Catz ‘N Dogz & Eats Everything
floor, while later heady electronic cuts have us questioning whether or not the tunes are old or new, such is their vintage production but futuristic sound.
Ultra
likes of MIGUEL CAMPBELL, Eats Everything (who seems to play everywhere this week), FOUR TET and TENSNAKE dropping lush beats out in the marine majesty of Miami’s waterways is something special indeed, and James himself of course steps up to the plate, having the whole boat in true party mood.
Come the evening, it’s time to head downtown. The contrast with South Beach couldn’t be more extreme. The deserted, desolate streets are dark, low-rise, and seem to hum with potential danger. Beyond its financial skyscraper strewn core and industrial fringes, many parts here are impoverished ghettos. Parties downtown undeniably carry that frisson of risk. It’s here we rock up to Ice Palace West, a brilliant, sprawling warehouse venue with a huge outdoor area for GET LOST, CROSSTOWN REBELS’ hedonistic marathon party. When we arrive, the party’s already been going since 5am, but it’s going strong. Inside, DJ SNEAK is slamming out high velocity filter disco vibes and old skool house, while in the capacious outdoor bit, where camo netting is suspended above the dancefloor, giving things an illicit, guerilla flavour, CARL CRAIG is holding forth, dropping minimal, bassy techno with oodles of funk. His remix of Tom Trago’s ‘Use Me Again’ has the place erupting in disco madness, and we spot Jamie Jones in the crowd. Back in the darkness, we hear FUR COAT, slamming out metallic, clanking technofunk far harder, fresher and underground than expected, with Kris Wadsworth’s remix of Luca Lozano’s ‘Thug It Out’
proving a proper spine-tingling highlight. Amazing DJs, it’s weird that their set seems so different to their own output, but perhaps they’ve simply moved on.
We catch a cab to an even less salubrious part of town next. The cab driver warns us, “don’t go walking round here”, but really we have no intention of doing so, looking at the deprivation and desertedness around us. It’s worth the trip though, for the INSIDE OUT warehouse party at Soho Studios, an absolutely incredible space that’s the epitome of a proper rave venue. With a huge outdoor courtyard, boasting a little stage set-up, the bit inside is like a vast cavern.
First we check out PILLOWTALK outside, the three-piece San Francisco outfit who’ve generated a fair bit of deserved hype with their releases so far. Live, Sammy D steps up front to sing, with another guy on live keys, a third on electronics. It’s a mad bastard blend of nu disco, Orbital inspired rave, hip-hop and funk, and it’s absolutely wicked. Later, we check out JACQUES RENAULT inside offering up some of his NYC house goodness, before the main event: DJ HARVEY. Lit up behind the booth, with tropical looking house plants decorating the stage area, a lone, illuminated Victorian carousel horse suspended above the decks, the atmosphere is incredible. Harvey shows us why he’s thought of as such a don by blending a dizzying, psychotropic voyage through disco, with Donald Byrd’s ‘Love Has Come Around’ causing DJ Mag to rush the
Situated just off Collin in terms of geography, but a million miles away in atmosphere, Treehouse is a Miami must-visit and GET PHYSICAL & PETS RECORDINGS’ event lingers on as an undoubted highlight.Helped into the capacity club after a late arrival by the accommodating Philipp from M.A.N.D.Y, MATTHEW BUSHWACKA! — sporting a Japanese style headband — is carving out his solo rep as JUST BE in the larger, darker backroom with studied aplomb. But the loudest cheering, hollering and general dancefloor insanity is next door where CATZ ‘N DOGZ and Eats Everything are whipping up a storm. Ringing a giant bell hanging from the DJ booth, Eats’ re-edit of Breach’s anthem-in- waiting ‘Jack’ has hands reaching skyward, while even DJ GODFATHER pops his head in to say hi, joining an assembled crew that includes Dirtybird artist KILL FRENZY.
Sunday Sunday’s final pool party at Delano is suffering from a collective case of last day weariness, VISIONQUEST’S SHAUN REEVES and RYAN CROSSON forgetting Miami’s rule of permanently affixed sunglasses, but grooving out Yousef’s CIRCUS regardless. The real circus, though, is happening downtown at the closing day of ULTRA, which includes ARMIN VAN BUUREN’s hugely popular A STATE OF TRANCE 600. Heading there by cab, we’re suddenly informed that the site is on lockdown, unconfirmed but amusing rumors circulating of candy ravers charging and breaching the gates to get into SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA’s purported last-ever gig. Instead, we head to DJ MAG CANADA’s nearby apartment for an overlooking aerial view that gives a stunning full assessment of the scale of Ultra. Like a million dollar ant farm, tiny distant specks are illuminated by giant sweeping lights, as fireworks explode above in the sky, each stage slowly emptying at the finish as if filled with grains of sand. Amongst some parties this year were scattered mutinous murmurings that time is running out for Miami, and that it’s not what it used to be. Yet looking down on the sheer logistics of Ultra, there’s clearly money being made somewhere. And you can be sure that while that remains the case, Miami — from both a WMC and Ultra perspective — will be hard to ignore.
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