by RAF KATIGBAK

If Miguel Graça hears himself described as a deep house producer one more time, he's going to freak the fuck out. Okay, so maybe he's not really on the verge of full-on dome-blowage, but he is, at the very least, a little miffed. "Even though most people have the perception that I do deep house, if people actually paid attention, they'd realize that I do much more than that."

Indeed, one listen to the debut 12-inch "Rat Race" on his own Pronto Musique imprint (launched this Friday), confirms what his first two critically acclaimed full-lengths for Bombay Records have already hinted at - Graça has never been satisfied sticking to one sound. From deep tech tracks, Afro-beat grooves and soulful deep house all the way to rock tunes and dreamy downtempo, the 36-year-old, Montreal-based producer has always had a taste for new and varied musical flavours.

It's a trait that was deep-rooted even as a 10-year-old in Lisbon. "I used to wait until my parents went to bed, then I'd sneak into the living room where the stereo was, put on the headphones, switch the stereo to AM and do a scan. There was crazy radio in England at the time and AM waves could travel all the way to Portugal, when there was no interference at night. So there I was, 10 years old at 1 in the morning, looking for ska." Even when his mother finally caught him, Graça couldn't kick the habit, and would covertly sneak his bedside clock radio under his covers. "I was determined, and I've been on a mission ever since. My curiosity for music has never changed."

With Pronto, his latest vehicle for sonic exploration, set to take off and with several prominent Euro jocks already championing his white-label test presses, you can pretty much count on Graça getting more play than ever. "The vibe of the label is to evolve with the music. I started it because I thought some labels where just not getting where I was coming from. But I think people were thinking about it too much. That's why I named one of my projects Soul Not Mind - the whole idea is about soul, not mind."

With DJs Mike Casali and Mike Fresco at Mile End Bar on Friday, April 23, 10pm, $8

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