Absolute Magic

The name says it all: Masters at Work.

Since 1991, Little Louie Vega has dropped gem after gem like a careless jewelry thief at Magic Sessions, the Miami Music Conference's longest-running event.

"Sixteen years later we're still here. What does that tell you?" quips Vega. "It's a party that has been there a long time. It's always been crowded, and it's always been a great success. It's definitely one of the pure parties when it comes to music."

Like a giant family reunion for every rabid soulful dance fiend in America and beyond, Magic Sessions has grown into a crowded but friendly affair. Scheduled to take over crobar in South Beach on March 22 for its fifth consecutive year, this seven-hour-long session will showcase some of the world's most sought-after DJs/ producers — veterans Vega and partner Tony Humphries, and first-timer Jazzanova, a Berlin-based producer collective — plus the industry's hottest and newest tracks.

"A lot of people give us a lot of music way in advance," says Vega, who began spinning more than twenty years ago in his native New York City. "We pick the things we think are going to be really big records. You get a sneak peek of all the great dance that's going to come out in the summer and for the rest of the year."

The brainchild of former Elektra Records mogul Leslie Doyle, Magic Sessions not only launched Vega and Humphries into the international spotlight but also became known as thesession that began them all.

"For years, when there were no other parties, people used to go to [Magic Sessions] just to hear what they would be playing," recalls Doyle. People were riveted. It was a DJ's DJ party. "Tony broke so many records there I can't begin to tell you. DJs walked away from the conference going, öWe have to get that record; it was like a must-play.'"

Per Magic Sessions tradition, Humphries will kick-start the show at 10:00 p.m. and take everyone into his underground haven where house meets soul, leaving Louie to bring everyone safely home.