Sure, you could have been at the Fool's Gold party at Grand Central -- a decent enough choice. But you would have missed out on the next-level shit.
The Overthrow and Trouble & Bass' Black Magick party at the Overthrow Castle surely had a darker vibe than other festivities last night. But there were also plenty of clues about what's going to be everywhere next Miami Music Week.
Oh, this party also had better swag. Just walking around, we scored, besides the usual sampler CDs and stickers, free Trouble & Bass logo lighters, T&B sunglasses, and even a Pabst Blue Ribbon toothbrush. Nothing says "minty fresh breath" like cheap beer! Now if they could just get pants and shoe sponsors for next year....
All that stuff was only floating around if you got there early, though. Not a lot of people did. The Black Magick bash was a slow-burner that started to reach critical mass right around an hour after midnight.
Too bad for those people, because they missed a set by L.A.'s Flinch, who's part of the Smog crew. His set was the first signal of the night's changing sounds. It was nominally dubstep, but totally danceable, aiming toward faster, hiccuping beats.
The set was full of melody and crossed genres freely. One of the highlights was the inclusion of Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now." Another was a late-set appearance by singer Jinder (or "Little Jinder" as she was advertised on posters here), who jumped on the mic to sing her own "Youth Blood."
Of course, as things got packed, later in the evening T&B stars Drop the Lime and AC Slater ruled a crowd of up-for-it party kids.
But before all this, the other breakout star was Roska, who followed Flinch. (Side note: He probably needs a name change, considering the bass-y circles in which he travels.) His set proved a thesis we formed earlier this week that the next big American underground sounds will continue branch off from dubstep, bassline, two-step, garage, and even UK funky lines.
Roska's set touched on all of these, with a big helping of the kind of silky, R&B-laced garage to which the grown and sexy pop bottles in the U.K. Last night, he got a bunch of tattooed, skinny people and Ultra refugees getting down to it, which was pretty awesome to witness.
Another jaw-dropper was a certain hidden spot, dubbed the "throne room." Inside this sweaty, dark cave, T&B's own Star Eyes -- a girl, woot! -- was throwing down some of the filthiest, loudest grime and other dude music we've heard in a while.
Meanwhile, assorted hooded, black-clad dancers (and even a bona fide fortune teller named Queen Isis) added to the occult vibe, which was only amplified by the fact that the party was going down in, you know, a castle.
Also, we finally got the story about the building, according to its current owner! The short version: The original portion (the oldest-looking part on the corner of NW 20th Street and North Miami Avenue) was built by an eccentric, wealthy roofing company owner from Central Florida. Obsessed with castles, he built his own with an apartment in back, so he could build his business in Miami.
Finally, a shout out to Manare of the French label Young Gunz, who also took over the Throne Room in the earlier part of the evening. We missed his set. But he took the time to hand-write all of his social media links in our notebook, so here's a track from his Soundcloud.
Sugar Rush (Original Mix) by Manaré
Follow Crossfade on Facebook and Twitter @Crossfade_SFL.
