Filling a void such as this is the mark of a promising promoter. Anders' shows have flown under the radar for quite some time. From WMC and Ultra afterparties to a nice run of weekly jam nights at the Nest with Roosevelt Collier and friends, the common theme has always been fun, with an emphasis on quality. Genres are irrelevant.
Anders made some time to discuss the maiden voyage of his first large-scale endeavor, Fractal Beach, coming to Miami on Friday, March 11, to Sunday, March 13, on Virginia Key.
New Times: How did you get involved in putting on events in Miami?
I went to the University of Miami, and my freshman year, I fell into the South Beach promotion game. It was pretty easy, being surrounded by rich college kids with fresh fake IDs. After a couple of years, I realized that I could actually book acts I liked instead of the crappy ones playing in South Beach, and slowly but surely, I started throwing my own shows. I really wanted to expand a sound that I felt was underrepresented in our city.
How did Fractal come about, and what is the general theme here?
Fractal Beach is something I've been working up to for years and is really what Massive Ideas is all about. The general theme is spreading conscious culture — celebrating music that has real thought put into it, checking out workshops that enlighten you and expand your knowledge on subjects that affect you and the world around you, strengthening your body through tons of yoga and movement classes, and — most of all — having fun and connecting with the people around you in a beautiful location. It's definitely a party, and it's definitely an amazing time, but more than that, we want people to leave the event better people than when they started.
Describe some of the genres here and why you think they work together.
We really tried to be as broad as possible to represent all types of positive, underground music. We have
This is your first big festival. What other festivals do you think you might have modeled this after?
Fractal Beach is modeled after other "transformational festivals" like Lightning in a Bottle, Symbiosis, Shambhala, and Envision. The idea is to mix yoga, music, workshops, and tons of amazing art to create something that's more than an event; it's a container for change. We're excited to bring South Florida its first transformational festival.
Name three "must see" acts at Fractal.
One, Ott. Last time he was here was during the Nest's opening weekend during WMC, and it was absolutely incredible! Ott is listed as a coproducer on almost all of Shpongle's music and was the Orb's producer back in the day. He's a legend in the psychedelic electronica world, and we're incredibly excited to be having him out to play two sets, including a first-in-the-U.S. "Ott Sonic Dub Sound System" DJ set.
Two, Öona Dahl. This incredible, melodic, deep-house DJ is one of the hottest members of the All Day I Dream label run by Lee Burridge and has played Do Not Sit on the Furniture a couple of times. She'll be playing shoreside right after Patrice Bäumel, making for an incredible night of deep house on the beach.
Three, Higher Learning. This rising Atlanta
How do you see this festival developing and possibly affecting the Miami music scene?
The idea is that this is one piece of a huge puzzle we're all communally putting together to make Miami a better place. Part of it is connecting with like-minded people at places like Fractal Beach, where you can grow together, but most of it
Fractal Beach with the Heavy Pets, Ott, Thriftworks, Govinda, Truth, and others. 1 p.m. Friday, March 11, through Sunday, March 13, at Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr., Key Biscayne; 305-960-4603; virginiakeybeachpark.net. Tickets cost $30 to $275 via fractalbeach.com.
