(Credit: Newsday)
What’s the what, you ask? Why Winter Music Conference, of course. South Florida’s own specially patented way to make March Madness—and it has nothing to do with hoops.
It does though get dizzy with spin. Like in records, baby. Right round, round, round and round.
Dig the specs: 4,500 delegates, 50,000-plus party people, and 300 official and sanctioned events—all in one wild week. Of the highest highlights: The Bourne Sessions at Mansion, which is to say Paul Oakenfold, with members of The Florida Classical Symphony and featuring a guest appearance by Cee-Lo Green; OM Miami 2008 at Y Ultralounge, with Mark Farina, DJ Sneak and about 40 more of their head-spinning friends; and the Def Mix/Pacha Music Festival at Shine with David Morales and Frankie Knuckles set to turntable among some very wily company.
But beyond beats, there is the business of the BPM, which is the real reason our own Bill Kelly co-founded the gathering in the first place. There are workshops in how to play (A Crash Course in Scratching) and how to get played (Love is in the Airwaves), how to sell (Event Planning and Promotion), and, yes, even how to protect yourself (Free Legal Advice).
There’s a Producer’s Panel with Carl Craig and Kaskade, Demo Listening Workshops with Juan Atkins, Barbra Tucker and Pepper MaShay (really), an Online Retailing set with Napster’s Tommy Capistrano, and a Q&A with Erykah Badu.
And, for the first time, there’s a collision course in bankable cool called the South Beach Sessions. Held at The Catalina and occurring each evening of WMC, the series gives Conference-goers a chance to drink and spin among such great good folk as the National Wildlife Federation’s Jaime Matyas and Earthdance’s Chris Dekker.
Oh yeah, not only does the WMC throw down its own awards (the IDMA), but their continued efforts in lobbying NARAS are the reason dance music now gets Grammys.
Then there’s Ultra, the two-day blowout that caps all the action. Last year attendance at Bicentennial Park exceeded 50,000, and with Tiesto topping a main stage lineup that includes Justice and The Bravery on day one, and Underworld and Paul Van Dyk crowning day two, it’s a cinch that record’s gonna get blown away.
And even if you don’t officially sign-up for the onslaught (though with all the perks offered WMC badge holders, we highly recommend that you do), there’s an arsenal of satellite events taking place all over town, including the tech-savvy Remix Hotel at The National, where Paul Van Dyk heads a lineup that boasts Bad Boy Bill, DJ Dan, Francois K and Richie Hawtin; Pop Life’s keen showcasing of indie hipsters Handsome Furs and Violens (at PS 14) and Scottish electroclash sensation Calvin Harris (at The White Room); and the four-day, multi-venue extravaganza from Embrace, which promises such disparate night creatures as Tommy Lee and Simian Mobile Disco.
And that’s just a sample of the icing on the many-leveled cake about to be served-up by WMC. Sure it’s baked by and for DJs, but its taste awakens us all.
Got doubts? Lose ‘em.
