Ahead of the annual March Miami gathering – and the 30th anniversary of the Miami Winter Music Conference – Defected’s Ben Lovett reflects on what was a tumultuous year for Ultra back in 2014, how the repercussions may effect this year’s events, and looks ahead to some of the many killer line-ups on offer in 2015.
A major chunk of Miami’s annual springtime dance music madness was under threat just under a year ago. The Ultra Music Festival suffered several serious issues, including a stampede by gatecrashers on its opening day and the drug-related death of a young EDM fanboy attendee. The stampede, particularly, was a symbol for the local authorities of dance music’s unsettling cultural rise within its borders and across the wider American landscape. Here was a phenomena they didn’t quite understand and that, despite its sizeable economic worth (growing exponentially year-on-year), posed serious concerns around crime, pollution and wider public safety.
It followed that Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and local commissioner Marc Sarnoff started campaigning to have it scrapped from the city’s annual calendar of events. However, a subsequent commissioners’ meeting voted in favour of the renewal of Ultra’s contract with favoured city location Bayfront Park. Regalado and Sarnoff shared video footage of fights and drug use at previous festivals but the wider Miami commission upheld its ruling, so long as Ultra organisers agreed to strict new regulations.
An official Ultra statement, in response, pledged that the event team would work even more closely with relevant local authorities and businesses to prevent any future issues. And then reports quickly emerged of organisers hiring a new security director. The Miami commission’s requirements for this year’s event included using police rather than private security firms (Ultra’s new security head was, reports claimed, a former police chief), building stronger boundary fencing, offering drug and mental health counselling stations and organising a helpline so that local residents could easily report problems. It will be interesting to see how things go in a few weeks’ time.
Of course, whilst Ultra is securely scheduled for 27-29 March this spring, it has been recently overshadowed by the sad news of co-founder Alex Omes’ death, aged 43. According to Billboard magazine, Omes had been ‘largely pushed out’ when Ultra split from the official Miami Winter Music Conference (WMC) in 2010 and two years later sued to regain control – his lawsuit remains active. Ultra organisers have since publicly offered their condolences and will be trying now to maintain their focus on delivering a successful 2015. It couldn’t be more crucial.
Ultra’s direction remains mainstream – its recent line-up announcements include a wealth of EDM and crossover-club royalty such as Avicii, Skrillex, Tiesto, David Guetta and Clean Bandit. Interestingly, however, organisers have introduced a new stage, Resistance, which aims to leverage recent interest in deeper, more underground house and brand it as an ‘undiscovered’, exciting new sub-stream of the main EDM craze. Tale Of Us, Dixon, Guti, Jamie Jones and Art Department are among the runners ‘n’ riders.
Clearly organisers believe that there are new audiences they can engage and expand with. Nevertheless, one can’t help thinking that Resistance is still just part of a wider plan to cement Ultra’s overground footing – more about welcoming mass audiences to new, carefully branded concepts than grabbing (and blending with) purist revellers. Generally speaking, the continued commercialisation of Miami offers a fascinating contrast in 2015 to the city’s very first club industry gathering exactly 30 years ago.
Conference attending veterans like David Morales (currently promoting new single ‘Lovin’ as The Face) note, today, just how far Miami has come as annual electronic mecca. “I feel that the conference has changed a lot, especially since Ultra Fest started” he suggests. “It’s Ibiza goes to Miami for the week. No longer do you need to buy a badge [a conference badge – in earlier years, the only method of attending Miami’s few, key parties] to make contacts. After a while it’s difficult to keep the panels interesting without them becoming repetitive.”
There is, as yet, no confirmation of WMC’s 30th anniversary agenda (24-28 March) but attendees can expect to digest the usual mix of in-depth seminars, panels, DJ workshops and industry exhibitions (all at the Deauville Beach Resort), as well as the International Dance Music Awards (IDMAs) – nominations are expected any day. In short, delegates from over 70 countries are expected on Miami Beach this time round, WMC catering to them with over 400 individual conference events.
It is all about the parties though. “Now Miami is a great excuse for journos and corporate marketing execs to take advantage of the company expense account and pretend like they’re getting something done” Barclay Crenshaw, AKA Dirtybird Records head Claude VonStroke offers. “Mostly it’s fun tequila shots and great music for a few days in the sunshine. Fans also enjoy themselves as it is the one place every year in America where they can go see just about anyone they want to.”
Of the shindigs confirmed so far, Visionquest’s early doors affair at Trade, 20 March, should prick the ears up, Ryan Crosson, Shaun Reeves, Lee Curtiss and ‘maybe a special guest’ currently heading promotional posters. Nikki Beach’s 5th Electric Beach Festival, 21 March, should also delight – 40 weighty house DJs, yet to be revealed, across three stages. Last year’s talent included Jose Nunez and Roland Clark.
On 23 March, David Morales, Louie Vega and Tony Humphries host their annual 3 Kings Of House showcase at the National Hotel, whilst rising techno-anchored Italian (yes, another one...) Joseph Capriati drops ‘100%’ incisive techno at Trade. The following evening, Trade welcomes Apollonia ‘All Night Long’ – in other words six hours of high-class, utterly thumping house. The club’s second room boasts Paco Osuna and Paul Ritch (live). Still on 24 March, Nick Warren and Hernan Cattaneo board Miami’s iconic Biscayne Lady (at the Miami Marina), their Never Get Out Of The Boat affair promising much prog-4-4 goodness.
There’s more exquisite techno 25 March, Trade’s Detroit Love vs CLS mash-up coughing up Motor City legends Carl Craig and Stacey Pullen alongside Euro titans Chris Liebing, Radio Slave and Marcel Dettmann. Back on the Biscayne Lady, it’s James Zabiela’s ritual Born Electric cruise (with special guest Justin Martin) and at the Viceroy Hotel, Doorly (a studio collaborator with Shadow Child and Sonny Fodera) hosts a special pool party. On 26 March, meanwhile, Trade welcomes ‘tINI And The Gang’, Space sees locally-based trance-r Markus Schulz presenting a showcase for his label Coldharbour and the Biscayne Lady carries Sasha’s Last Night On Earth Sunset cruise.
On to 27 March, and more Biscayne Lady adventures – Steve Lawler by day, Dubfire ‘back-to-back’ with Seth Troxler by night. Paul Van Dyk is at Space (his Mystery Sound s yacht soiree departs from the Sea Isle Marina the following evening), and Mano Le Tough and The Drifter unveil a Maeve label showcase in Trade’s main room. Sharing that venue, Maceo Plex presents a backroom-based Ellum Audio evening with support from Danny Daze and Shall Ocin. Elsewhere, Ultra kicks off; as does the infamous EDM-driven No Sugar Added Beach Festival at Nikki Beach – the two-day gathering should announce its artists any time soon.
For Nic Fanciulli, Ultra is an important booking. He’ll be joining others across the festival’s three-day run including MK, Pete Tong, Martinez Brothers, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Cassy, Adam Beyer, Carl Cox, Deep Dish, Dixon, Martin Garrix, Steve Angello and Steve Aoki. “It really is one of the biggest and best festivals in the world for electronic music, and I’m looking forward to being back” he urges. “I’ve been going to Miami for a long time - but have never actually been to the WMC conference, it’s always been more of a week to catch-up with old friends, showcase your label, and go see new artists; more than a business-orientated event. It’s definitely changed over the years I’ve been going - it used to be just a few venues with mainly underground music, but has evolved into something a lot bigger now that encompasses the whole city. The BPM Festival in Mexico actually reminds me a lot of how WMC used to be when I first started going.”
Beyond this further talk of Ultra, we should flag that Trade has finalised two more key parties on 28 and 29 March respectively. The former unites Nicole Moudaber’s record label and radio brand (In The) MOOD with Get Physical, represented by M.A.N.D.Y’s Philipp Jung, and Maya Jane Coles, who will perform ‘with friends’. The latter is a celebration of imprint Desolat’s ongoing (good) work, label stalwarts Guti, Robert Dietz, Hector, Livio & Roby, Yaya and Francisco Allendes all set to play. Further guests will be added in the coming weeks - you’d expect co-founders Loco Dice and Martin Buttrich to fit in somewhere!
And then there’s Dirtybird’s 10th anniversary blowout at Steam Miami, 29 March, featuring Claude VonStroke ‘back-to-back’ with Justin Martin, as well as the ‘back-to-back’ pairings of Shiba San and J.Phlip, and Ardalan and Christian Martin. “As a label we’re keeping it simple this year,” Crenshaw comments.
Naturally, more pool parties and club events will be announced across February and early March. Venues to look out for include Treehouse Miami (home to Hotflush, Planet E and Josh Wink’s Ovum in 2014), Ice Palace West (a previous base for Jamie Jones’ Paradise extravaganza, and Crosstown Rebels’ Get Lost sessions), Space (still to confirm much of its March schedule) and cult boutique dancefloor Electric Pickle (home from home for Wolf + Lamb and Soul Clap’s quirk-house Crew Love shenanigans). David Morales has also confirmed a Def Mix jam during Miami week but isn't saying anything more for now. There is absolutely no sense Miami is slowing down....
Such rapid acceleration has left some within the industry disillusioned; others simply disinterested. Revered soul-house DJ-producer Ralf GUM thinks Miami can be taken or left these days. “The conference has mainly changed to an expensive one-week party holiday” he argues. “Especially if you have been there before and already made your contacts, there’s not a real need to participate.”
Crenshaw agrees that Miami is no longer clubland’s essential epicentre. Yet he still feels its charm and value. “Miami used to be the centre of the dance music universe; a place where a track could break and it would end up breaking worldwide” he muses. “There is a little bit of that still going on but in general WMC has become more of a fun date on the DJ circuit - a warm place to go after the hard winter for Europeans, and a great place to see all your friends who have been holed up in their studios during the holiday season.”
Miami’s community of spirit has changed substantially these past 30 years but, there’s no doubt, it is still strong....
Words Ben Lovett
Defected In The House Miami 2015 is out 22 February (3CD / Digital) on Defected Records - order from iTunes and Amazon
For more info on WMC – visit http://wintermusicconference.com. For Ultra – head to www.ultramusicfestival.com
