In 1804, Haitian drums booming through the mountains helped the country overthrow slavery and gain its independence. In 2014, that same throbbing beat has established Haiti-born, Miami-based Michael Brun as an emerging international EDM powerhouse. And with his own freshly minted independent record label, Kid Coconut, he’s determined to further…
Welcome to Dreamville. As J. Cole says, “Miami. The Warm Up. $1.” Of course, he’s talking about the 2014 run of his Dollar & A Dream tour — a string of semi-secret shows in six cities across two continents. It only costs a dollar. It features a “special commemorative performance…
J. Balvin may be an up-and-coming superstar, but el Colombiano’s already living that reggaetonero life — topping Billboard charts, going Platinum with his debut album, La Familia, and partying with mamis till “6 AM.” Yesterday, though, José Álvaro Osorio Balvín was all “Tranquil[o]” at the Biltmore Hotel in anticipation of…
Without Africa, there’d be no Miami bass. There’d be no rock ‘n’ roll or hip-hop or jazz or salsa. No Hendrix, Nas, Byrd, or Machito. In fact, almost every modern music genre can be traced back to that great continent across the Atlantic. And that’s why, 16 years ago, Jose…
Brood. Swoon. Now dance. It’s been four years since New York City post-punk crew Interpol’s last studio album. (And two years since Paul Banks, Sam Fogarino, and Daniel Kessler reconvened following a hiatus caused by the departure of longtime bass player Carlos Dengler.) But now Banks, Fogarino, and Kessler have…
When Raheem Devaughn sings, panties get wet. That’s probably why he’s been featured on songs by everyone from Ghostface Killah to The Roots. The Grammy-nominated artist has also cracked the pop charts with his own albums and singles, including “Guess Who Loves You More,” “Woman,” and “Customer.” He’s an R&B…
Ray LaMontagne and Jenny Lewis With Belle Brigade Fillmore Miami Beach Saturday, July 12, 2014 Better Than: A night with any of these great acts alone. On any other evening, the sweet strains of Belle Brigade’s sibling tandem, Barbara and Ethan Gruska, would’ve been show enough. But over the weekend,…
He’s gone wild with Steve-O, shared paint with the Cavs, and sparked up with Juicy J and (likely) Wiz Khalifa. He was signed by Diddy. He covered XXL magazine. And his track, “Invincible,” has been used as theme song by both the NFL and the WWE. Born in Houston but…
One of the hardest things us working-class citizens face on a weekly basis is having to say goodbye to the weekend and waking up to the Monday morning grind. Yeah, we all hate it. But when you’ve got nothing but good vibes from CeeLo Green, Pitbull, and Lil Boosie to…
Hushed, earthy, soul-soaked. Those are the ways in which observers and critics have often spoken of Ray LaMontagne’s songwriting — ever since his recorded debut, Trouble, introduced him to the world’s music fans as a bearded Northeastern mountain man with an acoustic guitar. Not many would’ve described LaMontagne or his…
Take a sick day. Or three. It’s time to start planning for another Fool’s Gold Day Off — that annual, often out-of-control, traveling rager thrown by world-champion DJ, party pro, and label boss A-Trak. For 2014, the Day Off tour is set to trek from Brooklyn to Toronto, Los Angeles,…
Lil Boosie, the purported inventor of ratchet, recently got out of prison after serving four years of an eight-year drug sentence. And he has emerged a humbled man. These days, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana rapper spends most of his time in the studio or with his Boosie family. He also…
Sunshine. Sweet tunes. Hot burgers. And sweaty, oiled-up babes of both sexes gettin’ faded in the shade of a swaying palm tree while turnt-up pranksters try to spray Riff Raff with a Supersoaker. The Mad Decent Block Party 2014’s gonna be the summer bash of the century. (Or at least…
Most of the seminal acts from the ’90s rave era are now but relics of the past. Few remain active on the scene today, and even fewer have continued to cultivate their sound to parallel electronic music’s evolution in the new millennium. Nightmares on Wax, the pioneering project from UK…
Who said cassettes were dead? Definitely not Patrick Garcia and Michelle Grand, founders and owners of Miami-based record label Cheap Miami. “We started Cheap Miami around two years ago in the summer,” says Garcia. “I envisioned it as a small project. I was looking to work with bands that I…
To quote Juan Blanco: “Yo trabajo duro.” Yep, those are some lyrics from former White Stripes frontman and Third Man Records jefe Jack White’s new single, Lazaretto, the title track off his latest solo slab. But why is Señor Blanco dabbling in Spanish? Well, he’s coming to Miami for a…
The massive outpouring of grief from the international dance music community when Scott Hardkiss passed away in March 2013 was a testament to the beloved legacy of Hardkiss. The legendary San Francisco DJ-production threesome, including “brothers” Gavin and Robbie Hardkiss, was instrumental in kick-starting the U.S. rave scene in the…
Jenny Lewis certainly knows a little something about the art of performance. A former child actress born to show business parents, she’s been in the spotlight since she was a toddler, first as a child actor and later at the helm of indie-pop sensations Rilo Kiley with then-boyfriend Blake Sennett…
Aloe Blacc hardly needs an introduction after 2013’s “Wake Me Up” — produced with Avicii and first introduced live at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival — peaked at number one in over 20 countries. Though that hasn’t been Blacc’s only commercial hit, he’s hardly a manufactured pop act. In a way,…
Katy Perry’s The Prismatic World Tour Capital Cities and Ferras American Airlines Arena, Miami Friday, July 3, 2014 Fun Fact: A Katy Perry concert is a strange thing. When we told people we were going to see the diva that is KP, we got a few different reactions — pure…
Partied like our founding fathers did back in 1776 this weekend? There’s a cure for that. Find it at the five best concerts going down this week from Fabolous making it rain at KOD to Tim McGraw “Lookin’ For That Girl” at the Cruzan Amphitheatre to Ray LaMontagne playing “Supernova”…
Don’t try to pigeonhole Ray LaMontagne. While critics have been quick to compare him to any number of rarified and rootsy icons — the Band, Van Morrison, Tim Buckley, and Steven Stills among them — his only muse is the inspiration that strikes from within. “I always let the songs…
