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WMC Pro's and Con's aka The "How was your conference?" thread.
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| DJ RJT |
Well it's about that time. The time following a vacation where you reflect on all the things that occurred during what would inevitably be a crazy week in Miami. I figured I'd share some thoughts and hope to hear just what all of you thought of Conference, the city of Miami, hotels, DJ's, clubs, and anything else you experienced in Miami this year:
Pro: Hotel balconies FTW! Nothing beats a good balcony with a sick view to wind down the night/morning with good friends. Our balcony at the Fontainebleau was home to many a TA, as well as many a hallucination! :p
Con: Hotel service. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :(
Pro: Phil & Fluff and Eli Wilkie. Banging sets from these guys at Porterhouse at Suite on Wednesday night. Phil & Fluff played one of the greatest sets of conference, and when Phil dropped "Jet Lag Slave" with the incoming sample over it I was a dancin' machine. Beyond that, after talking to Phil (an exceptionally nice guy!) following the show, Fluff sought me out just to say hello and talk about tunes for a bit. Complete class acts, I was beyond impressed. Eli Wilke dropped "Heat it Up!" and OMGIDIED!
Con: Steve Porter. Worst set of conference by far. I have lost all respect fot Porter, as I stated earlier, I've heard pop and top 40 jocks mix and program in a more meaningful manner than Porter. Completely disgusting.
...and while we're on the subject of the Porterhouse night:
Con: Whoever promoted Porterhouse. They lied about the lineup, and got the staff at Suite to support their lies. Posting a fake lineup is poor form. And to further prove that the lineup was indeed completely falsified, when I met Luke Fair on Friday night and told him we had come out to see him spin @ Suite on Wednesday, his response was "What?" He had no clue what I was talking about. Poor form all around to those promoters.
Pro: Jimmy Van M and the first hour of John Digweed's set. Amazing, just what I wanted to hear, absolutely phenomenal, except for...
Con: Pawn shops absolutely absurd issue with overcrowding and poor club design. We had to leave an hour into Diggers set simply because I was so frustrated that there was NO WHERE to dance. I've never seen people packed into a club like that before, I was genuinely having panic attacks at the thought of having to get to anywhere in that club.
Pro: Sasha and Luke Fair @ Glass. By far the two best sets of conference for me, and far and away the best club we went to in Miami. The staff was friendly (the only staff at any place we went to that I could say that about), the club was setup in a very cool fashion, and was probably the most intimate setting I will ever have the chance to see Sasha in (I didn't get tix for the boat party :(). Luke Fair's set was absolutely fire, I could only ID 2 or 3 tunes, and even though he was opening for Sasha, he didn't hold back the way most openers do. Even Sasha was loving his set so much that he did a pretty crazy sick opening mix out of Luke's last track into the beginning of his set, something I've rarely if ever seen Sasha do before. It was one of the classiest things I've ever seen happen on the decks, and to top that, I got to meet and speak with Luke for a bit following his set and he was absolutely a class act and a nice guy (even when I told him I wanted to steal his CD book :p). Sasha's set was my favorite of conference by far, I can't even explain how much I dug it. I wish I had a video of the dancefloor being destroyed by16 Bit Lolitas - Destiny, I've never seen an entire club go as bananas as EVERY SINGLE PERSON did in Glass that night. It was surreal. God I hope a recording of that sets makes it out here.
Con: The staff at just about every single business we patronized in Miami, but especially Cafeteria. Every restaurant, bar, and club (save Glass) that we went to was full of absolute douchebags, but Cafeteria took the cake. Not only was the staff full of incompetent, moronic, meathead s, but they also ran the single most disorganized event I have ever been to. No matter who was playing, I would never, ever return to this "club." There are nicer restaurants and clubs in Appleton, WI.
Pro/Con: Desyn, Demi, and Omid @ Cafeteria. I'm sure their set wasn't as bad I thought it was that night (I was really, really done with Miami by Saturday night, so I didn't give them the chance they deserved), but it really bothered me that none of them seemed to take the gig seriously at all. The mixing, for the most part, was super tight, but with everyone tagging off every track the flow just wasn't there, and the first hour and a half to 2 hours just seemed to be the same kind of Electro-House vibe the whole way through, and it just wore on me. Add to that all the s in that club, and by 2:30 I was ready to just get the hell out of there. It was unfortunate because we had all the TA's out for it, but I just couldn't deal. I will say though, the two things (musically) that saved this night for me were:
A. When Desyn hit the decks the last time before we left and he played "Time for a Change" and really pulled them out of the seemingly stagnant electro vibe.
and...
B. Seeing Desyn as wasted as it looked like he was and giving him a great big hug in the booth. I love that guy. :toothless
... extra thanks to Myra for getting me the out of there when I needed to <3
Con: The sincere lack of emphasis on the music at WMC. There weren't really any "new" bangin' tunes out there that were just killin' the dancefloor this year, and in fact, I heard way too many tracks on most nights that were easy to ID. I expected to hear some new stuff, and unfortunately just heard all the tracks I've been hearing for 6 months now.
Beyond that, the crowds had nothing to do with supporting Electronic music. It was, for the most part, all about excess, greed, money, overwhelming displays of wealth, and "being seen." I realize that the majority of TA's are NOT part of this group, as most of us (from the Trance Crackers to the House Heads) were in fact there for the music, unfortunately, I don't believe that to be the case for the majority of the people down there. If WMC is the pinnacle evvent for electronic music and DJ's, perhaps the shallowness and materialism that is so often associated with this scene by the general public is a bit more legitimate than I thought. This was the single thing that bothered me the most during the entire trip.
But for all the issues addressed negatively, the one positive thing that made every penny worth it and every minor irritation worthwhile was...
Pro: PARTYING WITH THE TA'S FOR THE GOD DAMN MOTHERIN' WIN!!!!!!!!! I have never in my life enjoyed being with people more than I enjoyed being with the TA's (And non-TA's) we met down there! Myra, Garth, Tony, Jamie, Craig, Bas, Bunny, Robin, Rommy, Josh, Greg, and anyone I may be forgetting right now: YOU KIDS ALL RULE! I couldn't believe the amount of fun I had with all of you, and will never in my life forget the fun that we all had together. From getting ruined with Myra and Garth the first night down there and describing our hallucinations on the balcony, to getting to spend a few hours with Jamie and Craig just chillin' and talking about tunes and life, to spending 2 hours with Bas at 6 in the morning dominating a conversation in a room full of TA's, and getting a table with everyone for Desyn, the best times I had in Miami all came because of TA's. Thank you kids... I will miss you all!
Phew! That was a ton to write, a lot of con's, but the positive's BY FAR outweighed the negatives. And though I don't think I'll ever really want to come down for conference again (nothing too negative, I just personally didn't care for the aforementioned lack of emphasis on music), I can't wait to see all of you kids again! |
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| Orbital32 |
Con: Space. Charge two $7 bottles of water and get charged an automatic $6 tip.
The bartender just took the bottles out of the cooler that were right next to her! She could have at least cracked open the seal on the cap. |
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| kid nyce |
| quote: | Originally posted by Orbital32
Con: Space. Charge two $7 bottles of water and get charged an automatic $6 tip.
The bartender just took the bottles out of the cooler that were right next to her! She could have at least cracked open the seal on the cap. |
i love WMC so from the looks of it, you paid $20 for 2 bottles of water
1 hit of E = $20
2 bottles of water = $20
entrance to the club = $50
before you know it you're $100 in and you haven't even counted having a drink yet....highway robbery lol |
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| Groundhog Boy |
Great to hear that some of your trip was good and that there were a lot of good memories, but from my own experience last year, I'd say that your "Cons" were right on the mark and between those and scheduling, were the reasons that I didn't return this year.
I deal with the materialism and costs enough in NYC, but Miami during WMC took the cake. One of our friends stayed at the Shore Club last year because he got an amazing corporate rate, but their pool party out back was charging $20 for each Red Bull & Vodka. I also hated the lines and ridiculous selectivity at the doors of some of the clubs, which was far worse than any megaclub that plays EDM in NYC. There's nothing worse than taking a vacation and waiting in line for half of it. |
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| FallingMoon |
I'll keep it short & simple:
Pro: Markus banging it @ Space
Con: Armins lack of bang @ Space
Pro: Blank & Jones blew me away, never expected to be so wowed & I was!!
Con: $60 WASTED at PvD when I could have seen SvD @ a day party for free & see Menno+more for free at night & heard much better music. PvD disappointed me so damn much that I will never see him again unless it's free or someone tells me he bangs it next time he is in town...& that is WITHOUT his crappy ass tracks which he's been playing for 34765467 years & some multiple times in a set :rolleyes:
I'm sure I have more but those are the ones that count most because I'm STILL pissed :wtf: |
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| djhydra |
| sasha @ glass was easily the set of conference - you're correct |
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| Orbital32 |
i had NO problems with lines at all. actually the people at Nocturnal were great about that. When we went to Crobar the guys gave us bands and said we can go to Nocturnal afterwards for free. cool.
After Crobar (and a quick trip to Shine to see Armand Van ING HELDEN!!!!!) off to Nocturnal.
At nocturnal we got to the front of the line with the wrist bands from crobar and they said that it's $100 PER PERSON! we are like screw that. we start to walk off and securtiy gave us discount tickets to get in. that's pretty cool. |
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| philippe |
Pros: hanging out with Andy Moor and Above & Beyond (Friday separately and Sunday together); Ti�sto at Mansion (Sunday); driving back from Markus Schulz's house (Friday).
Cons: The 2 "friends" that I came with and instantly lost, probably forever :sadgreen: |
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| MeLLyMeL |
PROS:
o1.Seeing Markus after not seeing him for a year.
o2.Fuking with the kid on G with Damon,Suzy Solar, and Lil-B *can't wait to see that pic*
o2.Seeing my lil Elevation spin <3.
o3.Meeting Menno and a bunch of Detroit TA's and LATA's Phillipe,Sweet Candy Girl,Gypsy,Orbital32 + more.. and i think i met Techniquez. but i dunno where he's from haha.
o4.Getting to see my TOTA's again. ♥
o5.Finally meeting the infamous mods Mizzuno and Redeye [much better than last year when i didn't even know who u guys were]
o6.Blank and mother fuking Jones!!
o7.Tiesto?? -ashamed to say it but the fuker surprised me the most this WMC-
CON:
o1.Swamper.. wtf is up with u. I didn't see u at all. This will soon be moved to PROS if he does come out to Wet Willies tomorrow:whip:
o2.Losing my fuking ATM card right before I go on a trip to San Fran
o3.Armin :wtf:
o4.Armin
o5.Armin
o6-o9.WMC always reminds me how much I hate driving. I never spent so much money on gas/parking in one week. |
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| Orbital32 |
| quote: | Originally posted by MeLLyMeL
PROS:
o1.Seeing Markus after not seeing him for a year.
o2.Fuking with the kid on G with Damon,Suzy Solar, and Lil-B *can't wait to see that pic*
o2.Seeing my lil Elevation spin <3.
o3.Meeting Menno and a bunch of Detroit TA's and LATA's Phillipe,Sweet Candy Girl,Gypsy,Orbital32 + more.. and i think i met Techniquez. but i dunno where he's from haha.
o4.Getting to see my TOTA's again. ♥
o5.Finally meeting the infamous mods Mizzuno and Redeye [much better than last year when i didn't even know who u guys were]
o6.Blank and mother fuking Jones!!
o7.Tiesto?? -ashamed to say it but the fuker surprised me the most this WMC-
CON:
o1.Swamper.. wtf is up with u. I didn't see u at all. This will soon be moved to PROS if he does come out to Wet Willies tomorrow:whip:
o2.Losing my fuking ATM card right before I go on a trip to San Fran
o3.Armin :wtf:
o4.Armin
o5.Armin
o6-o9.WMC always reminds me how much I hate driving. I never spent so much money on gas/parking in one week. |
Pro: My pic with MellyMell :D
Con: Armin! borrrrring, but then with a
Pro: Space Terrace with Mauro especially during Armin set!!! Mauro is god. |
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| MeLLyMeL |
| quote: | Originally posted by Orbital32
Pro: My pic with MellyMell :D
Con: Armin! borrrrring, but then with a
Pro: Space Terrace with Mauro especially during Armin set!!! Mauro is god. |
PRO : Having Orbital say 'I need a pic with you.. You're famous:stongue: '
lol i wanna see the pic send it to me when u get it ;) |
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| VisionsofPVD |
PROS:
Wednesday - Ian Wilkie/Steve Porter @ Porterhourse. Despite a previous post, I had a blast at Suite, especially hanging out with Antoine from Second Sun for a bit. I also thought the vibe was musically driven, and not pretentious at all.
Thursday - The Last hour of Digweed @ Pawn Shop. Drop some phenomenonal tunes, and it was extremely easy to actually get into the dj booth and talk to him. I missed JVM's set, but from what I heard, it was pretty sick.
Friday - PvD @ Space first 2 hours. As he did @ Roeseland in NY, the beginning of his set really got everyone going, and was borderline tech with the BPM he was reaching for. Highlight track of his set was "Ottiavni-Until Monday." Aside from PvD, I thought Oscar G did a stellar job of opening up...absolutely a great job considering some of the horrible opening dj's I heard during the week.
-But by far, the highlight of my trip was SANDER @ SPACE terrace from 5-10am. The guy was working the crowd, and it topped last year's vibe. Tracks like "This is Miami" and "16bit lolitas- Sadina" were unbelievable.
Saturday -Carl Cox @ Crobar. Many tech-house dj's from NY wish they could emulate Cox's style of track selection and simply giving us the "one-two" punch. As this point of the trip, I was working on fumes, but he had me recharged and ready from kick-ass beats.
CONS:
Wed- The drink prices @ Suite. $15 for a redbull/vodka plus the fact that bartenders were not afraid to remind of the "tipping." Also, the doormen sucked, and those ladies with the clipboard in front of every club in the world need to get shot.!
Thur - PAwn shop and the actual venue. The place sucked IMO, and as stated in a previous post, no one seemed to be moving, but staring at Digweed while he spun in the makeshift truck. The sound also was actually was so low that I had trouble having full conversations with friends. I think I could've recited my whole life story to people and they would've remembered. Also, the organizing of getting in was comical, and people who had tickets were forced to wait while those paying GA prices got in before us....absolutely ridiculous.
Friday- Whats up with Space selling "SpaceFeul" rather than Red Bull. That stuff is liquid heroin, and many people agreed that it actually contains more caffeine than RB despite signs at the bar. Also, PvD was blowing that horn like he was conducting a train. I know it revs up the crowd, but I'd rather here a bassline than that damn horn.
Sat -The crowd at Crobar. I've never seen that much plastic and "model posing" in my life, and I live here in NYC. Granted some people were good looking, but give me a break and dance instead of posing. Also, the night abruptly came to an end at 5am when I know for a fact that they were charging $100 at the door at 4am. Very shady on the part of Crobar. And to top it all off, someone stole one of Cox's cd books, and he was absolutely livid. I went to the dj booth to possible thank him for an awesome set but I over-heard him saying "check the garbage cans, check everything" He was actually still in the booth way after the place cleared out....I felt terrible for the guy, and almost an embarassment to the rest of us at WMC.
Funniest MOMENT of WMC: Diddy/Puffy/Daddy/P. Diddy showing up to Crobar and hanging out in the booth with Cox. Also, Diddy circling the club like he owned the damn place (maybe he does).
Pictures/Videos to be shared later....;) |
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