Migs following in the footsteps of other key contributors to the series such as Murk and MK.

Migs too, recognises the relationship between the artist and the label as an especially important and reciprocal one: “I definitely appreciate how diverse Defected has been throughout the years. As so many labels have come and gone, they’ve continued to thrive. That speaks volumes.”

Migs’ contribution to the series is a suitably heady affair, and it features most of his renowned works, with his collaborations, various remixes, and his many solo offerings (including those under his Petalpusher moniker) spanning the course of two bumper-packed CD’s. It’s a comprehensive collection that leaves no stone unturned, and as such it features an array of classic cuts that - for a period at least - practically defined the soulful West Coat house sound that Migs helped popularise.

And that’s exactly why all of Migs’ most celebrated records (chosen incidentally, at the behest of himself) are featured here. So, from “Life” to his remix of Lisa Shaw’s “Cherry”, to his much vaunted collaboration with Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, “Everybody” - there’s more than enough going on here to satisfy even the most cynical house-head.

Miguel Migs contribution to the series though, is not some sort of This is your Life send-off, and not the sort of package that has been released to coincide with any sort of semi-retirement. His most recent record for example, “Dance & Clap” (released on Salted Music), proves he’s lost none of his production credentials, with its infectious sound heightened by its no.1 standing on Traxsource’s main downloads chart.

 So there you have it. Miguel Migs: a producer who is just as eclectic, just as intriguing and just as effervescent as the place he calls home. Northern California, we hasten to add, was also the setting for the famous Gold Rush of the 1800’s. And in Miguel Migs, they’ve already unearthed a 24-carat electronic music purveyor that’s very much one of their own.

Stephen Flynn

House Masters Miguel Migs is available to pre-order now from Itunes