Whether you're an affluent jet setter or an artistic street kid, Art Basel Miami Beach and the plethora of satellite fairs, gallery exhibits, and public instillations attached to the four-day festival offer a little something for everyone. For Crossfade, it's music.
Some of the most amazing shows happen during Basel. Last year, N.E.R.D. partnered up with FriendsWithYou for a free concert at Rainbow City. This year, Neon Indian's performing at Bardot, GZA's taking over The Stage, and Tom Tom Magazine's Art Basel Showcase will be bringing hardcore girl power to Churchill's Pub.
But for all the cool shit there is to do, there's even cooler shit that ain't for you. From VIP-only parties to birthday bashes for the One Percent, some Basel week events are totally off limits to us common folk.
Check out Crossfade's developing list of cool Basel parties you are not invited to.
Diddy, Usher, and Mary J. Blige Celebrate Rico Love's 29th Birthday. Friday, December 2, 8 p.m., Vic & Angelo's South Beach, 150 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach. Rico Love is not a household name. But he should be. The dude's responsible for some of the biggest hits in contemporary pop-hop and R&B. He co-wrote Usher's Grammy-winning song "There Goes My Baby," produced Mary J. Blige's latest record, My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1), and launched his own record label, Division 1, with the help of Universal Motown. But most impressively, he's accomplished it all while still under the age of 30.
On the night before his 29th birthday, Rico Love will be Diddy, Usher, and Mary J. Blige's guest of honor at Vic & Angelo's. It's sure to be Basel week's most expensive pizza party, and you are not invited. And neither are we.
MOCA Beach Party. Wednesday, November 30, 9 p.m., The Raleigh, 1775 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach.
Each year, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles throws one of the sickest Basel parties of the week. LCD Soundsystem headlined in 2010, playing an hour-long set for an exclusive bunch of folks that included Kim Kardashian, Naomi Campbell, and Perry Farrell.
This year's event features a performance by Belgian electro group Soulwax, but that doesn't really matter because you're not getting in. Per usual, the MOCA party's invite only.
Music Loves Art. December 1-4, Ricochet Lounge (3250 NE 1 Ave, Miami). In terms of irony, Spotify takes the cake. The online music site's big into the whole music for everybody thing, however when it comes to Basel parties, Spotify's plays the music for certain people card.
Spotify's hosting some of the dopest acts in music over four days at Ricochet Bar & Lounge. Nas, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, TV on the Radio and Penguin Prison are all scheduled to perform. But unless you drink mad Perrier water or know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody, you'll have to wait until VICE runs a four-part series, VICE Meets Spotify Live to catch 'em.
Theophilus London and Young the Giant. Friday, December 2 at 8 p.m., The Shelborne (1801 Collins Ave, Miami Beach). There really isn't anything better than complimentary food and drinks by The Shelborne followed by intimate music performances by hip-hop hipster Theophilus London and California indie alt rockers Young the Giant. Sadly, only a few of us will ever experience it.
If you know somebody who works for Microsoft, there's a chance you might get in. The company's search engine, Bing, is the title sponsor of the event. Other than that, you're out of luck.
Keep checking back to find out about all the cool Basel events reserved exclusively for the rich and famous.
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