The Florida Room is located underneath the Delano lobby. It’s got low, mostly mirrored ceilings, and on a night like tonight, it’s standing room only. Ladies are dressed to the nines and guys have ditched the t-shirts for button-downs, vests and jackets. Shortly after 1am (I think), DJ Zen Freeman took to the decks with some deep, deep house and tech. The crowd was into it, but not many people were actually dancing. Just a lot of milling about. But after about an hour, he started ramping up the hits. Duck Sauce’s “Barbara Streisand,” Daft Punk’s “One More Time,” a remix of Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.,” and of course the requisite “Sex On Fire” remix.

By the time the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” made it into the play list, I was convinced he was priming the crowd for Oakenfold’s arrival. What started as a slow and steady build turned into a full-on dance locomotive. As high-energy sets go, it might have been the most varied and anthemic (yet tasteful) collection of choons I’d hear up to that point. It was just a matter of time until Oakey took the decks. Zen Freeman was setting them up nice. Oakenfold could have blown on the crowd and knocked them over. Except he didn’t blow on the crowd. He didn’t even plug in, at least not to my knowledge. Chatter around the room was that he was “in the building” but had been delayed. I ended up cashing out at 3:30am, after posting up in a prime spot since midnight to get a glimpse of the man himself. But if I’m being honest, my moment of Zen was just fine.

As I’m writing this, there’s still no official word on what exactly happened to Oakey last night. Some say he finally went on at 4am. Others say he was a no-show, possibly getting held up at the Soho Beach House where he had an earlier event. And still others said, “Paul who? I don’t really remember anything after that second bottle of Veuve Clicquot. Have you seen my shoes?”

Word by Rich Thomas. Photos by Graham John Bell.

Excuse me while I date myself here, but the last time I was at a big party on Nikki Beach, it was the Astralwerks Records party in 1999, and Fatboy Slim, Cassius and Daft Punk (sans helmets) all graced the decks. Today’s lineup was nowhere near as explosive, but the crowd was just as packed, albeit with a polarizing Miami crowd. We’re talking more six-packs than a 7/11 and more thongs than a Havianas outlet. Factor in a booming sound system and speakers setup all throughout the property and you’ve got 360 degrees of pure electronic mayhem, not to mention enough eye candy to fill your quota for the week.

Progressive house seems to be the go-to style at WMC this year, and Second Sun was providing exactly what the crowd wanted, dropping big tune after big tune while the scantily clad masses gyrated, grinded, bumped and stumbled around, their $15 cocktails hoisted in the air. While a few South Beach hotels have sandy sections by their pool, Nikki Beach sits on city property, which means surf and sand abound. The plethora of outdoor mattresses and loungers invite partygoers to rest their dancing feet, but make sure you don’t plop down in a section reserved for bottle service or you’ll get the boot faster than you can say “trance is dead.”

German DJ Tom Novy was next up, and provided a bit more of the anthemic Euro feel you tend to hear a lot of at WMC. Provider of such chart hits as “Without Your Love” and “Your Body,” Novy threw together an antiseptically clean and well programmed set. For clubbers of this ilk, anything pumping and bass-heavy is all you need to keep the bodies on the floor, but Novy’s tunes worked in all manner of sonics. There were ten DJs to follow after him, which meant a 5am closing. Needless to say we did not stick around, and neither did the rain. The fist-pumpers had their sunset moment, and all was right in the land of the thick-necked and well-tanned.

Word by Rich Thomas. Photos by Graham John Bell.

Hip-hoppers at Winter Music Conference this year got a special treat when the Red Bull Music Academy announced a special two-day event featuring indelible MC Talib Kweli and producer 9^th Wonder that hoped to provide an intimate look into two of the game’s most talented and influential artists. After an interview and Q&A session on Thursday, the two artists would then regroup at the Delano Hotel’s Florida Room for an “On The Floor” performance. We had the chance to interview Talib before he took the stage for the interview portion of the event, held at the Raleigh Hotel. Then, due to flight delays with 9^th and the session moderator, we jumped on the mic to kick off the discussion while we waited for the rest of the crew to arrive. Below is a portion of our conversation.

How did your relationship with the Red Bull Music Academy come about? You did a Red Bull Sound Clash in Dallas with Ozomatli just recently as well.

Talib Kweli: I don’t know specifically when I started working with the Red Bull Music Academy, but I know I’ve been working with Red Bull before I even saw a can of Red Bull. One of my first shows in London was a Red Bull event, and I remember it was outlandish. It was big and outlandish for no apparent reason, and I didn’t know what Red Bull was, but I knew that I would see all these Red Bull ads and representatives and materials around the events that I was doing. As the years progressed, working more with the Red Bull Music Academy and the whole idea of it is just a great idea. I’ve been able to participate in producer battles and b-boy battles, judging things and involving myself in things that really focus on the advancement of the culture. A lot of people are wary of big corporations being involved in the culture to that degree. Red Bull certainly stands to gain from participating in the culture in that way because they’re available to associate themselves with things they love, but anybody who’s down to advance the culture in the way they have, whether it’s a corporation or not, is something that I’m always down to support.

You have a new album out called Gutter Rainbows. The first thing I noticed about it when I viewed the production credits online is the size and scope of the contributors; lots of live players and studio guys. Did this record represent a shift for you, sonically?

Talib Kweli: All my records have a lot of live instrumentation, but on Gutter Rainbows, there was a focus on having records that were primarily live instrumentation that I could perform with a live, band but still felt like hip-hop records. The beauty of it is that it can’t be easily duplicated. That’s what makes it hip-hop. The Roots are the only example, really, of a live band that’s been able to mimic hip-hop, but even what the Roots do is sort of the Roots brand of music. It’s deeper than the hip-hop thing. They do a part of their show where they mimic hip-hop beats, but when they make their own music, it’s Roots music. That’s definitely something that I focused on.

I personally think it’s really important for hip-hop to have artists that show to the mainstream that they can produce a live band sound that is different from what the Roots are doing, lest a “hip-hop band” be something that’s pigeonholed as one particular idea.

Talib Kweli: To be honest with you, I hear a lot of live instrumentation in most hip-hop. If you pick up any album, from Drake to Eminem to Jay-Z, just by the nature of having to clear samples at this stage of the game, you’re getting 80-90% live music on the album. But even though you’re getting that, the focus hasn’t been to make you as the listener feel like that. The focus isn’t as much on the producers. Two or threeyears ago, it was all about the producer; the era of the Pharrell and the Timbaland. Whoever was on the track didn’t even matter. That’s shifted a little bit.

You’ve worked with some amazing producers—people like Kanye, Dilla, Hi-Tek, Just Blaze, all with their own unique styles—but your albums have always had a consistency within themselves that a lot of other albums don’t have. Can you talk about some of the cats you worked with on Gutter Rainbows and how they helped keep that vibe going?

Talib Kweli: The producers I work with are very different stylistically, but they all have passion for hip-hop and the ability to create tracks that sound good with live instrumentation. Khrysis, E. Jones, Ski Beatz and Oh No are all students of Just Blaze and Premier and Pete Rock and Diamond D and Jay Dilla, and by the nature of us all being students of that sound, it sounds cohesive.

What led you to put out an album like this? Was there a specific catalyst?

Talib Kweli: Leaving Warner Brothers. I had the freedom to create an album and not ask anyone’s permission or get on anyone’s schedule for a release date. Not have to ask anybody for the money. Not have to ask why someone wasn’t following up on an email. I could just put it out and it would all be on me. I’d done stuff like that before like Liberation and Right About Now and mix-tapes, but this is the first time that I didn’t owe a record company a record in my whole career, and that’s why Gutter Rainbows sounds the way it does because it’s an album that I knew I could do. It’s an album that, I don’t want to say it was easy for me to make, but it was within my comfort zone.

When I was younger—and I do think this is a common sentiment of people my generation and older—I fell in love with artist by falling in love with albums. You listened to an entire body of work, you felt a connection to the artist, and hopefully it led to buying more albums and continuing on that journey. For kids right now, it’s all about playlists. It’s all singles-driven. Hip-hop is such a singles-driven market as it is. Do you think hip-hop artists need to work extra hard today to really establish that connection to their fans and build their careers and a body of work?

Talib Kweli: I think the focus is different. I’m from a generation where you did follow albums, but now people follow Twitter feeds and blogs. The music is very secondary to the personality that you put out there. So when you have groups like Odd Future from the West Coast or Mac Miller from Pittsburgh, these are artists who are on very different sides of the spectrum, but what they have in common is they’ve used the internet to open a window into their world, and you feel like their world is cool and that’s what attracts you to the music. I grew up on the tail end of the generation where we really heard the music first. I’ll never forget Hurby “Love Bug” Azor telling stories about how when Salt-n-Pepa put out their first record, “Push It” got so big that girls used to show up at clubs and perform the record as Salt-n-Pepa and get paid. ’Cause it was a white label. And he showed up at a club once and jumped on stage and was like, “This is not Salt-n-Pepa!” and he got kicked out the club. And that was the late ’80s. Imagine trying to get away with that in today’s era.

Back then, if you wanted to get close to the artist, you bought a ticket to the show and you got as close to the front as you could. Whether it was the press or label or management, there was a blockade preventing you from getting to intimately connect with that artist. Today, with social media, it’s a bit different. Still, people haven’t really found a way to translate that to album sales, at least not consistently.

Talib Kweli: You can get your YouTube hits up and you can get a record deal and you can go on tour and make money and sell some t-shirts, but it’s not translated to selling records yet. Soulja Boy kinda revolutionized the game because he figured out how to monetize his Myspace page, and that’s how he blew up. But now that he’s an official industry artist, his records aren’t doing what they used to do. People have not figured out how to monetize that. Whoever does will be a beast.

Words and Interview by Rich Thomas. Photos by Graham John Bell.

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.

A more digital and portable world means far less record bags and 12-inch vinyl promos are trading hands, but there’s a palpable buzz about electronic dance music’s position in the online revolution, and Beatport CEO Matt Adell, a 25-year music industry veteran, has a few ideas about where that path is headed. For those unfamiliar, Beatport is an online music store specializing in electronic dance music and catering almost exclusively to DJs. For seven years, the privately held company has been the go-to place for DJs to find and download new music, and the site’s functionality—from the previews to the UI—is built with DJs in mind. Adell, a Chicago native and former VP of Music Services at Napster, has spent most of his career servicing dance music culture. But as he puts it, his job simply comes down to “helping people find the records they love.”

In a discussion moderated by Bruno del Granado of RM Entertainment Group, Adell toured the rapt crowd through the peaks and valleys of his career, from the highs (signing UK dance-art pioneers the KLF to Wax Trax! at the tender age of 20) to the lows (rejecting the first Nine Inch Nails record because it sounded “too poppy.”) He also started his own house music label in Chicago, Organico, for the sole purpose of putting out Derrick Carter records. Adell had a lot to say about the future of EDM online, how Beatport is contributing to the movement, and how the mainstream is taking notice. Here’s what we learned.

First Item: Pop music is the “gateway drug” to dance music

We all know that new hits by Ke$ha, the Black Eyed Peas and Usher (to name a few) are just electro tunes gussied up with Autotune vocals and big hooks, but just because someone bought The Beginning doesn’t mean they’ll buy the new Deadmau5 album. The key lies in dance music remixes, which are more popular now than they’ve ever been, and Lady Gaga is doing a great job of that.

Second Item: The major record labels are right

They might be difficult to work with, bad for the artist and ignorant of consumer’s needs, but record companies are public businesses that have a legal responsibility to do right by their shareholders. “As soon as the Internet was invented,” says Adell, “(major labels) started dying. When everything is written about the way the major conglomerates treated digital, in hindsight it will have looked smart. They’re screwed, period, and they’re going to fight as hard as they can and as long as they can to squeeze revenue out of properties they own. I know that’s not cool-sounding, but those are public companies that are owned by people like you and me, and our parent’s 401k are all invested in them.”

Third Item: Convenience is king

It’s official. Most people aren’t willing to pay for music anymore. What drives consumers is convenience and the context in which they acquire new music. People are more willing to drop $600 on an iPad, but not .99 cents on a song. Still, Adell isn’t convinced popular UK cloud-based service Spotify will launch in the States.

Fourth Item: It’s all about scale

When Beatport was launched, the owners hired a phone service company to put out hundreds of calls to all the independent labels they could find. “They knew that Beatport couldn’t be successful if it didn’t have all the music that DJs needed,” says Adell. “You can’t just be a little bit here and a little bit there.” That attention to scale has been what’s driven the company this far, and as the proliferation of independent music and labels grows alongside the fall of the major labels, these relationships are paramount.

Fifth Item: Crash? What crash?

Since Beatport didn’t start carrying major label content until recently, they haven’t felt the pinch of the digital revolution’s effect on the bottom line, and here’s why. At any major music service, 80% of business is major labels and 20% is “everyone else on the planet.” At Beatport, there isn’t a single label that makes up more than 3% of sales. DJs don’t care about billboards and marketing campaigns. They care about the build up, the breakdown, and whether or not the bass and beats will melt faces.

Sixth Item: Watch the charts

For all its influence, Beatport doesn’t report to the Billboard Dance Music charts…yet. When they do later this year, that chart, says Adell, “will be 100% different.” In order to effect that chart, he explains, your servers need to be hooked into SoundScan, and Beatport has been more interested in building software that benefits their customers rather than the music business. But if dance music is the root of today’s pop, and dance remixes are the gateway drug, and Beatport has yet to fully make its mark on the way Billboard and the mainstream recognize what’s hot and what’s not, look for the little guys to start making a big noise.

Words by Rich Thomas. Photos by Graham John Bell.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past three months, you’re aware of the wave of democracy and change that’s been sweeping through the Middle East. Nowhere has that been felt more strongly than in Egypt. While the club scene in Cairo has been slowly bubbling, the party has taken somewhat of a backseat to the country’s sociopolitical events. For Cairo native DJ Carlos, it’s been an astounding period of change.

A longtime DJ at Egypt’s influential Nile FM radio station and one of the region’s most successful performers, Carlos takes great pride in the musical influence he has over his listeners. We caught up with Carlos before his set at the Kung Fu Lounge, just a few steps off the bustling South Beach main drag of Collins Avenue, to find out more about his unique journey behind the decks.

What first got you into dance music?

DJ Carlos: When I was four years old, my dad was into disco stuff and my mom was really into French music; very eclectic tastes. So I’m growing up listening to this chic stuff from my mom and disco vibes through my dad. I made my very first mix-tape when I was like five years old or something like that. I put together all the songs I liked on a tape and I listened to it in their car on the way to school. In high school, I had my own band and we played hard rock and heavy metal, but when we got to the age where we’re getting into college, it was really hard to stay attached with five different individuals. It was very frustrating, so we broke up the band. I continued to do mixes for friends and worked at a record label in Egypt, which helped me to get whatever music I was looking for. This was early new wave music when electronic music was just kicking. The very first gig for electronic music in Egypt was a Ministry Of Sound party back in 1997 or something like that. It was the first time we had seen one guy at a concert with all this massive sound coming out of the speakers. This was the solution of staying in the music business on my own. The band was over.

Do you remember your first real gig?

DJ Carlos: Of course! The very first gig was a DJ competition held in a hip-hop and R&B club, so most of the people attending were hip-hop and R&B fans. Me and some other guy were the only people playing house!

When did you start playing out?

DJ Carlos: Cairo doesn’t have a lot of clubs, so I contacted promoters and sent demos to get some gigs happening. When I first learned to mix, I learned on turntables, but it’s very hard to find a couple of decent turntables in Cairo. (Laughs)

And of course you’re not going to take your own equipment out to club gigs.

DJ Carlos: Exactly, and I didn’t even own my tables. It was very freakin’ expensive. I was working at this telemarketing company and I had a manager who had turntables and luckily we got to talking.

Tell me about the house music scene in Cairo.

DJ Carlos: Cairo people have their own taste, but they’re a bit driven by commerciality. You can put a track out there and people are gonna love it and have it at home and in their iPods, and when they attend a gig, they come to the DJ and ask him to play that track, and I’m not that type. To me, DJing is about creating an atmosphere of good music that you don’t know but you’re going to like on the spot. That’s important to me, and I struggled a bit in the beginning, but the scene has developed a lot. We have a few franchises from Europe like Ministry of Sound and Hed Kandi and Pacha, and that got the scene to get bigger and be really dependent on house.

How much of the revolution in Egypt were you there for?

DJ Carlos: I wasn’t there in the beginning, but I was there in Tahrir Square when the president resigned. I’ll tell you something. Egyptian people, by nature, are very kind, funny and down to earth. They can relate to anyone. You’re talking about a culture which has been there for 7,000 years. They know it all. You can’t really surprise an Egyptian with a human thing that’s new. (Laughs) But what was happening in Tahrir Square was something unique on this planet. It was unified between Muslims and Christians, rich and poor.

And what unified them?

DJ Carlos: The cause. The love of this country. We want this country to be better and we’ve been frustrated with 30 years of suppression of our freedom; suppression of getting your opinion out there. They won’t give you a chance to rise and develop yourself as a person within a financial level. You get the job, you do it, you’re very replaceable. We can remove you and put in someone else.

Did that suppression effect the night life?

DJ Carlos: Of course. My life as a radio DJ in Cairo has two sides to it. Most DJs in Egypt have DJing and then do something else on the side. But DJing is their hobby and they like it and still they can make money, but to me music is full-time. I work at the radio weekdays and then I get bookings to play in the clubs on the weekends. If I don’t get bookings, then half of what I’m doing is out. Now we have a midnight curfew applied by the military, so you can’t go out partying. So even if people ask me to go play, I’m not going to do it. This is not the time to party. Nightlife, partying and having a good time is the cherry on top of the cake. It comes after the country is in a stable situation and everyone is securing their jobs. Then you can have fun.

Do you have faith that, in due time, the scene is only going to get stronger? That this is just the rebuilding stage?

DJ Carlos: Of course. You’re removing all the frustrations and roadblocks. This spirit is unbreakable.

Radio has always been an avenue for subversion in society, be it pirate radio or shortwave radio. Counterculture messages are always seeded in the airwaves. Was that something you ever tried to do, or was that somewhat of a dangerous game to play?

DJ Carlos: Our radio station policy is to not get politically involved. It’s an entertainment radio channel. You have to take it all in a positive way and put a positive spin on what can be done. My shows? I don’t talk about politics. I play music. Politics you keep to your Facebook or your Twitter and at least you can talk to people that way.

In the States, dance music has always been a counterculture movement, and it’s still having its fair share of growing pains today, especially with the rave issues going down in Los Angeles. Was the Cairo scene ever about that, or was it more about pure entertainment and escapism?

DJ Carlos: No, but we had this problem back in the ‘90s with heavy metal. Like I said, Egyptians are very down to earth people. Dance music is in clubs and bars and you know you’re going there to experience it. If you’re not into nightlife, then you won’t know about dance music. That’s why I love the radio. You just get in your car and you put on the radio. You don’t have to be there for the start or the end. I really take care to make sure that each and every track I put out there, once you open it, whatever time the show is, something catches you, whatever age you are. I’m trying to put something out there that suits everyone.

Words and Interview by Rich Thomas.

People-watching at the Winter Music Conference is one of the highlights of the week, and chlorinated bodies of water seem to bring out interesting behaviors. While taking in the soothing sounds of Daz-I-Kue, Alix Alvarez, Vikter Duplaix and other sun drenched DJs at the Lotus WMC 2011 Showcase, we noticed a few things happening poolside and thought we’d report back. All you people looking to hit up WMC in 2012 take note—here’s the ChinaShop guide on how to conduct yourself at a pool party. You can thank us later.

1. Do not use an overabundance of hair product
All that gel you slather into your hair looks awesome in the mirror before you leave your hotel room. When it turns white and drips into your eyes? Not so much. It burns, too. Rock some light paste and stay out of direct sunlight like this dude. Don Johnson five o’ clock shadow is optional.

2. Wear dark shades
Your frames don’t necessarily have to be dark, but your lenses should be. Too light and you run the risk of blowing your cover when ogling a passerby. Save those for nighttime parties. They help with the lasers.

3. Don’t be afraid to go topless
Guys, this is Miami. Taking you shirt off in public is okay, even if you have a bad tattoo or you’re not in the best shape. Just please make sure to cover up the top third of your crack. It’s not sexy, and no one wants to see it.

4. Stand out with bright colors
Neons and pastels will definitely get you noticed, but be smart. Mismatching will help you get noticed…so you can quickly be ignored.

5. Get wet
The pool isn’t just there for looks. Empty your pockets and hop in! Bring your friends! Just remember the following rules when engaging in chicken fights. Girl on guy: good. Guy on guy: obnoxious. Girl on girl: oddly, more obnoxious. Guy on girl: amazing.

6. Remember your flippy-floppies
If you’re at a pool party, chances are you’re going barefoot or open-toed, and since relieving yourself in the pool is frowned upon after the age of 8, you’ll have to use the bathroom eventually. The later it gets, the more exciting the floor gets. Collecting phone numbers is good. Collecting bacteria is bad.

7. Watch your jerseys on the shore
Everyone has a sports team they’re loyal to, but you might have to leave the jersey at home depending on what sport you follow. A vintage Dan Marino Dolphins jersey is acceptable in Miami, but any member of Raider Nation is not. If you can handle the sweating, a well selected baseball jersey looks cooler than you think it does. A soccer jersey, however, looks worse than you think it does. Most any basketball jersey works. Hockey fans? Hello? Anyone there?

8. Bigger is not necessarily better
Unless you’re a professional photographer, you don’t need a massive telephoto lens. A little point-and-shoot will suffice. If you are a member of the media, a 300mm attachment will do just fine. I saw a Russian guy today with a massive, 500mm all-black canon and asked if he got any good photographs of the DJ’s pancreas. He just looked at me weird.

9. Fist-pump responsibly
There’s nothing wrong with showing your love for the DJ by positioning yourself as close as possible to him/her, fist-pumping, and doing the scrunchy-faced head bob of approval. But unless you know the DJ personally or are being paid to be their personal “hype man,” don’t stand there all night. Osmosis doesn’t work that way.

10. Dance locally, think globally
We’ve seen the shirt. We know you’re “in Miami, bitch.” So are we. Try telling us where you’re from. One can only deduce so much from your tight baby blue shorts, your popped collar or your questionable bikini bottom. Besides, it makes for good conversation. Possible alternate options: We Are From France, From Russia With Love, Bring The (S)Pain!

Words by Rich Thomas. Photos by Graham John Bell.

Vagabonding with David Morales

WMC 2011, Day 1: Danny Tenaglia and the Way Back Machine

The National has a fantastic party setup. There’s a large foyer with a classy bar and patio dining area where you can relax and have a leisurely bite to eat. (Need a good recommendation? Ask for Maurice. He knows what’s good.) There’s a pool that starts at the patio, then runs lengthwise until it hits another pool. The entire back area is one big dance floor­—half wooden planks, half sand—with various loungers, chairs and cushions strewn throughout. The DJ cabana is small and surrounded on all sides by people who are close enough to hold a camera or phone a foot away from the DJ’s face.

Baltimore originators the Basement Boys are holding it down on the decks, spinning uplifting house tracks like a rerub of War’s “Galaxy” while someone out of view scats over the breaks. This is classic, old school flavor, and setting the stage nicely for a special one-hour set by the one and only Danny Tenaglia and a live performance by house diva Crystal Waters.

I’m posted up poolside making notes on my iPad, which officially qualifies me as “that guy”. The only other iPad I’ve seen tonight is being carried around by a German dude who’s written NEED CONDOMS on his screen using some kind of finger-painting app. So even though I’m “that guy,” I’m not “THAT guy”. There are a handful of people wading around in the pool. Some of them are wearing headbands with rabbit ears affixed to the top, though I’m not sure why. One guy from New York tells me he’s been waiting 25 years to hear Waters perform, which is odd given the fact that doesn’t look a day over 30.

Much to my surprise and delight, Tenaglia takes to the decks at 9:01pm. The last time I saw him at WMC, he played a marathon 10-hour set in a small club whose name I can’t even remember. He’s a lynchpin in the scene; a house music granddaddy that should be paid homage by all who’ve come after him. Tonight he’s paying homage to the history of house music, kicking off his set with Crystal Waters’ “Gypsy Woman,” a track he says started it all for him 20 years ago.

He dropped an extended dub of Yaz’s “Situation,” then a brutal remix of Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Expansions,” which Stetsasonic made famous when they sampled the riff for “Talkin’ All That Jazz.” Tenaglia’s energy is infectious, and every few minutes there’s an old school head stepping up to the decks to give him pounds or hugs. The early set time meant a relatively thinner crowd, which meant you could get up close and personal with a DJ notorious for being camera shy and relatively reclusive. But Tenaglia looked amazing—better than I’d seem him in years—and his set reflected that rejuvenated vibe.

He announced that yesterday was his 50^th birthday, and that his plane was delayed from La Guardia so he had to come straight from the airport to the gig. “But this is all straight from the heart,” he said. On the first night of Winter Music Conference, that’s how it should be.

Words by Rich Thomas. Photos by Graham John Bell

Follow our movements at WMC @ChinaShopMag.

Every year during the Winter Music Conference in Miami, the world renowned Sasha and John Digweed board a private yacht and set sail on the most exclusive party of the year.  Until this moment, unless you personally were in the good graces of these two electronic greats, you literally missed the boat.  Through some incredible act of kindness or black magic charm, to celebrate our 1st anniversary, ChinaShop has acquired 6 spots aboard this fantastical journey, hereunto unknown by common mortals without connections.

YOU sir or madam, could be on the boat, shaking your groove thing next Thursday, March 25th!

3 Incredibly lucky (and resourceful) individuals over the age of 21, will win 2 spots each on the boat. As with all things desirable, there are a few catches. 1) You have to already be in Miami (hey I sold my first born for these spots…I can’t do ALL the work to get you there) 2) The spots are non-transferable (if you don’t really want them…you can’t give em or sell em to another individual) 3)You have to get creative and show us you are really worthy (after all this IS the holy grail of the electronic community)

Here’s what you have to do:

- Go to our Facebook page and if you aren’t already, become a fan.

- Post a comment on our wall that artfully convinces us you are worthy of being the chosen one. Since all art is subjective, the editorial staff here at ChinaShop will pick the top 5 entries, and from Saturday March 20th until midnight March 23rd PST we will ask that you vote and get your friends to vote for who you think is the most worthy participant.

- The top 3 folks with the most votes will win 2 spots each on the yacht party.

Get busy kissing clovers or toads, whatever gets you going! If you don’t understand how incredibly huge this one time offer is, then seriously…don’t play along. Coz this is going to blow some real fans mind…you true believers know who you are! What are you waiting for….GO!

The contest ends Wednesday at midnight (That’s 12AM PST Tuesday Night). We will contact the winners the following morning, Thursday March 25th, to let you know you are about to have the time of your life.

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.

Similarly, I heard the same thing about parties I wish I had made. Like Sunday School for Degenerates. This 24-hour party had the best street buzz, and must have been great because I got text messages all day Sunday telling me to get down to Miami asap.

I was also sorry I missed the SOS boat party, because the people who were there said it was the week’s biggest freak show (in the best sense of the word).

And I was saddest to miss the Hi-def boat party, a first-time event by a few people who decided they wanted to give something back. In addition to a Chicago vibe to the music, there even was an altercation between a fan and a VH-1 reporter, who refused to accept the observation that the party was too cool to even be on his network.

Even secondhand, that story gives me hope. Because that fan was the voice of the underground speaking. And that means that here, in the middle of all the nonsense, is real music to my ears.

Words by Neil Feineman