Miami Music Week continues to define the global calendar, and this year brings a rare moment on the water. On Friday, March 27th, 2026, Magnetic Grooves presents The Soundgarden Cruise aboard the South Beach Lady Yacht, turning Biscayne Bay into a floating dance floor.
At the center of it is a first-time back-to-back between Dubfire and Nick Warren. Two artists shaped by different paths, now meeting in a shared set for the first time. Dubfire’s journey spans from his Grammy-winning work with Deep Dish to his place among techno’s most respected figures. Nick Warren, a defining presence in progressive house and curator of The Soundgarden, continues to build sets grounded in patience and flow.
Bringing them together during Miami Music Week creates a rare intersection, one that feels designed for a setting like this.
Below deck, Listed hosts the patio with a lineup led by Pillowtalk, Nikita back-to-back Greg Eversoul, Matt Caines, and Saquib.
Tickets are now available through EG Tickets as part of our official Miami Music Week rollout. Grab yours here.
Ahead of the cruise, we spoke with both artists about the idea behind the set, how they approach playing together, and what can happen when two distinct musical voices share the booth for the first time.
Electronic Groove: Nick, Ali, it is a pleasure to have you both with us. This cruise marks the first time you will play together in a back-to-back format. Who suggested the idea first, and what was your initial reaction to the pairing?
Nick Warren: It’s good to be here today. Ali and I have been great friends for decades, and I have always admired his focus and love for underground music of all types. The Soundgarden is known for its eclectic taste, so for us it is an exciting new collaboration.
Dubfire: Thanks for the invite. Nick and I have crossed paths many times over the years. I had actually met him briefly in the late 1980s in Washington, DC, when he was Massive Attack’s touring DJ, but somehow we had never actually shared the booth together in a true back-to-back setting. Nick has such a deep history in the Bristol and progressive scene, and a very musical approach to storytelling in his sets. Even though we come from slightly different corners of electronic music, there is a lot of overlap in our individual styles. The idea of exploring that together over several hours is a great opportunity to showcase that kind of collaboration.
“The idea of exploring that together over several hours is a great opportunity to showcase that kind of collaboration” – Dubfire
EG: Your musical approaches are quite distinct. When you first discussed playing together, where did you find the most common ground?
Nick Warren: We have both been in this game for a long time and will choose music that complements each other. Ali’s musical heritage is huge. From the Deep Dish days to his solo work, he has always impressed.
Dubfire: Nick is someone who has always understood how to build a journey over time, and that is something that has been very important to me as well. Even if the textures or the energy levels might differ at times, the philosophy of taking people somewhere over the course of a long set is very much a shared blueprint of our sound.
EG: Let us imagine the first ten minutes of the set. Who do you think will push the energy first, and how do you see the tone being set for the five hours ahead?
Nick Warren: It is going to be a boat in the sunshine, hopefully, so I would say it is likely to be an eclectic, genre-busting affair full of smiles and dancing.
Dubfire: With a five-hour window, you really have the luxury of patience. My instinct would be to start in a way that lets the environment breathe a little, perhaps with a bit of serene ambient music to allow people to get settled into the atmosphere on the boat. Together, we will build from there, so it is less about pushing energy immediately and more about setting a mood. In a back-to-back situation, you are constantly reading each other’s moves, so it might end up being a slow burn for the first stretch before things really start to open up.
EG: Shared sets sometimes turn into a quiet game of musical chess. Have either of you ever tried to surprise a partner with a track they were not expecting?
Nick Warren: I can bet money both of us will pull some rabbits out of the hat, and that is the way it should be. Enjoying what each other plays is key to a great back-to-back.
Dubfire: Absolutely. That is one of the fun parts of a back-to-back. Sometimes you deliberately throw in something that shifts the palette a bit just to see how the other person responds. It is never about trying to outdo the other DJ, but more about keeping the conversation interesting. When that dynamic works well, the audience can actually feel that little bit of spontaneity and fun in the music.
EG: If you had to describe the other person’s DJ style in just three words, what would they be?
Nick Warren (on Dubfire): Tasteful, eclectic, rhythmic.
Dubfire (on Nick): Musical, hypnotic, eclectic, and timeless.
EG: The Soundgarden Cruise has a very particular atmosphere. Daylight, open water, and the Miami skyline slowly shifting as the music unfolds. Does a setting like this influence the way you approach the set compared with a club or warehouse?
Nick Warren: Yes, of course. A boat cruise in the sunshine with an international crowd, the occasional dolphin jumping to say hi, it all adds to the atmosphere and creates a vibe that we then mirror in our choice of music.
Dubfire: Definitely. Context always matters. A dark warehouse at 3 AM invites a very different kind of intensity compared with playing outdoors on the water in daylight. On a cruise like this, the environment becomes part of the experience, so you might lean a little more into melodic or atmospheric elements early on and let the music evolve as the evening progresses. It is less about brute force and more about complementing the setting.
EG: Nick, Soundgarden events often lean toward deeper and more hypnotic selections. How do you imagine that direction interacting with Ali’s more driving sound during the set?
Nick Warren: The Soundgarden events have always had a bit of that drive to them, and I am sure we will have some fun bringing some of that vibe to the boat. But remember, Ali is not all about techno. His choices have always been much broader than that, as his label Sci+Tec showcases.
EG: Ali, you are known for a very focused approach to track selection. When you step into a shared set, do you arrive with a plan, or do you prefer to react entirely in the moment?
Dubfire: I usually arrive with a broad framework rather than a strict plan. I will have certain records in mind that I am excited about, but once you are in a back-to-back situation, you have to be flexible. The moment the other DJ plays something unexpected, the entire direction can shift. For me, that is actually part of the appeal. It keeps you fully present and forces you to listen more closely.
“Years of friendship and a mutual admiration for each other will be showcased in the set” – Nick Warren
EG: If the other DJ drops a track that completely catches you off guard, what is your instinct, follow the direction or shift the energy somewhere unexpected?
Nick Warren: To be honest, it is very easy for people to overthink it. Years of friendship and a mutual admiration for each other will be showcased in the set. I, for one, am really looking forward to it.
Dubfire: It depends on the moment. Sometimes the best move is to lean into that direction and help develop it further. Other times, you might respond with something that pivots the energy slightly and opens a new chapter. That push and pull is what makes back-to-back sets exciting, as you are writing the script together.
EG: Outside the booth, you are both known to enjoy good food and travel. If you had to take the other for a pre-show meal in Miami before the cruise, where would you go?
Nick Warren: That is a super hard one, as you are asking my friend here, who is the master of choosing where to eat. Ali is the go-to guy for advice on eating anywhere, so I am sure he will know the place.
Dubfire: Nick is definitely a fellow foodie, and Miami has become such an incredible food city over the years. I would probably lean toward something in Wynwood or the Design District, where the vibe is relaxed but the food is serious. I love Deme Lomas’ Niu Kitchen or my friend Shingo’s sushi spot in Coral Gables, perhaps even one of David Foulquier’s restaurants.
EG: Five hours on the water gives you space to build something much deeper than a typical festival slot. How important is that extended time when you want to create a real musical journey?
Nick Warren: The time will fly by, but make sure you are there because we both have some amazing music to share.
Dubfire: It is essential, I think, for both of us. We come from an era where long sets are the norm, and the biggest limitation in modern festival culture is often time. When you have four or five hours, you can explore different moods, take risks, and allow transitions to unfold more gradually. That is when a set starts to feel like a real journey rather than a sequence of peak time moments. For DJs who enjoy storytelling, these extended sets are always the most rewarding.
EG: Finally, when the boat returns to the dock, and the music fades out, what is the one feeling you hope the crowd takes away from this exciting first-time pairing?
Nick Warren: I would like to see a boat full of smiling faces. It is Miami in March, with two great friends playing music for a select crowd of music lovers. Bring it on.
Dubfire: I would hope people walk away feeling like they experienced something unique to that moment, something that could only happen with that crowd, on that boat, with Nick and me reacting to each other in real time. Those are the nights people tend to remember, when the music, the setting, and the energy all align in a way that feels a little bit magical.
EG: Thank you both for your time, and see you aboard.
Nick Warren: See you there.
Dubfire: Looking forward to it. See you on the water.
Tickets are now available through EG Tickets as part of our official Miami Music Week rollout. Grab yours here.
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