Insider Account of the M/V Maersk Alabama

Last week, the nation was captivated by the unfolding story of the M/V Maersk Alabama and the Somali pirates that held the ship’s captian, Richard Phillips, hostage until the U.S. Navy took action four days later. It sounds like something straight out of a movie (come on: distant lands, pirates,…

Hold On to Holy Ghost! at LIV Wednesday

It wasn’t too long ago that Brooklyn duo Holy Ghost! was here. Much like their DFA lablemates Hercules & Love Affair and The Juan MacLean, they submerged themselves in the whole new disco revival happening right now. While, surely there will be a slew of disco-house artists to come and…

Video: José El Rey “Ladies of the Night”

Everyone’s favorite Cuban electro/Miami bass/freestyle act — and part-time Crossfade columnist — José El Rey released a new music video for his track “Ladies of the Night.” From the looks of it, it was mostly filmed, where else, but in the deep bowls of west Miami.And while José has taken…

So Raw Festival Bringing Together Miami’s Rawest Talent in June

We love festivals, even the small ones. But while most of our local festivals give non-natives the limelight, So Raw Festival aims to showcase the city’s local artists and musicians to finally prove once and for all Miami possesses the rawest talent. The lineup so far includes Dan Melchior und…

WMC 2009: Ultra Music Festival in Pictures

With two-days worth of performers, Ultra Music Festival is still to this day the show to attend during Winter Music Conference. Our cameras were out there in full-force to give an unprecedented visual compendium of everything that went down during the festival. Check out photos from both Day 1 (part…

WMC 2009: Cut Copy at Ultra Music Festival

Ultra Music Festival ’09: Cut CopySaturday, March 28, 2009Bicentennial Park, MiamiBetter than: Listening to them on your iPod.Most of my encounters with Cut Copy have been while drunk at The Vagabond or White Room, where indie dance-rock is pretty much the norm. However it wasn’t until Boys Noize gave “Lights…

WMC 2009: Crystal Castles at Ultra Music Festival

Ultra Music Festival ’09: Crystal CastlesSaturday, March 28, 2009Bicentennial Park, MiamiBetter than: Everything else at Ultra — seriously.The lights dimmed at the Bayfront Stage at Ultra Music Festival and from the darkness emerged the silhouette of the lead singer Alice Glass, a petite girl who looks like that goth girl…

WMC 2009: Surprise Appearances by Busy P and Lil Jon Tonight

My sources are buzzing tonight with some special surprise guest appearances at several parties. First, it’s been confirmed  that Ed Banger Records head-honcho Busy P will be spinning at the Fool’s Gold Showcase tonight at White Room. The party is free, no RSVP required.Over in Allapattah, Our House West of…

WMC 2009: A Party Worth Blogging About? Not Really

Just returned from the Gansevoort South. Music editor Arielle Castillo and I were at the A Party Worth Blogging About event by EatSkeet.com and HipsterRunoff.com. So in honor of HRO I’m going to ask a few philosophical questions:Do pool parties need people in order for it to be a ‘partie’?If…

WMC 2009: Your Guide to Surviving Conference

ZOMG, ya’ll! Winter Music Conference is finally here. Hopefully, you’ve already picked up our kick-ass guide and checked out our listing online to plan your entire week. Still, there a few things you should keep in mind if you are going to come out of this weekend alive. So here…

Miami Herald, Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Hanging around our newspaper shelf, where copies of every local publication for us to look through are kept, I picked up a copy of today’s Miami Herald, because yes, I still enjoy reading things printed on paper — plus, it’s cool now because no else is doing it. Well, I…

WMC Preview: Q&A with Surkin

Compared to most DJs, Benoit Heitz, better known as Surkin, is a relatively young to be so far ahead of the game. Yet, the 23-year-old proves he has plenty of maturity when it comes to laying down the beats. Tracks likes “Ghetto Obsession” and “White Knight Two” are regularly played…

WMC Preview: Q&A with Carles of HipsterRunoff.com

When we heard that the “blog worth blogging about” Hipster Runoff was hosting a party during Winter Music Conference, we admittedly thought WTF. Not because it’s a bad thing, but because this means we might be able to meet the man (or woman, we aren’t sure) behind the site. He…

Innovative French Label Institubes Celebrates Its Sixth Year

It wasn’t too long ago that we were renaming French fries to freedom fries, but Franco-American relations have come a long way. Featuring touches of R&B, soul, disco, hip-hop, and rock ‘n’ roll, the new wave of French dance music is heavily influenced by American sounds. Labels such as Ed…