Miami’s behemoth Ultra festival has long been the climax to Miami Music Week – think SXSW for ravers – but this year it devolved beyond the point of no return. A daytime set purchased by KFC featured brand mascot Colonel Sanders DJing EDM bangers to a bemused and listless audience; some attendees branded it “Fyre 2.0” after they were stranded for hours waiting for shuttle buses. Miami Music Week clearly needs a new cornerstone.

There may be a contender in Get Lost, which enjoyed its 14th consecutive year as an underground countercurrent to Miami’s more mainstream club scene. It has grown from a 200-person after-hours party for relentless, beach-fried weirdos into the most lauded club night of the whole week, and then further still: it is now a 5,000-person, 70-artist, 24-hour ritual of house and techno with a whole orbit of its own.

Its scion is British tech-house provocateur Damian Lazarus: boss of the Crosstown Rebels label which launched the careers of Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, and Seth Troxler, in addition to host of the celebrated Lazpod podcast, ringleader of multiple musical endeavours like his band the Ancient Moons, and helmer of the otherworldly Day Zero festival in the Mayan jungles of Mexico every January. But if there’s one project that’s synonymous with Lazarus, it’s Get Lost.

The crowd at Get Lost. Photograph: Khris Cowley for Here & Now

“In 2004, when this all began, there were so many parties in Miami, so many people,” he says. “It was already ridiculous. But most parties were closing around four or five. I set Get Lost Miami up as a way for people to go clubbing first thing in the morning – if they hadn’t already lost their minds, they were about to. As the party kept growing, I wanted to keep that essence.” It now starts at 5am as an intimate after-hours party, but continues until 5am the following day, morphing into a full-on festival and back into a last-man-standing all-nighter in one continuous session.

Get Lost is clearly not for the faint of heart. As dawn begins to rise, all but the hardiest partiers from Miami Music Week are tucked into bed, but at Lemon City Studios, an industrial complex in Little Haiti, freaks of all varieties are descending. Bedazzled wanderers from the Burning Man desert-fabulous set, techno fans in Vantablack, insomniac exiles from Ultra, and the particular cavalcade of ne’er-do-wells that inhabit Miami-Dade’s darkest hours: all emerge through Get Lost’s softly lit, jasmine scented courtyard. They pass up rickety stairs and through a thick curtain to find a red-hued, fog-drenched warehouse space where Wizardry – Lazarus’s collaborative project with fellow psychonauts DJ Three and DJ Tennis – commence proceedings with a kaleidoscope of trippy, grooving tracks. The vibe is spooky, seductive, and seedy in equal measure.

A typical raver at Get Lost, Miami. Photograph: Khris Cowley for Here & Now

As the morning unfolds, all four of Get Lost’s stages and immersive environments open up one by one, each themed after a lost civilization: Mu, Theia, The Garden of Eden, and Lemuria. “It’s all about moving from one portal to another, losing yourself in areas, spaces to explore that we never spell out for people,” explains Lazarus. “It’s like an adult playground, somewhere in between Alice in Wonderland and 2001: A Space Odyssey. I want to make sure that whenever people take a step in any direction, they’ll have a different experience.”

The day progresses, and the Sunshine State heat and humidity begins beating down, sweating out the last drops of inhibition as the party moves into marathon mode. The brave who persist are treated to a selection of tech-house legends such as Danny Tenaglia and Doc Martin, international party pros such as Butch, Soul Clap, and Jonas Rathsman, and Burner favourites such as Atish, Desert Hearts, and Bedouin.

“There are three types of people at Get Lost,” explains Lazarus. “Hardcore, hardcore ravers who love this party and come for 24 hours. Then you’ve got your people who are coming in straight from another party: they’ll go until they can’t stand up any more. The third crew are a little bit more sensible: they tend to rock up around 2pm and stay until the end. But not many people come only in the usual clubbing hours.”

By nightfall, the whole complex is heaving. Fresher faced partiers stream through the nooks and dancefloors, keeping the energy up as they mingle with the glassy-eyed survivalists. Groups linger around a wall of levitating water that seems to drip upwards; gold-painted goddesses slink around. Electro heavy hitters Tiga, Claude VonStroke and Felix da Housecat take the stage; Maceo Plex and Jamie Jones appear for surprise sets in the wee hours; even Diplo turns up to perform a deeper selection devoid of any trace of his poppier exploits.

Jamie Jones performing at Get Lost. Photograph: Khris Cowley for Here & Now

The Get Lost of today bears little resemblance to the plucky afterparty that started 14 years ago. It, Lazarus, and Day Zero have formed a multipolar music and cultural scene that spreads from Burning Man and Tulum to Ibiza, London, New York, LA, Mexico City, and Miami alike. It may be easy to be cynical about this vaguely spiritual but ultimately apolitical stratum of club culture, but the sheer spectacle and determined hedonism still makes Get Lost one for the clubbing bucket list.

“Get Lost started as a small family, but now it’s become a huge family. It really does have that vibe, and that’s what makes the difference,” says Lazarus, reaching for appropriately bohemian vocabulary. “All the DJs want to play – they feel free to party collectively as an underground house and techno family coming together once a year. Everyone seems to dig that.”

Five key tracks at Get Lost 2019, by Damian Lazarus

Teddy Pendergrass – I Don’t Love You Anymore (Damian Lazarus Re-Shape)

I made this remix with Get Lost and Day Zero in mind. It has a lot of drama and, of course, incredible vocals. If the main stage at the party had a roof, it would have blown off.

Ae:ther – Stardancer

Ae:ther is a new artist signed to Crosstown who I introduced to the world this month with their debut single and an hour live show on the main stage at Get Lost. He has this perfect sound for the party: intelligent, trippy and very deep.

Brina Knauss – Sledi Toku

Brina is a former model who has turned into an incredible DJ. We invited her to play at Get Lost this year for the first time after she impressed playing before me in Ibiza last summer. Sledi Toku is her first release, and it features her speaking in her native Slovenian tongue. She played in the smallest room at the party, but we expect very big things from her in the future.

Cioz – Cookie Man

To be fair, I have been playing this record for around a year, but I never get bored of it, and it seems nobody else does either. It’s such a powerful record, with amazing twists and turns, and it has become something of a Get Lost classic.

Charlie – Spacer Woman

An Italo disco classic, this one was perfect for the early morning Wizardry session at the party. Whenever DJ Tennis, DJ Three and myself combine to play together as Wizardry we always select music that we don’t usually get to play regularly. The selection is always very psychedelic, and we’re building a strong fanbase for these rare but special sessions – the next one is taking place in Detroit at the end of May.



