First thing’s first… a massive THANK YOU goes out to everybody who came out to Laundry Bar to profess their love for My My. The place was packed by midnight and did not clear out until the lights came on. And My was the crowd revved up for their fluid driving music! I can simply sum it up by saying that it was easily one of the best parties I have ever been a part of. And a final thank you goes out to Laundry Bar and Theevanhood for making the party happen. Oh yeah, duh, and Thank You to Michael Louis for keeping the thick early crowd happy in waiting and Mansur for gracefully following the night’s stars. Let’s all do it again sometime…
Yup… all that over the next 30 days. So do your homework and find out more about the above ladies and gents that you aren’t familiar with… and those you are. You have no excuses to not go out and hear some amazing music in Miami this month. Just do it!
I highly suggest you all look back here over the next few weeks for more details on a selection of the above artists. For now, I would like to call your attention to a little party I’d like you to check out this Thursday at Blue, featuring my friend Jay You (and residents Inbal and her brother Baby Sean). He’s the guy I tapped to open for Christian Martin and Worthy last time they were at Laundry Bar and he did an Excellent job! So come check out some local flavor as we rev up for a big 4th of July weekend here in Miami.
Speaking of Christian Martin… he and his brother, Justin, will be back in Miami at the end of August to help Roa and I celebrate our marriage. Details to come…
First, let me say that I heard some AMAZING music this weekend. More of it came from Dennis Ferrer than his understudies, but the kids still impressed the hell out of me with their skills. Funny how things work… I never would have made it to Nikki Beach to hear Dennis if it wasn’t for Spain’s dramatic victory over Italy in the Eurocup Quarter-Finals. But I was so ecstatic from their victory that I decided to go celebrate… and I’m SO HAPPY I did!
Now shifting focus to this weekend’s highlight… My My (playhouse, cocoon. berlin) will be performing live at Laundry Bar this Saturday night, June 28th. These guys are absolutely not to be missed! Little White Earbuds recently wrote about My My and said: “My My approach house and techno with artisians’ flair, crafting aural mosaics from hundreds of little sounds glued atop engaging melodies. You can listen closely and admire all the details slipped into every crevice or step back into the crowd to enjoy their work from the dance floor… And now they’re ready to shift their sound in new, more floor-oriented directions.”
Here’s a small taste of what to expect…
It gives me great pleasure to be part of the reason these guys will be playing their first ever show in Miami! The other 2 parts to the equation are Theevanhood and Laundry Bar.
As if the dance music stars have become magically aligned over Miami this weekend… 2 of dance music’s brightest stars and their mentor bring their energy to South Beach today and tomorrow. The Martinez Brothers have been getting a ton of praise since their ‘07 WMC appearance at Aquabooty’s Opium Garden bash. And it’s a well-known fact that they owe a lot of their success to the nurturing spirit of Dennis Ferrer.
Well the powers that be, Aquabooty and Nikki Beach, have brought these forces to the sunlit shores of Miami Beach. Whether it was by divine coincidence or concerted effort (there’s no indication either way)… The Martinez Brothers will be playing today at The Raleigh Hotel, first poolside around sunset, followed by a nightime soiree in the hotel’s panoramic penthouse. I simply can’t wait to hear what comes out of these kids.
The closing chapter to this musical story comes tomorrow at Nikki Beach, where Dennis Ferrer will shower the sandy dancefloor with his deep deep grooves. How will Ferrer’s magic mix with Nikki’s bright warm environment? I don’t know yet. But I will be right in the middle of it… creating memories.
Coming up in the next few days (and I mean it)…
* Anticipating MyMy’s performance next weekend!
* A recap of this weekend, WITH photos and video.
* A look back at artists and events I missed.
* A look at what’s to come…
What a great weekend! So much great music and so many cool people.
Friday night brought me to the Miami Art Space for another Theevanhood production, this one with superstar skinny-dipping celebrity DJ Seth Troxler. The party hosts definitely learned from their last shindig at MAS and greatly improved the sound. They gave Seth a sound system worthy of his musical genius. I only wish I had more energy left in me from the long Friday workday to enjoy Seth’s bumpy beats. Luckily I was able to enjoy the music from the sidelines despite the dancefloor being packed all night (still packed when I left at 5am). Here’s a few pics.
Saturday fetched us Brett Johnson from the Pacific Northwest. I had only dealt with Brett over brief moments the last few times I booked him for my conference warehouse parties, the last of which was in ‘06. So I never really got to experience how down-to-earth, intelligent, and quirky (in a good way) he is. So this turned out to be a really cool experience for me and my girl to host Brett in our home and show him our stomping grounds. The party was tons of fun. Brett got down on the dancefloor waiting for his turn while DJs Sebastian and DJ Way rocked the room with their funky flavors. Then Brett took over and made us all dance some more. It was nice to see everybody dancing. Whether it was right in front of the booth, or sitting at the bar, everybody seemed to be dancing or bobbing.
The experience took a turn for the better when Seth Troxler showed up at Laundry Bar and introduced himself to Brett. The party stepped up a notch from there. Our three-person family had just grown to four and we were off to an after-hangout… with the 2 little kids in the back seat. Seriously, watching Brett and Seth geek out like two little girls who just met on the playground was a trip. A few of my favorite Troxler soundbytes I heard several times throughout the night were, “Brett… your music is timeless” and “Techno has been good to me”. Brett, well I really can’t recall any specific soundbytes other than his timely comment to me in the car “So David, tell me again how Islam is the best religion in the world” as he sat between two Jews. That was Brett, just tryin to rile things up a little. We finally managed to pry the kids away from Rock Band to go home, but not before the kids jumped in the ocean… skinny style.
Well let me leave you with one of Brett’s most significant artistic contributions to Miami this weekend…
… a penny sculpture on our kitchen counter (started by Roa but enthusiastically finished by Brett). You’re right Brett, penny sculptures are a new form of Mandala.
Stay tuned, BIG news coming up in the next 24 hours…
(FYI, I sadly left my camera’s battery in the charger at home so I didn’t get any pics of the Brett party. Sux.)
I am very excited about hearing what Seth Troxler brings to Miami this Friday night. I have never heard him play but I have heard great things… not just about his music, but also about his ability to entertain.
I just read a very cool interview with Seth on Resident Advisor that exposes how creative this 22-year-old kid from Kalamazoo, Michigan, really is. From the looks of it, this Seth Troxler character could be just what the often-time serious world of dance music needs. He has a very forward-looking creative approach to making dance music fun and engaging. I really look forward to hearing and feeling what he has to share with Miami and I hope you make it too. The venue still has not been announced, but I will post it here as soon as Theevanhood releases it (Wednesday night most likely).
Here are a few text bytes I enjoyed from the interview:
“I really think dance music is in a stale spot right now,” says an impassioned Seth. “When record shopping was a feeling, you got home you laid on your bed and the music meant something… we as artists need to be more vigilant of our role in an historical sense and to make this music art again—art and culture.”
“Of course I still play a lot of house today. I’m still a house DJ more than anything.”
“Those days are gone, but if we reassess the situation and make records that feel good to have, like a lot of those classic rock records or records that people collect, then the record industry would be more than okay.”
“I’ve got another character called Blaxel Rose coming up pretty soon, too. And of course I’m sticking with my regular name. I think taking chances and developing conceptual ideas is really important for dance music now.”
Ok, I know you’re probably thinking right now that I booked Justin Martin for my birthday. Close. We’ll be glad to have his brother Christian and their Dirtybird colleague Worthy!! Yup, we’re doin’ it Dirtybird style at The Vagabond for my birthday, Saturday May 24th (my birthday is the 25th).
Ok, back to my birthday, yeah, this will rock. I’m psyched about doing it at The Vagabond. I just read a great article in Map Magazine about Miami’s thriving artistic counterculture and it hit home. The article made heavy mention of The Vagabond and one of it’s storied partners Carmel Ophir, who’s comments resonated perfectly with my vision for a club in Miami. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
——— At the Vagabond, which is divided into separate rooms and an outdoor garden, Ophir is pushing a philosophy of “You are No One / You are Everyone / Stray No More”. “We feel passionate about giving the audience a place where anyone and everyone is ‘special’,” he asserts. “We are giving a variety of ‘vibes’ to choose from, both musically and aesthetically. There are no illusions about the multitude of club choices out there, but we hope to be the one that most will call home.”
———- With Function-One sound and three areas including a sweet garden patio, The Vagabond provides a variety of environments to please a variety of senses. And it really looks like the people behind this place are the real deal. It would only be appropriate for me to thank Diego for hookin it up. This should prove to be the first of many awesome nights put together by MusicalMissionary and FutureMob .
And it’s only appropriate that our first party be a Dirtybird party. If you already know how party-rockin these guys are, then I’ll see you there. If you haven’t been able to make it yet, please do. The Dirtybird sound is straight-up booty-shakin and their range is unique.
The only bad thing about my birthday is that my girlfriend will be on the other side of the world. God willing I will rendezvous with her two days later in Cairo.
I’m excited about this one… another LaVillaTech Production! Their first show was very refreshing… large warehouse space with MAJOR sound, lights, decor, the whole nine yards. And I wouldn’t be thorough if I didn’t comment on the healthy proportion of gorgeous women at their first event. And the music… yeah, the music… INCREDIBLE! Their first show featured one of my favorite’s… NYC’s Connie and her buddy Nicola Zanatta along with Switzerland’s Michael Ho and Miami’s own Midnight Perverts.
I first heard Connie when she opened the festivities at last year’s WMC Made EventSunday School for Degenerates. Miami was fortunate enough to get her back not long after and I seized the opportunity to chat with her during a long walk on the beach. Connie is one seriously cool chick and an awesome DJ.
Oh yeah, back to the point… LaVillaTech’s next event with Pheek! In addition to the wealth of information on his myspace page, I found some more cool anecdotal info on his discogs profile. Suffice it to say this Pheek guy has quite an impressive resume, including labels such as archipel, m-nus, contexterrior, telegraph, and thinner. So I’m pretty psyched to see what he can do on a big rig sound system. Also playing at this party are Miami’s own Chris Ellis and Michael Louis (copycat!) along with an unannounced surprise guest.
I wouldn’t miss this if I were you…
(but don’t get too wasted because you have to come to my party saturday night)
I am very excited to get my dance on tonight. The only beats I’ve heard since conference ended have come from my car or my computer speakers. In other words, I’m ready for some serious AMPLIFICATION!
I’m also excited because this will be my first time attending a party put on by Theevanhood… always fun to witness another promoter’s vision.
Here’s some info they posted about the party:
tvh prsnts:
PL0T feat. Mark Henning [Cynosure/Foundsound/Trapez | London]
Born in 1977 to English and German parents, he has spent most of his life in England, though has never forgotten his German techno roots. Inspired by a whole range of music (from Dan Bell to Dinosaur Jr. to Ed Rush & Optical), Mark-Henning’s sound sits somewhere between house and techno, with a healthy dose of futuristic bleeps, funk, darkness, groove and deepness.
Balancing his heavy day job in London with his music wasn’t easy, but the hard work over the past few years is beginning to pay off. Mark is now a sought-after producer and remixer in the underground scene and his DJing has taken him all over Europe – all whilst holding down a corporate job in London. Watch out for his debut album on Soma in the summer of 2008 plus more remixes and EPs.. c ya friday!
at MAS – Gallery C
244 NW 35 ST.
Miami FL 33127
Wynwood Art District
