Miguel Migs

Miguel Migs is the performing name of Michael Steward, a house and electronic music producer and DJ from Santa Cruz and San Francisco. He is also known as Petalpusher. He is associated with the Nightsource project and with labels including Salted Music and Transport Recordings.

Career

Migs begins his music career at 18 as lead guitarist and songwriter in the Santa Cruz band Zion Sounds, sometimes described as Hermes and Zion Sounds in the available account. After the group splits in the mid-1990s, he moves into electronic music production. The music of Zion Sounds, with African and Jamaican influences, is said to shape his later work.

He releases more than 100 original productions and remixes, and works with a range of independent labels including Naked Music Recordings, Astralwerks, Yoshitoshi, NRK, Black Vinyl, Large, Chez, Om Records and Defected Records. He also produces more than 100 remixes, including work for Britney Spears, Macy Gray and Lionel Richie. His remixes and productions appear on compilations and on DJ hype charts internationally, and his music is used on television programmes including Six Feet Under, Sex and the City, MTV’s Road Rules and Real World.

Labels and releases

In 1998, Migs co-founds Transport Recordings with DJ MFR and Naked Music label director Bruno Ybarra. He later founds Salted Music in 2004, using it as a base for his own catalogue, releases and compilations. He also issues numerous mix CD compilations on labels including Defected, Naked Music, Southport Weekender and NRK.

His discography includes the album Those Things and the remix album Those Things Remixed. He also puts together a live act and tours with his band Petalpusher.

Style and recognition

Migs works in deep house, house, chillout and lounge-oriented electronic music, with an emphasis on soulful, organic arrangements and live instrumentation. He writes his own lyrics and plays guitar, bass, percussion and keyboard on his productions. His DJ sets are shaped by a wide mix of influences, including reggae, soul, classic rock, jazz and hip-hop.

He is nominated for best DJ at the 2004 House Music Awards in London. His early deep house work in the late 1990s and early 2000s places him among the figures associated with the house and chill-out revival scene.