Originally posted by jchung52
Heard around 40000 attendees this year :crazy:
Whatever the true # is, it's only going to get bigger. So many people I spoke to who used to do WMC and BPM, said they'll likely skip Miami altogether next year.
DE.
quote:
3.) My Favorite Robot Label Showcase @ Canibal Royal
Possibly "#1 vibe" goes to this jam. It was at least half Toronto peeps, full of positive energy and the lineup was pure quality. When MFR stepped up, place was electric and the sun had set - party went into second gear. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip for sure.
Absolutely. The place was Electric throughout, snapped a pretty good vid to capture the vibe:
Seven memorable days in Playa del Carmen....gone in a flash.... and now it is back to the reality of snow and sub -20 temperatures.
For those who are planning to attend the BPM Festival in the future, I would highly suggest to make it happen somehow, because once you are there you will enjoy yourself immensly with the music, the food, the people, the city and country itself; BPM is not only about electronic music, it is about electronic music in a comparably inexpensive and beautiful resort setting, during the time of year when our weather begins to head towards the dog days of winter.
While the population of Playa del Carmen is only 150,000, it swells to about 200,000 with both BPM and non-BPM visitors. The town is very compact, so you can walk anywhere within 15-20 mins.
VIP wristbands this year were $350, up from $200 last year; however, VIP enables oneself bypass lineups and to go to the daytime events as well, so I was able to see Mark Knight, Lee Burridge, Nic Fanciulli, John Digweed and unannounced djs Richie Hawtin and Dubfire,etc, during the daytime. I estimated I probably attended over $600 worth of acts at BPM, so I certainly got my pesos worth.
However, like any music festival, you sort of wish you could be at two or three different places at the same time. For the most part, the nightclubs and daytime events were insanely packed, so you had to be rather astute with finding that one sweet spot for dancing.
Highlight set for me was Loco Dice at Blue Parrot, a hard, mind-tripping, energetic set that kept my feet moving and ears listening.
Very disappointed that my cell memory was acting up, so I missed out taking pictures and videos at the must-see Alux Cave gig (read Jeff Button's solid review for more perspective). Also disappointed I left during a very good set by Droog (and potentially good sets from Jamie Jones. Art Department and Damian Lazarus) to hear the abomination by Steve Angello - hands down the most sub-par set I heard all week at BPM. The cave was getting unbearbly hot and we had to meet several others at Angello but I wasn't feeling his set, which for some reason I was not surprised :p
Long, drawn-out breakdowns, all SHM choons, MoS anthems and pretty much an awkward booking for such a talent-laiden festival. I have seen Angello perform better before when he was focusing more on dancefloor flow, rather than crowd adulation from playing his athems, but after hearing quality all week, the set was even more un-palatable. Tant piss.
The weather in Playa was generally warm (mid 20s, party sunny), sort of what you would expect in Quebec or Ontario during the summer months. It did rain one morning, just before the last couple of days there. In turn, this opened up the city to more humidity and temperatures "feeling like" mid 30s.
There were also plenty of reasonably priced accommodations in Playa, I was fortunate enough to stay with Jeff Button and his crew, all great, stand-up ppl.
Thank you again, Jeff, DE, Peter, Meg & Monica.
We were only three-min walk to Kool Beach and Mamitas; for those who are budget conscious, condos are the 'way to go' as you get much more space and value for your money. You can simply load up on food at the massive supermarkets that are walking distance to the action and use the ample kitchens you typically have in your condo.
Speaking of Kool Beach, I did manage to shoot this 'hypothetical' video of deadmau5 at Kool Beach:
A budget of $1500 should be sufficient for anyone wanting to spend a memorable week hearing great music in a resort city, with friendly hard-working locals and mostly cool, laid-back foreigners from all over the globe.
Oh, and btw, the dude factor ratio at the nighttime events is like 5:1, guys to girls, so if you care mostly about that rather than the music, then Cancun is only 20 mins away hehe. Daytime events were pretty even, nonetheless.
One of these days girls will start to like good music and maybe even-out the numbers :p
The Highroller
Sounds like a hell of a good time. Wish I had been able to make it this year. Hopefully next year.
oldskool94
Loved to read the reviews posted so far! I finally got around to gathering whatever memories are still with me from a relatively blurry stay at Playacar.
This was my 1st BPM after doing wmc 4x. While at BPM, we were at an all-inclusive right on the beach (besides Senior Frogs), walking distance to the beach parties and clubs. We barely spent any money the whole week. I could not believe we got to see Lee Burridge at Mamita's beach club for FREE ! I was expecting to pay about $30! Just had to pay $2 for a wristband to use the washroom...pffff what a bargain! We brought various forms of wobbly pops from our hotel (refreshed daily in our rooms) to the beach parties and were very discreet, paying the waiters a few dollars here and there - they do after all have to make a living. Burridge played some of the dreamiest, smoothest, deep house I have ever heard in my life. It fit perfectly for the event named ``all day I dream`` and was only enhanced by the sunset over the beach. He played alongside Mathew Dekay who was equally as good delivering the silky sounds. I really did not want to leave this party, but around 9PM decided we had to feed ourselves, shower and hit the infamous Alux cave party. Besides having missed Burridge at Black Rock City last summer, I also missed Damian Lazarus and Jamie Jones, and I was very determined to catch them at Alux Cave. At around 11:30PM, we arrive at the Alux Cave and there was a massive line-up. We fork over the $40 to get in, a little past midnight and the place is getting rammed. It's hot, but I've seen hotter, and strategically placed fans do help. While never having caught Lazarus or Jones before, I was totally impressed by their fresh sounds. This tastefully remixed track at the 1:50 mark is deeply etched in my mind/soul :
The venue was like nothing else. A criss-cross maze of joining tunnels between the side room (more downtempo) and the main room. Met some new Montréal peeps and at the end of this party (6AM) decide to walk over to the official BPM after-hours. The place was hilarious. It's normally a strip joint and people were dancing on the stage and some girls were working the poles. Met up with others from Montréal (I think Mtl'ers are all attracted by strip joints!) that I knew from previous outings. Only stayed for a bit as I knew I had to rest sometime between then and that night's Behrouz party.
Earlier on during the week, we met up with some other friends at Cannibale Royal. We did not know what to expect and did not even know who was performing. It ended up being one of those impromptu outings where everything was perfect. The sunset (we were dancing in the ocean with our drinks) with good friends, meeting lots of friendly locals and tourists, and discovering that ``My Favourite Robot`` can totally get everyone's asses shaking to his chunky/funky sounds. Yet another free party. Yes, the best things in life do appear to be free.
After a few pre-outing drinks at the condo our friends were renting, we head out to Blue Parrot for the BPM closing party. Heck, I didn't even know it was a beach club. I had been wanting to check out Behrouz for years. At the stroke of midnight, my official birthday, our ears are treated to some of the sweetest NYC house basslines. They had a bangin' system, and he was telling a story with some increasingly chuggy tracks, layered together with extreme precision. Around 3 or 4 AM, another dj (Serbian guy) took over with some pretty intense tech-house, going pretty much into straight-up techno. It was a bit too much for some of my crew which would have wished Behrouz would have spun to the end - and I admit I would have rather opted for his sound to the end too. At one point I look over to my side (still inside the venue) and tell myself, wow, wicked wall visuals. But I then realize it's a stunning red/pink sunrise, of utter beauty. Stayed until last track (6ish) and walked back to the resort, having a complete sense of satisfaction, with tired legs and all. A $25 well spent (in advance on wantickets). For us, since we only checked out selected events (we were there 4 Jan - on), it was much much more economical to pay per event and skip the vip bracelet.
We took a full-day boat tour during the week and enjoyed some snorkeling near Isla Mujeres. We also went to a spa one day for an 80-minute massage, which was perfect after a night / morning of dancing. We got it for free for the ordeal of sitting through a sales pitch of a time-share type deal from our resort. All in all, I really enjoyed my first BPM, and our crew shares this sentiment. WMC does have substantially more parties to pick from, but BPM definitely has a more intimate feel, a local charm to it, with an envious dj roster - and I agree with the above that Steve Angelo being the only one out of place (out of aprox 60 proper dj's). After BPM, I find no reason to return to Ibiza...we have it all here for 1/3 the price! Bravo to the BPM organisers.
Spin Laden
very nice job!
How much was the all inclusive?
Acton
I had such an amazing week!
The best party for me, easily, was the Lee Burridge vs. Matthew Dekay Beach Party at Mamitas :eyes:
oldskool94
quote:
Originally posted by Spin Laden
very nice job!
How much was the all inclusive?
Thanks :)
We got the all-inclusive (Playacar Palace) for about a grand per person for one week. As friends who attended with us are ``members`` of the quasi timeshare, we would have paid more if we would not have been their guests. I think without an invite / connection, it would have been aprox $1500-$1800 per person for one week. They also give you points to redeem for activities, outings, spas. They are however not without strings attached. Our other 3 friends paid about $300 each for a condo downtown Playacar for one week. They did find that eating at restaurants and buying their own alcohol racked up costs a fair amount, and they were not on the beach like us. We really loved the resort, friendly staff and great 24/7 food, with of course free room service. Their mojito's were fantastic.
Hopefully we'll get to meet down the road Spin!
KStuff
My BPM trip was last minute; A friend and I decided to go on Thursday, left Friday, and spent the weekend in Playa Del Carmen.
Considering the last minute-ness, we got a pretty good deal, $530 Sunwing flight round trip, $120/night hotel in one of the best rooms (about 450 m from Blue Parrot).
Marco Carola @ Blue Parrot
Awesome time, I got there early since we didn't have tickets, and saw the place transform from being calm and relatively quiet (Carola spinning to fit the mood), to being a great party, completely packed. I could have sworn I heard him drop an S Club 7 sample during a drop ("Gonna show you how"), but I may have been hearing things at that point.
I ran out of steam at around 5, which was expected considering I worked that morning and was on a flight.
Funny moment: We were hanging out on the beach afterword when someone dived off the elevated sand cliff on the beach into 1 inch of water. Came out of no where; I'm sure whoever that was felt it the next day.
Lee Burridge @ Mamitas
What a great party! And free too! I have scrambled notes in my iPhone to try and ID songs lol. Really enjoyed the tunes and the vibe. I missed Burridge at Burning Man last year, and I deeply regret that now.
I'm not sure what the drink prices were, I think I paid 180 Pesos for 2 Pina Caladas at one point, even though beers were only 40 each IIRC. I saw signs for bottle service for 210 Pesos, which had to be a mistake (probably dollars).
Rebel Rave @ Azul Cave
Partying in a cave. Awesome. It was HOT as hell, especially from about 12-2AM. You had to choose your poison wisely here, it was probably the hottest place I've ever partied. The fans at certain sections were nice.
The sound was only good when you were in the main part of the main room (AKA crowded sweat pit). The second room was too quiet, and the rest of the cave was near silent.
Art Department was pretty good, nothing special. LOVED Damian Lazarus. Ended up finding a relatively peaceful spot and enjoyed his set. He dropped "James Blake - Limit To Your Love (Daniel Bortz edit)" which was cool.
Jamie Jones was a disappointment. It was my first time seeing him. He trainwrecked pretty hard at the beginning. Then had a couple WTF mixes that killed my vibe. He was like a kid on the decks, making effects where they weren't required. And at times he was dancing to a beat that was only in his head (ie before he dropped it). I had to leave the room 3 times to "reset" my mood after it was killed. There was a brief period in the middle of his set that I really enjoyed. I need to ID some of those tracks.
Other: Weather was amazing, quality of women was :crazy:
Given that Sunday School isn't in Miami anymore, this may replace WMC for me become my yearly sunny festival fix.
Brian Blanc
I wish I saw Danny, all my friends went :(
Cribby
No explanation needed <3
Checkout the other vids from RadgeTV
an_an
quote:
Originally posted by Cribby
Checkout the other vids from RadgeTV
