It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint: Inside Club Space's Summer Closing Weekend

For the past two weekends, Miami's dance music mecca Club Space held its last few marathon parties before closing for the summer to complete necessary renovations. While some patrons felt that this signaled the end for the venue, the venue's owners have made it clear they intend to reopen this fall.

Still, with big-name DJs already booked to perform in party capitals like Las Vegas, Mykonos, and Ibiza, many wondered who would be available to help Space close things out with a bang. Fisher was billed to headline the club's Memorial Day weekend marathon on Sunday, May 26; however, days before he was set to take over the Terrace, it was announced that he had to pull out due to unforeseen circumstances.

With some people already having paid upwards of $200 to see Fisher spin, who would make for a suitable replacement?

The answer came in the form of Dutch producer Mau P. The venue made a nice last-minute save, as the tech-house DJ has been on the rise since his breakthrough in 2022, dropping gems like "Beats for the Underground" and "Gimme That Bounce" along the way.

To make the most of my time at Space, I did what any self-respecting partygoer would do: I woke up at 5 a.m. — technically Monday morning — to walk into Space by 6 a.m. to see if Mau lived up to the hype. With a career that only seems to be getting started, it's clear that he's not that far behind producers like John Summit and Chris Lake.

For four hours straight, Mau gave it his all, mixing and transitioning seamlessly from track to track, with the highlight being a track that uses a sample from TikTok in which a young woman complains that he doesn't dance when he's in the DJ booth, comparing him unfavorably to Summit. "Mau P, why are you not dancing? And why is John Summit the only DJ who ever looks like he's having fun on stage?" It's a perplexing question, considering nobody pays to see a DJ dance. The genius sample also shows that Mau P is tapped into his fan base.
During Mau's set, the crowd was also up and moving, with the Terrace packed to capacity. Fans were excited to see the Dutchman, passing him cute notes that said things like, "Mau, wanna smooch?" When he dropped "Drugs From Amsterdam" at around 8:30 a.m., the crowd loudly sang the chorus back to Mau.

After his Memorial Day weekend set, I can only hope he returns soon when Space reopens in the fall.

After Mau, legend Solomun hopped into the booth, but my body could only endure so much of his marathon set before I had to call it quits and head home.

The following weekend, on Friday, May 31, I returned to Space to catch Sinopoli spin back-to-back with Bakke. In case you didn't know, Space partner and III Points founder David Sinopoli knows his way around a pair of turntables. I was excited to see what he and Bakker had in store for the 7 a.m. crowd, which had just experienced a phenomenal set from Honey Dijon. For three hours, the pair spun tracks like Camirsa's "Let Me Show You" while moving and grooving with the crowd. They took shots and vibed with the early Saturday morning crowd.

Later that weekend, there was an air of melancholy as people made their way through the doors for the final Sunday-night-to-Monday-morning marathon. The lines of partygoers eager to get into the venue stretched down several blocks of Eleventh Street.
After about an hour and a half of waiting, I was finally able to make my way inside to see Space more packed than it had been the last two weekends. It was surprising, considering Sunday's bill bore no big-name artists; instead, the lineup focused mainly on Space's pack of resident DJs like Ms. Mada, Rossi, and Thunderpony. The evening's only guests were French producer Dyed Soundorom and Danny Daze, spinning under the alias D33.

Before the party, Space announced it would institute a no-phone policy for Sunday's party, requiring patrons to put their phones in magnetic pouches if they wanted to enter the Terrace. The policy is standard at some of Miami's underground clubs and raves and is most famously enforced at Berghain in Berlin, where patrons enjoy the freedom of being able to literally dance like no one is watching.

When I entered the Terrace at 11 p.m., the policy was being strictly enforced. I can see its appeal, but honestly, I'm not sure if Space's clientele is ready to embrace it. Frustrated by the restriction, people instead flocked to the Ground downstairs, where phone use was permitted. It seems like the enforcement was eventually relaxed in the afternoon around 1 p.m.

I broke up my final night at Space into two sessions. From midnight to 7 a.m., the dance floor was crowded, making it hard to get around. People danced along to sets by Serafitz, Bort, and D33, but it was Dyed Soundorom who had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand as he ushered in the last sunrise for a while.
After a much-needed break, I returned to Space at 7:30 p.m. In line were whoU.S. Marshall people who also went home for a disco nap or those who had just gotten off work and wanted to enjoy the club one more time. With the no-phone rule being thrown out the window and capacity reaching much more bearable conditions, a "battle royale" of DJs began to occur as Maher Daniel and Rossi kicked things off for the portion of the party that was billed as "Everyone."

For the next five hours, DJs like Maher, Ms. Mada, Danyelino, and Rossi took turns hopping on and off the decks as the crowd continued to groove deep into the night. It was a wild and spectacular way to end and embrace the last night at Space for a while. With a soundtrack that included Mighty Dub Kats' "Magic Carpet Ride" and Garret David's "Mi Casa," it was no surprise that everyone was in great spirits.

As you see the phrases "No Violence," "Peace," "Be Kind," and others going upstairs to the Terrace, you remember why Space is the place.

To those of you who are in mourning, remember, it's see you later, not goodbye.