The biggest event in Miami in the past Month was, of course, Winter Music Conference, the annual dance-music industry extravaganza that’s become a sort of spring break for grown-ups. Yes, WMC, like the dance world at large, boasts plenty of processed cheese, with commercial DJs across South Beach spinning big-room for muscle-heads and pneumatic beach bunnies. Still, in the last five years or so, Conference, as it’s known for short, has also been offering more and more of a glimpse of the global underground electronic music world. The rise of these new, fresh parties with varied sounds has coincided directly with the rise of a new clubland on the so-called “mainland” of Miami, in a cluster of cheaper, more low-key venues around downtown.
Newish establishments like the Vagabond, White Room, the simply named Bar, and Electric Pickle are within a five-minute drive of each other (or within a few feet’s walk from each other, in the case of the first three). All cater to a no-dress-code crowd, and as expected, hosted some of the best parties this conference. Proof of the musical quality of nights here: These were the hangout spots where the best cutting-edge artists hung out on their downtime.
Still, some of the best events took place completely outside of the realm of actual nightclubs, in a new fluid class of venues in the city referred to as “event spaces.” Attending an event at one of these places is exciting for a couple reasons. One, they aren’t open all the time, so you can’t get sick of them. Two, as they’re used for one-offs, the decor and production are usually different every time you go. Three, they often find creative ways to side-step usual liquor license laws, which lets them stay open later and supply party-goers with liquid courage until the very wee hours.
This seems to be the near future of nightlife in the city. To wit: Grand Central, a new venue in the far reaches of downtown Miami, pretty isolated from the usual circuit so far. It’s a project of the masterminds behind the legendary local weekly party / “nightlife brand” Poplife, and boasted a soft opening during Winter Music Conference with shows by up-and-comers like New York duo Tanlines. A mixed bag of DJ gigs and live shows are in the works for the coming summer, which always belongs to locals in Miami.
Hands-down the best party I attended during WMC was the Berlin label Get Physical‘s annual shebang, which was held at another “event space,” Charcoal Studio. It is a labyrinthine warehouse complex in the Wynwood district of warehouses and galleries. For this party, which featured late-night and early-morning DJ sets by the likes of Matthew Dear, DJ Hell, M.A.N.D.Y, and Damian Lazarus, it was kitted out hanging light rods in the main room that pulsed and changed color in time with the music. Outside, there was a complete chill-out area with wall-to-wall astroturf and lawn chairs that almost fooled you into thinking it was real grass.
Inside the main room at the Get Physical WMC 2010 party at Charcoal Studio, Miami
Further proof that “event spaces” could beat out clubs here: Longtime party space/production studio the Ice Palace, also around the downtown club district, recently swallowed up the next-door club, Karu & Y. The latter was an ill-fated attempt at building a bougie bottle service palace in a developing neighborhood, and it took a few years to finally go kaput. The Ice Palace, meanwhile, thrives on event rentals, and at the end of conference hosted a legendary WMC closing party, the 24-hour, techno-heavy Sunday School for Degenerates.