Ryan

Name:
Ryan My artist name is M E V K I Z Z, pronounced like mucus.

In what part of town do you live?
I live in High Pines.

How long have you lived in this area?
I’ve lived in this home for 23 years, since I was three. For the last seven years, I’ve been living in New York City. I just got back and I’m transitioning to the van.

What were you doing in New York City?
I studied a bunch of different things, including electronic music composition, DJ, and engineering, which I ended up teaching at multiple different institutions. I also studied plant based cuisine and yoga, which I also ended up teaching.

You mentioned transitioning to the van. Would you share about this?
I actually came down here where my van was waiting. I brought down all of my stage and studio equipment, including my instruments and sound system in a Penske truck. I went to Mango Van on 163rd and they installed all the stage and music equipment for me.

They make some cool looking tiny homes. What does your van look like?
It’s a Chevy Express 2500 cargo van, kind of construction type van truck thing. There’s a window in the back door, and on both doors, but no windows in the body. I have four bass speakers and three treble speakers installed into the side of the van. I essentially open the side door of the van and have an entertainment space. What I’m doing is performing from the inside. I’m able to DJ and do live electronic music from the inside with my friends. I’m working with Ableton for the music, which is also the program that I’m teaching and a program called VDMX for the video and visual portion of the show.

Sounds like an amazing traveling stage. What kind of other performers will you invite?
I’m working with a hip-hop artist out of Austin, Texas named Wolfie Warship. They’re going to be releasing an album on the label that I just started. I’m making merchandise for the label out of the van as well. I have a sewing machine and different fabrics. I’ll be doing patches, stickers, all sorts of stuff like that, and manufacturing and releasing music from the van. Our first release from Wolfie Warship is going to be a cassette, limited to a run of a hundred.

Are you also going to be living in the van?
I will be. I have my kitchen stuff in there too. All my spices and oils and a dehydrator, a blender, a mandolin, and a noodle spiralizer.

Did you fit a bed?
Yes. But, my bed doesn’t open anymore – it’s like a futon. I’m not complaining, because I was able to fit the sound system.

Where will you travel to first?
Austin. It’s where my friend and artist on my label is based. There’s a prospect for me to teach yoga and to teach electronic music at an academy while I’m there. By the end of the year, I hope to get on the road and start getting paid to perform.

You have a pattern of going from studying to teaching quickly; is teaching a way for you to keep learning?
I would totally agree with that. Teaching has brought me to a place where I feel more comfortable working with the technical side of what I’m doing and it’s allowed me, in that context, to express myself more freely. It’s a good way to be immersed fully in what I’m doing. Teaching yoga has been pretty cool too. I’m so focused on music all the time that yoga is my health practice. I have led prenatal and postpartum classes which was pretty enriching. I love teaching. I hope I can do it for a long time.

Is there any common advice that you give both groups of students?
That’s a good question. Definitely patience and be persistent enough to apply whatever they are learning to a real life scenario. For me, it’s being open minded to the abilities of my students, to let them show you their true potential.

How often do you come to the Pinecrest market?
Pretty much – every week.

Do you have a market ritual?
I go straight to you guys to get a smoothie, and then I go over to see Lamoy and I get her platter. It’s super simple, but it’s so good. And then, I just go sit and eat for 45 minutes. I take my time, it’s nice to just eat outside. There’s people everywhere and beautiful trees. For me, that’s the best way to spend a day.

What do you typically get at our stand?
I love the rainbow smoothie. It’s makes my body feel good, and it’s filling and it’s rich. It tastes amazing. It’s like an all-around positive experience and everyone is so nice at your stand. That’s my regular spot – right there. I love your Turmeric Tonic too. I mean, that’s another thing that’s really done wonders on my body. There’s been times where I was sick with a really bad cold, with body aches and I swear by the tonic.

What else do you like at the market?
Lamoy’s food. She has been super supportive of me for a long time. Emotionally – like an awesome human being. She has showed me an approach to living a plant based diet and she is just a super fun person. I think my favorite dishes are the plantains and I love her spicy red cabbage. It’s super fire.

What do you think the market is missing?
The Parrots!

Do you have any market stories?
Last market at the ceramics booth, I met this awesome person who makes pottery. So, I’m going to take a pottery class tomorrow night at the Ceramics League. I can’t wait. I’ve been dying to do pottery.

Where do you like to go out in Miami?
Club Space is my jam. It’s right by Bicentennial. They have great after-hours parties and a nice crowd. It’s a place that I can go and get lost in the music. Sometimes they have parties that go for two days and have DJs coming from around the world. I also love Churchills. It’s their 40th anniversary on Saturday.

What’s Miami’s best kept secret?
My mom took me yesterday to a place in Virginia Key that I had never been to. It was a really thick spot; it was a beautiful spot. You take the path up the center, it takes you right to the end. There’s little Tiki huts lining the shore. You have the mangroves and everything there. If you walk up the shoreline to the north, you can see the whole city.

What is a worthy splurge?
That’s a good question. For me, it would definitely be to go to a music festival or a good rave.

What’s a fun rainy-day activity?
I love playing my Nintendo switch.

Is there a challenge you would like to pose to the community?
Yeah, stop throwing trash on the ground.

Are you going to document your journey?
Yes. I got a Go-Pro camera and I’d like to make a movie. I’m really inspired by Toshio Matsumoto – who did a blend of fiction and documentation, particularly with the movie Funeral Parade of Roses. I think it would be cool to take my experience and make it a more creative project. So hopefully at some point, you know, some kind of two hour feature comes out.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Just doing the right thing and just being true, being true to yourself, being true to your experience and taking things a little more seriously. That’s all.