I saw a few familiar faces from the past, and met many new ones that similarly share a love for Frisky Radio. Hernan Cattaneo and John Digweed dropped by, and were kind enough to let people snap some pictures and chat. I was excited at the prospect of this night being the pacesetter for my week!
After this, I ended up at The Cafeteria for an Influx Audio party. John Graham, aka Quivver, was in the back, in a dark basement-like setting. I was surprised to see such a packed room, with no lights at all, but everyone was too into the music to even notice. Quivver brought that sound only he can do, spittin' proggy funk, with that trademark swing and smashing beats. Not bad for a free event!
Friday, Wet Grooves at Nikki Beach was set to be one of the highlights of the week. When I arrived, the warm Miami sun was shining on a few hundred people, some on the trademark "beach beds," some dancing anywhere there was room, some crowded around the DJ booth. Benny Benassi looked like he was having the time of his life behind the decks, and that carried over into everyone around him. Dropping a remix of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" really got us going. Benny teased a lot, using quite a few tricks on the Pioneer CDJ get our attention, and keep us wanting more. Nikki Beach's famous Mojitos were definitely assisting in a smooth transition from sunlight to dusk.
Soon after, the party moved inside, to host BT. Sundown was in process, and the air was eager. The room had reached capacity, not counting all the beautiful girls dancing on the bar and any other ledge they could find. Opening up with his classic super-twisted breakbeat sound, it didn't take long before BT had all the hands in the place pumping with his. Two things that made this performance special – hearing "Godspeed," which I hadn't in years, and, seeing BT's excitement as he held his daughter for a few minutes in the booth.
Later on Friday night, it was time for a Made Event – the highly anticipated Minimize to Maximize party with Troy Pierce, Marc Houle, and Richie Hawtin. Washington Avenue's BED, with many ticket holders stuck outside, was right at capacity by 11pm. Suffice to say I was proud to not be one of those, but to have found myself inside enjoying a 12 dollar drink and making new friends. Setup perfectly by Troy and Marc, Richie goes on to prove why he the consummate ever-evolving electronic artist. He held some apparent restraint in his set, as if to see who was truly minimal. This night at BED went on to become of the most revered events of WMC2006, so I'd say he made the right choices. Thank you Made Events!
