Dance-music lovers can work off some calories the night before the big Thanksgiving feast, as house-music pioneer Robbie Rivera steps behind the decks at Space in downtown Miami on Wednesday night. The Juicy Records founder and South Florida resident (he and wife Monica also have a home in the nightlife mecca Ibiza) is touring in support of his new artist album for Ultra Records, Closer to the Sun, which features radio-friendly pop tunes rather than Rivera's usual underground tribal beats. He talked to The Miami Herald about his set at Space, plus some of his favorite South Florida hangouts.

Your new album is a pretty big departure for you. What inspired this direction?

``I've done so many tracks and so much music. What I tried to do with this album is go into the studio and see what came out, and some of the tunes came out more commercial with more melody, and some more progressive, and some harder more full-on club tunes. It's a combination of a lot of styles, some even with hip-hop, a little rapping.''

Will we hear a lot of the new album in your live mix at Space?

``Yes, sir, because that's what I decided to do on my new tour, to take every track on my new album and make a club mix with a different arrangement.''

You went to the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Did you grow up in South Florida?

``I grew up in Puerto Rico till I was 18, and then I went to the Art Institute to get my music production degree. And then I went to Nova Southeastern. But I've been in South Florida for a long time, since 1992.''

Any favorite hangouts?

``Oh yeah, man. I love Houston's in Coral Gables. I go there at least once a week. And there's a place to get chicken wings in South Miami, the Sports Grill. I love that.''

What would you say the dance-music industry needs the most today?

``In America, we need more radio support. It's so difficult to get a dance song on the radio. In the rest of the world, it's so easy, but here. Thank God we have companies like Sirius and XM -- we get all the love from them. But when it comes to regular radio, it's too corporate now. They can only play things that they're told. It's annoying and frustrating.''

• Rivera performs at Club Space at 1 a.m. Thursday (the show runs from 11 p.m. Wednesday to 8 a.m. Thursday). Tickets are $25 at committeeent.com.

-- MICHAEL HAMERSLY