Miami for Winter Music Conference is a crazy and amazing place. There are parties everywhere at all times of the day with all the top DJs from across the globe. FestivalZOO was able to attend yet again this year for an extended weekend. Here are the parties we were fortunate enough to attend:
Circo Loco Pool Party at Surfcomber
Surfcomber hosts some of the bigger pool parties during the WMC week. Go Big are the organizers for these parties. The area is quite large with a big stage setup facing away from the pool towards the beach. The dance floor is half grass, half sand with a large shaded structure above it. The pool has cabanas around it but no shading otherwise.
We arrived to the party just as Art Department came on and they set the stage for great full day of underground house. After they were finished, Maceo Plex played b2b with Jonny White from Art Department. Dubfire and DJ Sneak played b2b after that which was the only let down for the day. Minimal techno just does not go well at a daytime pool party.
The party was a great way to start out the week and we got there early so we had no issues getting in. Whereas we heard from friends that later on they stopped letting people in - even if they had tickets in-hand. You really have to arrive early to the popular pool parties in Miami. If you arrive after 4PM expect to wait in line for a couple hours, even if you already have pre-sale tickets. They also would not let people in with backpacks and they would not check your backpacks at the front desk. Eventually we got in with our backpack but they should have announced this rule before so people would not be turned away at the door. I also find it pretty ridiculous that you are not allowed to bring a bag of some sort to a pool party!! How are you supposed to bring in sun screen and towels, and maybe a change of clothes? You should also know, for future reference, that they do not provide towels at the pool.
Luciano at Space
Next up was Luciano at Space. Having seen Luciano multiple times in Miami before we knew this was a treat not to be missed. We figured that he would come on around 4-5 in the morning, just in time for the sunrise on the Space terrace, so we grabbed some food after the pool party then headed back to the hotel to rest. The alarm sounded around 3:30 in the morning. Factor in an hour for the girlfriend to get ready then we jumped in the cab towards Space. There was no line surprisingly at Space and we walked right in. In the main room Ferry Corsten was playing while on the terrace Andrea Oliva was playing. Shortly Luciano came on and played his signature latin influenced house music. Amazing as expected! P Diddy made an appearance behind the DJ Booth pulling the air horn. Our legs and minds were getting tired but he would not let us leave. Eventually Luciano finished around 9AM in the morning and we headed home for some much needed sleep.
Pete Tong Pool Party at Surfcomber
The next day we yet again headed to Surfcomber, this time for the annual Pete Tong Pool Party. We didn’t bother bringing a backpack and instead we stuffed our sunscreen and change of clothes in a plastic bag. They were hesitant to let us in once again but ultimately we got in without too much hassle. On the decks was Chuckie. He played some old school house music which was perfect to start out the day. After he was done, recent crossover DJ Calvin Harris came one. Unfortunately this was our least favorite music of the day. He played a bit to hard for a daytime pool party and it did not seem to fit in with the rest of the day’s programming. After Calvin was done, the party really started to get going. I think the party was nice and full by 3PM. Nic Fanciulli was on first, warming up nicely for what turned out to be the highlight of the day, Joris Voorn. Joris played his typical tech house sounds but maybe a bit more housey as it was a daytime party. Pete Tong followed Joris and played much of the same style. After Pete was done, Seth Troxler and Guy Gerber started playing a b2b set. They started off slow and built their set from there. At this point we were getting tired and our friend had yet again got stuck at the door because the place was at capacity, so we decided to head back to the hotel to rest.
No Sugar Added at Nikki Beach - Heidi Jackathon
One of my favorite venues in Miami has always been Nikki Beach - whether it is daytime or nighttime. For WMC, No Sugar Added threw a 2-day mini festival at Nikki Beach with music starting at Noon and going all day and night until 5AM. The programming was very diverse with all different genres over multiple stages. It is a great option if you have a big group of friends that have different music tastes as they should be able to find a bit of everything. We arrived around 11PM and Heidi Jackathon was going on downstairs with Maya Jane Coles playing on the decks. The place was packed inside but whenever you wanted to you could go outside and sit down in the garden, chill and enjoy the ocean breeze. After Maya, Maceo Plex came on. He has quickly become the biggest name in deep house and he did not disappoint. After he was done, Miss Kitten and Ellen Allien came on. This was probably my favorite set of the entire week. We took a peek at the upstairs room and up there they played Electro and Dubstep.
Get Lost at Electric Pickle
After some much needed sleep, we decided it was time to Get Lost! The annual after party/all day Saturday party was again held at the Electric Pickle. Last year this party was one of my favorite events. The lineup was again filled with top underground DJs. We got their around 4PM and the place was packed with people. Music was great out on the terrace and fortunately they shaded the main dance area. It seems, however like they let a bit too many people in this year because in the end, they did not have enough shading for everyone. And you could go inside but it was too dark and not really where you wanted to be during the day on a Saturday in Miami. Overall we heard some great music but the atmosphere was missing that Miami feel. This was more of the Detroit/DEMF like party, which is great when you are in Detroit.
Last Resort at Villa 221
On Sunday we decided yet again to go to downtown Miami this time to Villa 221. This is a special event venue with a few indoor rooms and a huge garden area. The venue is a lot nicer than The Pickle and has a completely different vibe. Many people brought blankets and were laying down in the grass, relaxing in the sun while listening to music. It definitely had a bohemic feel to it. On this day Maceo Plex played once again. I think this was the fourth time I heard him spin this weekend. Soul Clap, Lee Curtiss, Ryan Crosson b2b Shaun Reeves and Magda played as well. We really wanted to catch Joris Voorn again (he was supposed to come on inside at 10PM) but we never got a chance to. I am not sure who played inside as there was a long delay but the music upstairs was great. We believe it might have been Alexis Raphael.
Final Thoughts
Overall we had a great week. We never really had issues with long lines or anything you normally expect for this week (but we always tried to get to each party early). Here are some tips for next years WMC:
- Get to the party early. If it is a popular pool party and you don’t want to spend money getting a table, get there before 2PM.
- Stock up some food/snacks in the hotel room. We bought a bunch of Naked Fruit Juices which ended up being a great decision as these drinks go down very easily when you are tired or hangover. Granola bars are also something we usually bring. We also brought some Emergen-C, which we certainly put to use.
- Next year we won’t be going downtown for the underground parties. Although these are great parties with some of my favorite DJs, when I am in Miami I want to be at the beach at a pool with girls in bikinis! I can always go to DEMF for the more bohemian parties.
- I will definitely go to the Pete Tong Pool Party and No Sugar Added again if they are doing something similar next year. Those were two of my favorite events.
- Comfortable shoes are a must!!! Last year my feet were killing my by Friday. This year I went and tried shoes primarily for comfort. I bought the most comfortable flip flops and most comfortable converse I could find. When everyone was complaining about their feet hurting on Sunday, I was ready to go another few days.
- Figure out some way to bring things to the Surfcomber pool parties. Maybe have the girlfriend bring her biggest purse just for this purpose.
- Best Sets: Miss Kitten b2b Ellen Allien @ No Sugar Added, Joris Voorn @ Pete Tong Pool Party, Luciano @ Space, Maceo Plex @ Everywhere
I can’t wait until next WMC. Maybe even another trip to Miami is in store for 4th of July pool parties or Art Basel in December?
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