During the first day of my arrival in Miami for the WMC 2006, I hit up Remix Hotel for a dose of music technology and tech-talk. Deep in the rooms of the National Hotel, a long list of vendors was there to show off each's latest and greatest gear. The Beatport kickoff pool party was conveniently located right outside the rooms, full of music aficionados eager for the week to come.
My favorite room was Pioneer's, where I got to spin on a DJM1000 (with the rotary expansion), CDJ1000mk3s, and a EFX1000. That short period of time with the phones on was some of the most fun I've had with new gear in a long time. Now if I can just get them to lend me all that... Other rooms that seemed to be quite busy were the Serato Scratch room, which was always too full for me to stop in, and the Stanton room, which was always packed with DJs exchanging ideas. One last noteworthy item is the Edirol Motion Dive - a special approach to visual performance using a familiar DJ-styled interface allowing the mixing of two visual sources with a DJ-styled crossfader, switches and effects. Would-be VJs or DJs looking to expand should keep a look out for this!
The first night in Miami for the Winter Music Conference of 2006 was one of the best. The Get Frisky party at Shine hosted names such as Pole Folder, 16 Bit Lolitas, Thomas Penton, and more. When I arrived, 16 Bit Lolitas were keeping the crowd going in a steady groove, and by the time they were done, the entire room had definitely been taken up a notch. The Steve Dash Sound System and the plush environment make Shine a superb place to party, even hidden in the back of a hotel.
