The Chocó region of Colombia sits in the South American nation’s northwestern countryside. Bordered by the mountains of neighboring Panama and the waters of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, this small, rural locality is one of the poorest places in the entire country. Yet it is culturally rich. And…
Valentine’s Day is all about sex, bass, and croquetas. Like Tina Turner says, “What’s love got to do with it.” And like Tio Pepe says, “It’s a variety show, pipo, not a gang bang.” We here at Crossfade caught up with Cuban puppet Pepe Billete ahead of the 305PLP ruckus…
Let us pray that the Pope of Mope does not fall ill again. Because, dear devoted, intelligent fans, the beloved Steven Patrick Morrissey has just announced a 2014 U.S. tour. And blessed be us … He’s actually coming to Miami. Last year, Morrissey was forced to cancel a bunch of…
Deep Dish is back. Last month, Dubfire and Sharam, legendary house music production partners who’ve been focused on solo stuff since 2006, began a mysterious “countdown to Miami” via DeepDish.com. There were no other details. But it seemed obvious that a reunion was coming. And at the time, we here…
Miami’s Melissa Giles was barely 18 when she started Soulfrito. The music festival, launched way back in 2002, was the first of its kind in Miami, presenting all urban styles, from reggaeton to rap, on one bill. For several years, she and Soulfrito were a success. But then the fest…
From the moment Tessanne Chin grabbed the mic and sang her heart out to Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” on season five of The Voice, the singer sent shivers down spines and made millions of Americans (and Jamaicans) jump off their couches and stare in awe at the TV screen…
A hotel reservation on South Beach always costs crazy money. But during Winter Music Conference, Miami Music Week, and Ultra Music Festival (when citywide occupancy hits 90 percent), room rates skyrocket even higher. Especially if you’re looking to bed down with Swedish superstar Avicii on SoBe. In 2013, a Miami…
Get Hard, beat freaks. ‘Cause Destructo (AKA Los Angeles DJ, producer, and superpromoter Gary Richards) has just announced this year’s Winter Music Conference and Miami Music Week party plan. For the third straight WMC/MMW season, Hard Miami will throw down two full nights of fist-pumping and hump-dancing at downtown Miami’s…
Theo Parrish is a producer’s producer. The Detroit techno veteran’s experimental flair puts him as much in the realm of avant-garde sound art as that of electronic dance music. After all, Parrish was creating sound sculptures and installations as a student at the Kansas City Art Institute before he was…
Dom Kennedy Presented by Dope Ent Avenue D, Miami Friday, February 7, 2014 Better Than: These bitches talking a lot of shit about you. With the cell phones in full attendance, Dom Kennedy strolled onto the stage in his Los Angeles Dodgers hat and Wayne Gretzky jersey. He began his…
Skinny Puppy Shapes for Arms Tour 2014 With Army of the Universe Grand Central, Miami Friday, February 7 Industrial music does not possess a great wealth of heroes. It’s a genre that many acts love to borrow from, but rarely ever commit to. However, Skinny Puppy is one group that…
Panic! at the Disco With the Colourist and Junior Prom Fillmore Miami Beach Saturday, February 8, 2014 Over the weekend, Panic! at the Disco returned to South Florida with its Too Weird tour. And triumphantly, the Vegas outfit played for a sold-out crowd at the Fillmore Miami Beach. Let’s just…
You don’t need a significant other, heart-shaped chocolates, and roses to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside this Hallmark holiday dedicated for lovers Valentine’s Day … All you need is music and Mr./Mrs. Right Now. Just check out the five best concerts going down this week, from Wale’s…
Love is a mysterious thing. So this V-Day, if you finally meet some sexy stranger who makes your palms sweat, knees shake, and the tip of your tongue tingle, please don’t waste time asking a million questions, like, “Is this forever?,” “What if we don’t like the same music?,” or…
The clock tower’s chiming. The smiley faces are turning into rage faces. The dancepocalypse is truly upon us. In just seven days, trap lords RL Grime and Salva will unleash fire, brimstone, and bass on Miami’s most cataclysmically inclined club freaks. Now … It’s true that this low-end doomsday at…
Queens of the Stone Age With Chelsea Wolfe Fillmore Miami Beach Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Better Than: Those sad years when Queens of the Stone Age stopped being a band, the Dwarves gig at Churchill’s a few years back, and any recent Kyuss reboot. It’s been 11 years since Queens…
One of the greatest forces of bass in nature occurs when thunder booms over the flatlands of Miami. And when lightning strikes, sometimes the Earth catches fire. While the Everglades burn, waves of smoke as thick as wet concrete roll all over South Florida. In some places, the fat purple…
As Toro y Moi, AKA one-man electro-pop wonder Chad Bundick, points out: “You’re working double just to have a life.” Those lyrics from “Come Alive,” his new collabo track with Chromeo, are proof that the self-described indie soulster truly understands existence as a cultured individual in a Great Recession world…
“I’m ready to fight this thing.” That’s how Bingo Players’ Paul Baümer took on his unexpected and devastating cancer diagnosis last summer. But sadly, though he showed great courage and admirable resilience, the Dutch DJ-producer passed away on December 17, 2013. Now, in Baümer’s memory, the fight continues. And next…
It’s never boring when Boys Noize is ’round. The German party boy, EDM producer, and label head is always full of surprises, whether throwing down aboard the Holy Ship!! EDM cruise, dropping a new collab with Snoop Dogg at Ultra Music Festival, or raging his way through Winter Music Conference…
There are certain DJs who’ve long denounced trance, even though the genre helped turn them into international superstars. But not Markus Schulz. The German-born, Miami-based dance music veteran (and America’s Best DJ titleholder) says, “It shouldn’t be a dirty word.” Perhaps Schulz is comfortable with the label because he’s always…
“Special music must be made by special people.” That’s how label head Damian Lazarus explained the nature of a Crosstown Rebel for Crossfade a couple of years ago. And proving the true character of his crew hasn’t changed, Lazarus just announced the 2014 lineup for his annual Winter Music Conference…
