International party starter and the man behind the highly influential independent record label Dim Mak,Steve Aoki is gearing up to release his highly anticipated debut artist album Wonderland this winter on leading dance label Ultra Music (with whom he has forged a worldwide deal). Leading the charge of what’s to come is “Earthquakey People.”
The music is omnipresent, the winter part is questionable, but the backbone that props up WMC every year is always the conference part of things. This year, the Miami Convention Center plays host to WMC’s numerous panels, product demos, and all the extracurricular fist-bumping and business card exchanging that connects DJs and producers around the world. The latest in wearable LED illumination is on display. Need a DJ booth custom-made to look like a pair of white sunglasses? They’ve got it. Motion-sensing control surfaces and app-based, virtual DJ technology is always a big thing. But if you want to see product in action, your best bet is to sidle up next to the DJ booth at your favorite club and train spot. Just make sure to follow proper etiquette. But onto business.
Today’s bloggin best…
- Hey Wings fans. Sir Mac bails on EMI, goes the indie route with his catalog. Hypebot
- Rihanna receives socialized medicine in Switzerland. NME
- Coachella packs ‘em in. Grosses over $20 million. Billboard
- Unreleased Mr. Hudson (produced by Kanye West). Hypetrak
- “Wasted Guy” is this years “Naked Wizard.” URB
- Vampire Weekend have more new music on the way. TwentyFourBit
- “Cursed” David Lynch/Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse album gets release date. LA Weekly
- MGMT at number two, can’t beat the Bieber. Spin
- Don’t fear the leaker: Crystal Castles rush second album release. Village Voice
- Vote now for Beatport 2010 Music Awards. Beatportal
- The xx “Islands” video is stunning. BPM
- DJ Premier’s statement on Guru’s passing. Nah Right
- Obey readies May Day pop-up store in NYC. Format Mag
Kenneth Thomas is one of the most successful DJs coming out of Detroit. He’s had a number one record on Beatport, has won Detroit DJ of the Year in the alternative weekly annual polls and is finishing an eagerly awaited artist album for Perfecto Records. But the only place you’ll find him in at Movement is in the audience. Because Kenneth Thomas doesn’t play techno. Or house. He plays progressive house and trance. And those are fighting words to the Detroit hardcore techno scene.
If there was one thing that was evident this year, it was how closely “tribes” stuck together and how little cross pollination.
There were the pool parties but now that Beatport charges for their event, conference week lost its one great free networking event. Its DNS were top notch and mercifully less commercial than those at the Shelborne, Surfcomber and Nikki’s, where spring break was more the order of the day. Maybe that’s why my favorite pool party of all was the South Seas South Philly pool party. The pool itself had the charm of an urban watering hole, and if the bodies were less perfect than those at the swanky parties, the dancing, the music and the vibe had a gritty rawness the others couldn’t buy.