After a year’s hiatus, I decided to head back down to sunny South Beach for WMC 2009. As the days close in, the folks that run the Winter Music Conference publishes a master list of events. First thing I noticed at a local bodega was this year’s publication was a pamphlet in comparison to previous years Frank151 mini mag style guides. Although, having a game plan is to your advantage, you can wing it and still have a fun time. Just watch out for the tourist-ready alcoholic beverages averaging in at 16 dollars, half priced lunches and breakfast but with a caveat of ridiculously expensive coffee, oj and iced tea. This is to be expected as a trade off for the hotel poolside cabanas, people watching seats on Ocean Drive and of course the clear blue water/white sand combo in Miami.
As far as music goes, this was my outlet for lots and lots of deep house, broken beat and of course electro pop. My friends and I planned on hitting up several parties throughout the day until we couldn’t stand anymore. One piece of advice, if your hotel is in SOBE, stay in SOBE. The taxis have no issue taking you on the “tourist” route to cross the MacArthur Causeway. Some parties were a bust aka Tuesday Night at Laundry Bar and Friday Night at White Room. However, there were some events that stood out and made WMC 09 memorable.
One such event was the Sander Kleinenberg yacht party. Thoughts of waiting in long lines at Epcot or Universal Studios came to mind and gave me a chuckle. First, my friends and I walked from 9th and Collins to the Shelborne Resort to redeem our tickets. One line at the hotel lobby takes you upstairs to the Wanttickets.com suite. From there, another line gets in contact with a customer service rep. Next step, much like a reality tv show challenge was to hail a $40 dollar cab ride to the docks before 3:30. Arrival yielded two more lines to get onto the Biscayne Lady. But the wait was worthwhile as the food appeased my palate. The all you can drink bar also came in handy to enjoy progressive house by Sander. My group and I were definitely loving every aspect of the yacht party. The rest of Thursday night was a mix between a blur and being woken up to head down to Heathrow Lounge for an event called Sonic Boom.
Friday was a free for all. I had no game plan other than to hit the Scion Party at the Gansevoort South Resort featuring Annie Mac, A-Trak, Dj Medhi, Riton, Toddla T and Rusko. However, during the daytime, I did notice Sephora had a line ready for j-pop songstress, Utada Hikaru. Thanks to Japanator, this info was confirmed. Half of me wishes I camped out like the nerd I am.
After a long day of exploring, I was able to catch the last leg of the Scion party with A-Trak ending his set and Dj Medhi beginning his. Had we read the flyer, we would’ve avoided the dude playing top 40’s “hip pop” on the rooftop pool. Thankfully, the friendliest security at the elevator guided us to the beach club where the Scion party was held. Guestlist, bah who needs it. Friendly foreign girl wanting photo op with me? Why the fuck not, all in good fun. $20 dollars for two Amstel lights gave a slight hiccup to the fun.
The rest of the night involved trying to hail a cab back down to 9th and Collins from 23rd ended in failure. We walked roughly 16 blocks down only to return back to the Lincoln Road for Sushi Samba. One hour wait stated the hostess. Final destination: Sushi Siam where our eyes were hungrier than our bellies. Afterwards, we made it out to The Shore Club where we finally caught Rusko’s set. A cab ride to the White Room lead to a mediocre night. Despite wanting to see Alan Braxe, Roy Davis Jr., and the Juan Maclean, I was just not feeling the venue.
Saturday – When I am looking for you, I call your number, but I can’t get through…
Spent most of the day at a nearby friend’s pool at the Marriott on 2nd and Ocean. Then made it out to Taverna Opa for excellent Greek dining and entertainment. This is where our nerd juices were overflowing with joy. We actually asked the cab to get us to Rokbar right when doors opened at 10. Who does that? A fan of MODULAR mothafuckin Records does, thats who. Our zealousness yielded a mini camp out as doors opened at 11, not 10. But the venue is beautiful, Knightlife, Kim’s and Dan’s set was amazing. Nothing could’ve gone wrong with this evening. Well except overdoing it with jager shots.
The trip concluded with a super early shuttle ride to the airport Sunday Morning. Lethargic days and affordable eating, here I come. See below for some highlight photos taken collectively by my friends and myself. On a side note, Dan Whitford of Cut Copy was nice enough to take a photo with my friend, SK.
