III Points’ David Sinopoli on the Miami Music Acts to Watch in 2019

As cofounder of III Points, the wildly popular music festival held in Wynwood since its inception in 2013, David Sinopoli is keyed into Miami’s music scene. His expertise becomes apparent when he begins talking numbers: “With the Ground, Space, and Floyd, and before that Bardot, for the last eight years I’ve been programming 300 shows a year in Miami,” he says. “I’m always watching local acts and seeing how they develop.” That experience makes Sinopoli an ideal person to reveal which Miami artists could break through in 2019.

To make this article fair, New Times asked him to choose acts that aren’t slated to perform at III Points this February, but Sinopoli said that wasn’t possible. “If there was someone up-and-coming down here, I would be adamant that they played III Points. We always try to keep it at least 51 percent local so someone can discover talent when they come to see Erykah Badu or James Blake.”

So, without further ado, here are the Miami acts Sinopoli says to see live in 2019:

Nick León. “I think he will take the next step to becoming nationally or internationally known. He had a remarkable 2018 where his DJ’ing went to another level. He spent a month making connections at Red Bull Music Academy, and with his Space Tapes label, he’s putting out some incredible music.”

Poorgrrrl. “She has an 11-song album done that is fucking amazing. She’ll be putting it out in the middle of the year. She’ll be playing most of it at III Points when she goes on right before Pussy Riot.”

Bear. “He was also at the Red Bull Music Academy. He’s a singer-songwriter who plays very eccentric music. His ability to get you involved with his music is incredible.”

INVT. “They are house electronic music producers. They’re both 20 or 21 and are superhustlers with branding and merchandise.”

Richie Hell. “He’s someone I really see emerging. He leads a full ensemble of psychedelic music. His girlfriend does all his art onstage, which adds a special visual element.”

Dracula. “They’re a two-piece band that [was] featured on NPR. Lolo [Reskin] from Sweat Records is behind them. They sing in Spanish and English. They face each other the whole time they are playing, which is very creepy but very cool.”

Ms. Mada. “She’s the best DJ at Space – probably the best DJ in Miami.”

Butterfly Snapple. “They’re like Flying Lotus meets BadBadNotGood. They’re jazz students at Frost School of Music who got a slot at III Points by playing our open house and blowing everyone away. They’ve got classical training, but they bring real live energy. They were one of the 30 acts who played at the open house. There was a real influx of talent, and this was one of the six we chose to play III Points.”