UPDATE: 04.25.05

MOVEMENT ON TOUR WITH PIGFACE

Tampa and Gainesville shows featuring Max Michaels INDUSTRIA photo display

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WINTER MUSIC CONFERENCE

Ok picture yourself dancing, sweating your ass all night long to your favorite dj that never comes to country let alone the city. The next day you wake up the sun shining, bikinis are flowing and there’s house music coming from every hotel lobby, for a second you think your dreaming and then after seeing Paul Oakenfold waltz down the street you realize, shit your in Miami.

Ever year thousands from around the country and the world converge on South Beach Miami for a week long hedonistic celebration of dj culture and electronic dance music. The Winter Music Conference celebrated its 20th anniversary which has sparked a week long tradition of partying in some of the hippest night clubs and hotels in South Beach.

Fellow conference holder, the M3Summit jumped into the foray last year and for music lovers Miami was on fire. Whether it’s hot sweaty sounds of progressive house in Miami’s mega clubs or the dirty underground sounds of minimal techno there was something for everyone all week long. Aussies Infusion kicked off the week championing there progressive breakbeat sound live at club SPIN.

They proved that they don’t need no stinking dj set and had the crowd in a frenzy. House heads got more then they could ask for at the Marlin Bar during the free Ohm party where DJ Heather and Kaskade laid it down smooth like butter. For a more exclusive affair the Robots collective from New York invaded Miami’s B.E.D. While no sign of Britney or Puffy this evening german techno god Sven Vath showed the standing room only crowd how they do it over in Ibiza.

From the other side of the techno revolution Fuse-In Detroit’s Electronic music festival brought the legends like Jeff Mills, Kevin Saunderson and Kenny Larkin to Club Jade. This collision of Detroit and Miami proved to be an explosive combination that proved the roots of techno still run deep in Detroit.

 Fellow Michigan upstarts Ghostly Records crew came out in full force at Jazzid. From the industrial magic of Kill Memory Crash, the hard acid techno of Matthew Dear, to the soft ambient noise of Miami’s own Phoenecia, live performances abound at Ghostly as the pushed the edge of electronic music just a little bit further in the right direction.

The week came to close with a bang with the return of the Ultra music festival. One of the largest of its kind to hit the southeast, tens of thousands showed up for the biggest electronic jam of them all. With the word rave stomped out of dance culture this mass gathering brought out the dance music heavy weights Timo Maas, The Crystal Method and Paul Oakenfold. While regulars Rabbit in the Moon gave a performance to rival most Broadway musicals with exotic dancers and pyrotechnics. Moby rocked out the ultra crowd with a more traditional live show minus the fire and add the guitars and vocalists. He reminded us that he was here back in 92 and it makes you think where will electronic dance music be 20 years from now? Hopefully strolling down the sandy beaches of Miami for some time to come.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL VIRZERA