Saturday of course was the Ultra Music Festival. In its 8th year, UMF8 promised to be the biggest year yet with over ten stages. I was most excited about Sander Kleinenberg, JunkieXL, Carl Cox, and Danny Howells. And, yours truly, as I had successfully navigated the Miami New Times sponsored UMF8 DJ contest from home to South Beach. The Miami New Times stage was one of the smaller ones, as I had anticipated by common sense and flyer placement. But, the sound was still above par compared to most things back and prior experiences, if not overpowering!
Navigating throughout the entire festival all day was a blast, though a bit tiring. Unscheduled rendezvous with hometown friends and free backstage beer helped pass the time. I was fortunate enough to play a great, if not the best, time slot of my stage, save for the fact of missing other artists I may have wanted to see playing at the same time. A modest but energetic crowd made me feel right at home for one of the best hour-and-a-halfs of the week. The Miami New Times seems to be a class act, and I was grateful to get to work with them.
After a long Saturday at Ultra, and some late-nite napping, I felt refreshed enough to look for some action. Stepping outside my hotel at 3am, I was asked for a light by a guy walking by. I obliged, and, turns out, we both needed something to do, and he happened to have a vehicle at his disposal. We decided to head to the Pawnshop, downtown. Arriving at about 4am, since I hadn't planned on coming, and wasn't listed, I had to use my ninja-door skills to gain access. Bypassing non-ninjas, I was inside within 2 minutes.
Once an actual pawnshop in the 1930s, it now uses secondhand items to bring itself back to life. The VIP area consists of an old school bus and an AirStream trailer, and the lounge boasts a of Boeing 727 airliner's fuselage. Packed with some of Miami's most beautiful people, a friendly staff, and staying open well past your probable lunch time, Pawnshop is not to be missed. Danny Tenaglia played one of his signature 8 hour + sets for the duration of my stay. I'll remember next time, though, that the DJ booth being in a cab of an old trailer truck with a working horn, to stay away from the very front of the booth. Danny knows how to use that horn and isn't afraid to do it!
Monday I checked out Essential Breaks at the Chelsea Hotel on Washington, featuring and put on by my comrade Zak Davis. Hot, sweaty, middle-of-the-day, and in small lobby, none of the breaks fans seemed to mind. Jen Lasher was probably the highlight, sporting pink hair, high-heels, and all the energy you could ask for. Everyone also enjoyed watching her and John B dance together after her set.
As Essential Breaks wound down, I found myself at a party with DJ Rap among others, but I didn't know where exactly I was and didn't bother to find out. She appeared to have found her groove lately, closer to the world of house then Drum n Bass.
With plenty of events everywhere you look, and plenty more you never knew about beforehand, you never know where the highlights will come from.
