Click here to view photos from Day 1 at Ultra.Little Boots, Passion PitUltra Music Festival at Bicentennial Park, MiamiMarch 26, 2010Better than: Anything LMFAO brought to the stage.I’ll admit right off the bat, the only reason I attended the first day of Ultra Music Festival was because of Little Boots…
Were you one of the 75,000 ticket holders at ULTRA 2010 on Saturday? If so, then you may recognize the following clip from a major and influential electronic act. Correctly name the artist and DJ and you can win a random prize from Crossfade. Here’s the audio we recorded, good…
Rye Rye and KelisThe Sirius Satellite Belvedere Lounge at The W Hotel, Miami BeachMarch 26, 2010Better Than: Having to deal with the throngs.There’s always a lot of side action goin’ on at Winter Music Conference. Some of it is quasi-official; some of it isn’t even advertised. And some of it…
G. Love and Special Sauce with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad Thursday, March 25, 2010 Culture Room, Fort LauderdaleThe Review:G. Love and his long-simmering Special Sauce flavored the sold-out Culture Room Thursday night with a signature blend of blues, funk, folk and hip-hop. Since the mid ’90s, they’ve been dishing…
Ever since Run-D.M.C. threw down rap verses on top of Joe Perry’s guitar riffs on its 1986 remake of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” many bands have endeavored to mesh hip-hop lyricism with rock wallop. While that formula has proven fruitful in some instances — Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine…
Let the jockeying officially begin! After carefully considering more than 20 local acts in the running, New Times Broward-Palm Beach can announce the roster for this year’s Battle of the Bands. The show, judged by your loyal BPB Music Editor Reed Fischer and Revolution Live Marketing Manager/Talent Buyer Craig Hammon,…
It can be difficult to keep track of all the musical offspring of super-fertile reggae king Bob Marley. Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, and Damian have each carved out their unique notches in their reggae family tree. Julian, elder only to Damian, creates music true to the traditional roots reggae legacy of…
I had big hopes for yesterday evening, hoping to check out most of the downtown circuit. There was the Louie Vega WMC party at the Vagabond, the free Ed Banger party at Bar, the Smog vs. Basshead party at White Room, Steve Lawler’s Viva party on the Space terrace, and…
Afro KumbeTransit Lounge, MiamiandPalenke SoultribeBardot, MiamiThursday, March 25, 2010Better Than: Any of my wife’s early-morning suggestions to fill this line.The Review: You might be wondering if my covering two shows in one review is kosher. And strictly speaking, I can’t say for sure. But as I sit here bleary-eyed at…
Electronic music and its surrounding industry generally exists in a separate plane from the rest of the world’s troubles. The music is, after all, most often about dancing and going out — a form of escapism. And even if things are generally going to the shitter, people are still going…
Sure, we’re smack dab in the middle of WMC. Just yesterday morning, as some of us who had work or appointments chugged along in our cars, a line formed in front of Electric Pickle at 8 a.m. But there are other things going on in Miami this week, other scenes…
Nite Jewel, Tanlines, Million Young ft. Awesome New Republican, Palm Trees and Night WaveGrand Central, MiamiWednesday, March 24, 2010Better Than: Still sobbing over the fact Studio A is dead and gone …and actually a lot better than most of the shows that club put on in its final months.The Review:…
Here begins the short, sad tale of how I missed a Naughty by Nature concert almost a decade-and-a-half ago. I’ve saved a lot of stubs over the years, but very few unused tickets. One exception (see above) is for the July 17, 1995 Naughty by Nature show at First Avenue…
If you’re lucky enough to take some vacation time or pass this all off as “work,” Winter Music Conference’s day parties are an excellent way to be totally, ridiculously indulgent and let it all hang out (literally, for some people). Anyone can party at night, but it takes the truly…
Just like the stuff they put in hot dogs, you’re probably better off not knowing what makes “special” sauce so special. On the other hand, G. Love & Special Sauce have been brewing their lip-smacking concoction for more than a decade now, and they’ve got the recipe down pat –…
Our esteemed Lee Zimmerman caught up with Rodney Atkins and confirmed that the “It’s America” singer is every bit as laid-back as he seems. One thing Thursday night’s audience at Round Up can expect is someone who doesn’t want to spend all of his time in the dressing room getting…
Paul Morris started the booking agency AM Only in 1995 while he was a student at the University of Florida. It was a fortuitous time, when dance music was about to break big into this nation’s consciousness. As electronic sounds shifted through the rave scene and beyond, AM Only grew…
With his Lights Out parties and releases, British super-DJ Steve Lawler ruled dance floors with a sound that lived up to that name. It was thumping, dark, and almost fiercely inward-looking, so it was no surprise that Lawler cited Depeche Mode and the Doors as influences. But just as the…
Get ready to work up a sweat Thursday and Saturday. Get Physical, the label known for keeping melody and funkiness alive in Berlin dance music, presents two parties for Winter Music Conference this year. Consider the first, a day party at the Gansevoort presented by Pacha NYC, a warmup. That…
Grammy nominations, superstar collaborations, amazing headlining gigs — it’s easy to be in awe of all the things Paul Van Dyk has accomplished in his long and illustrious career. The man is the envy of dance music scenesters, and who can blame them? Well, he’ll fuel the fire when he…
So it’s approaching Sunday of WMC. That’s no excuse to sit down. The witching hour between Saturday night and Sunday morning marks the beginning of one of the most legendary closing parties, Sunday School for Degenerates. The debauched shebang is a 24-hour deal where you can come and go at…
The annual Radio One pool party is almost eerily absent this year, but don’t worry about getting wrapped up in brand names. All of the superstar DJ talent will be here anyway, and Pete Tong will still helm it — they’ll just play under the banner of “Pete’s Pool Party.”…
