The creative process is one of the scariest things a person can endure. Opening yourself up, either alone or with a group of friends and fellow artists, it can blow up in your face. Or, you could make history. The Breeders were kind of lucky in that regard. Their third…
“This is the weirdest scenario.” That’s how DFA Records founder and former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy half-laughingly reacted to Bardot Miami’s (almost claustrophobic) living room-like setting for his Red Bull Music Academy Couch Session at the inaugural III Points Festival. There were fans sprawled all over the low-lit hipster…
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is a band that remains a protector of the rock ‘n’ roll spirit. In an age when processed pop, phonetic folk, and hyped hip-hop rule the airwaves and bandwidth, BRMC has stayed true to its roots as a propagator of anthemic rock, creating albums as statements…
As much fun as we had banging hard at III Point’s Point Bass show with DJ Shadow and XXYYXX, that shit was, like, only half as fun as the Point Blank bash, presided over by James Murphy and the incomparable Jamie XX. The Sound Stage at Mana Wynwood was flooded…
Back in December, DJ Shadow had kind of a weird experience in Miami. He took the booth at Mansion, just to be kicked off for not playing enough big-room house music. It’s been this great thing for hipsters to lament and bitch over, but with the inaugural III Points Festival,…
After sweating out last night’s booze in the oppressive Saturday afternoon sun for about 30 minutes, Bardot opened its doors to let a few handfuls of III Points attendees in to see James Murphy speak. At first, there was a small crowd, but the room filled and anticipation built as…
Scotland has Belle and Sebastian. Mexico has Julieta Venegas. If ever there were a twee Latin rock artist, Venegas would be its reigning queen. In 15 years of recording, Venegas has evolved, but she has always remained true to a delicate yet strong sensibility rooted in Mexican ranchera music. Her…
Slimkid3 from the Pharcyde screamed, “We’re doin’ this for Reefa!” and the crowd went wild. Later, Jay Swift, the group’s first producer, jumped into the audience, and they completely lost their minds. It was a fitting hip-hop tribute at the old-school-style block party, where the four elements of rapping, DJing,…
Miami, we may not agree on a lot. But one thing we can all concur that the 305 is the place to be when autumn rolls ’round. It’s the perfect (and only) time of year to sit under a tree and sip on a Shipyard Pumpkinhead, stay out partying all…
Dude’s an OG. In fact, those are his initials. Born and bred in Miami, Oscar Gaetan started DJing at 12. And he became internationally famous in his 20s, making megahit house bangers as one half of Murk, alongside childhood friend Ralph Falcon. So yeah, Oscar G is undoubtedly a godfather…
You know that amazing dream where you’re, like, chillin’ on some supercomfy sofa in a swank hipster bar, and then former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy just — poof! — magically appears outta nowhere, plops down beside you, and commences to shoot the shit while punctuating his sentences with wry…
Does your wardrobe consist of parachute pants, shoulder pads, fingerless gloves, and huge earrings? Is your record collection dominated by bands like Flock of Seagulls, the Smiths, the Cure, Pet Shop Boys, the Psychedelic Furs, New Order, Run-D.M.C., Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane, and Boogie Down Productions, just to…
Timmy Thomas is in a Hialeah warehouse slapping palms with a Cuban Santero named Oba Frank Lords. In the back room, there’s an altar with a straw-hatted guajiro sculpture set down beside a sacrificial blade. Up front, in a 12-foot-by-12-foot production studio equipped with little more than a computer, keyboard,…
“We’ve got a name, but you’re not gonna like it.” That’s exactly how Uruguay’s Latin Grammy-nominated rock band came up with its well-known moniker, No Te Va Gustar, or You’re Not Going To Like It. “It was like a joke between the band,” explains drummer Diego Bartaburu. “The band first…
Wanna get caked?! Good. Because EDM superstar, Dim Mak label head, and master baker Steve Aoki has been slaving away in the kitchen, prepping hundreds of sweet, edible props for his Aokify America Tour with Brick Squad boss, rapper, and dessert enthusiast Waka Flocka Flame. Stevie’s been mixing up all…
Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde is one of the greatest classic hip-hop albums of all time. Ever since that slab dropped in 1992 on Delicious Vinyl Records, it has resonated with fans across the globe. And hits like “Runnin’,” “Ya Mama,” and “Who Is the Nigga in Charge” are so…
Everyone in this world is ruled by two emotions — fear and love. They can keep you in check or drive you insane. But without them, you wouldn’t even know you’re alive. Artists and musicians are no different, though it seems songwriters are more inclined to pen anthems in love’s…
At 9 o’clock sharp in downtown Miami, the Weeknd — also known as Abel Tesfaye — took to the microphone behind a translucent curtain hanging from the rafters above a nearly pitch-black stage. His repentant yowls chilled the packed James L. Knight Center as he opened with “Adaptation” from the…
Matias Aguayo is not your garden variety EDM artist. Not by a long stretch. In many ways, the Chilean-born producer is Latin America’s answer to UK sonic mad scientist Matthew Herbert, approaching the formulaic house and techno genres with an irreverent spirit of experimentation and unconventional studio techniques. Mirroring Herbert’s…
Hundreds of live-music fans packed Churchill’s Pub on Saturday night for hours of non-stop entertainment from Die Trying, Low Visibility, The Ruins, Hardware Youth, SSK, Bottom Shelf Warriors, and FWA. The bar ran through liquor like a freight train. The circle pit was a hurricane of flying limbs. And between…
Music must be magic. What else (besides maybe booze) can unite hipsters with large, thick-framed glasses and red lipstick, rockers with fishnet stalkings and leather jackets, models with little black dresses, and everyone else in between for the sole purpose of jammin’? Whatever it is, music’s got it. So let’s…
California-born, Tijuana-raised Julieta Venegas is a multifaceted singer-songwriter whose sound has clearly matured over the years. And that is especially noticeable on her 2012 release Los Momentos, which she is currently promoting with an extended U.S. tour that makes a Miami stop this week. We here at Crossfade recently caught…
