WMC 2009: A Party Worth Blogging About? Not Really

Just returned from the Gansevoort South. Music editor Arielle Castillo and I were at the A Party Worth Blogging About event by EatSkeet.com and HipsterRunoff.com. So in honor of HRO I’m going to ask a few philosophical questions:Do pool parties need people in order for it to be a ‘partie’?If…

WMC Preview: Q & A with Richie Hawtin

My music is (as you know) stripped down to the bone (perhaps why you were nearly naked)…I hope that the music I create is both appealing to the body and mind allowing you to dance full force on the dance floor, hide in the corner of a club with your eyes closed, or while relaxing at home.

Latin Digital Music Summit Today at the Gibson Showroom

Industry insiders or civilians who just happen to be fans of Latin music may find themselves wanting for panels and performances specifically addressing their interests during Winter Music Conference.  But there is an event for them.  Though it is not exactly a WMC sanctioned event, it has all the right…

WMC 2009: Is SXSW Cannabilizing WMC?

Before heading off to see Wavves (for the third time in 36 hours, as it turned out) an No Age (for the second time in 24), one of the last shows I saw at last week’s SXSW was Kid Sister at the Don’t Mess with Texas fest. Flanked by DJ…

WMC 2009: Your Guide to Surviving Conference

ZOMG, ya’ll! Winter Music Conference is finally here. Hopefully, you’ve already picked up our kick-ass guide and checked out our listing online to plan your entire week. Still, there a few things you should keep in mind if you are going to come out of this weekend alive. So here…

Latin Music’s Stars Head To Miami For Premio Lo Nuestro

Fans of Latin music, the time has come once again for artists and industry folk alike to descend upon the city for a whirlwind of performances, parties, glitz, glamor, bling, and enough media ops to get ravenous media whores Heidi and Spencer drooling like Lindsay Lohan in the Miami-Dade evidence…

WMC Preview: Q&A with Surkin

Compared to most DJs, Benoit Heitz, better known as Surkin, is a relatively young to be so far ahead of the game. Yet, the 23-year-old proves he has plenty of maturity when it comes to laying down the beats. Tracks likes “Ghetto Obsession” and “White Knight Two” are regularly played…

WMC Preview: Q&A with Carles of HipsterRunoff.com

When we heard that the “blog worth blogging about” Hipster Runoff was hosting a party during Winter Music Conference, we admittedly thought WTF. Not because it’s a bad thing, but because this means we might be able to meet the man (or woman, we aren’t sure) behind the site. He…

Must-See Acts on Ultra’s Lineup

Yes, Ultra Music Festival was born of and remains true to the best and the brightest in DJ culture. But the fest’s preeminence goes well above and beyond two turntables and Serato. According to UMF codirector Russell Faibisch, this year’s lineup numbers nearly 260 artists and runs from the Satellite…

Recession Partying

Things are tough all over — and that’s not just the name of a Cheech and Chong flick. And while the U.S. economy continues to freefall, the talking heads on the 24-hour news network of your choice barrage viewers with an unrelenting shitstorm of news so abysmal it makes drinking…

Fool’s Gold, Poplife, White Room

Every Winter Music Conference, every attendee and his brother claims to have been to the best party of the year. Some of them are close to correct; most of them have no clue. Unless, that is, they were at White Room in 2008 for the first Poplife-sponsored Fool’s Gold annual…

The Martinez Brothers Bring Their Soulful Bronx Groove South

Thank goodness the Martinez Brothers in question here are not the same-named Austin taxidermist siblings who come up eventually on a Google search. Really, who wants to concern themselves with the “Deer Season Special”? But just because our brothers hail from the Bronx rather than Texas, and spin for a…

Winter Music Conference Event Listings

MARCH 24 Aero Bar. Toronto Meets Miami: Markus Schulz, Glenn Morrison, and more!: Markus Schulz (Global DJ Broadcast, ColdHarbor), Glenn Morrison, Noel Sanger, Manzone & Strong, Joee Cons, DJ Ampz, Kaeno, Marcie, David Akermanis, Lucho, Richard Guerra, Jose Mata, Relik. Tue., March 24, 10 p.m. $20 advance, $25 before midnight,…

Fringe Sounds

There are plenty of big-room beats this week, if that’s your thing. Still, one of the best parts of WMC is getting to scope out the fringe sounds making the rounds. Whether you are into dark Euro-electro or left-field breakbeats, there’s something unusual for you. Below are some of the…

Ultra Vivid Wow!

Five hundred people. That’s how many bodies it takes to get Miami’s massive Ultra Music Festival off the ground and running. Five hundred people. From promoters in nearly every major city in the country, to a production staff that ranks among the world’s finest. Five hundred people. All on the…

Late of the Pier’s Ice Pop

The English quartet Late of the Pier is among its homeland’s best, brightest young hopes, boasting all the high cheekbones and music press praise that usually entails. But don’t mistake them for one of the dour, fedora-topped Brit indie groups of recent years. This band makes fun music for the…

Innovative French Label Institubes Celebrates Its Sixth Year

It wasn’t too long ago that we were renaming French fries to freedom fries, but Franco-American relations have come a long way. Featuring touches of R&B, soul, disco, hip-hop, and rock ‘n’ roll, the new wave of French dance music is heavily influenced by American sounds. Labels such as Ed…