Miami Always On My Mind: MMW 2017 Quick Recap

March 30, 2017 Layal Brown

Miami makes all my stress go away. When I'm stressed or anxious, a trip to Miami is the ultimate cure. I land in the humidity and breath a sigh of relief. It's a jewel of a city to me.

We stayed at the Marseilles Hotel right on South Beach and walking distance from almost everything we needed.

The best part of Miami is that I have a reason to travel there at least once a year for Miami Music Week aka Christmas for dance music lovers. Sun, heat, beach and good music - there is nothing better. Miami Music Week 2017 was consumed mostly by Above & Beyond or Anjuna parties (I have a friend who is their #1 fan so it's inevitable to hit up at least 2 Anjuna parties).

Night #1 was Above & Beyond with Eric Prydz at the outdoor RC Cola Plant in Wynwood. My friend was determined to push the button and so she arrived early to get that front and center spot. It paid off because she got on stage and triumphantly pushed. that. button.

Day #2 was brunch, pool lounging and then Mark Knight's Toolroom party at the Raleigh Hotel. All the other parties we were planning to attend were Anjuna and so this was a nice change of house music. That night we checked out the The Broken Shaker at the Freehand Miami Hotel, which has a beautiful outdoor space and amazing cocktails.

Day #3 was brunch and beach time (obvs) followed by an evening at Gramps for the Anjunadeep party, my favorite party of MMW. The highlights for me were Luttrell, Yoto and Kidnap Kid. Unfortunately Moon Boots didn't make it on. We finished off the nigh at THE BEST taco spot on South Beach called Taquiza. Seriously amazing tacos and definitely get the totopos (puffy tortilla chips) with guacamole. Heaven heaven.

And day #4, we brunched and did some pool-side lounging before ending our MMW at the Anjunabeats party at the Raleigh Hotel. It got off to a bumpy start with a super long wait to get into the party and the fear that we might not make it in at all. But all worked out in the end and we danced the day away to wonderful trance music. Highlights were Andrew Bayer playing with Ilan Bluestone as well as Cosmic Gate. Since we got in too late, I unfortunately missed seeing Sunny Lax.

Andrew Bayer and Ilan Bluestone at the Anjunabeats party at the Raleigh Hotel.

Before heading to the airport and leaving the most wonderful, music-filled Miami - we made one last stop in Little Havana at Versailles for some delish Cuban food. I love this city.

ALSO shoutout to The Social Club restaurant at the Surfcomber Hotel for the most delicious chicken and waffles I have ever had. Seriously the best ever.

Till next time MIA.

Felt extremely satisfied after killing those chicken and waffles.

The BPM Festival 2016 Highlights

January 24, 2016 Layal Brown

As I write this recap, there's a giant snow storm engulfing everything in site on the East Coast. It's quite the opposite scene of a week ago, when I was in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for the BPM Festival.

I don't know if I was more excited to be in Mexico and a warm place or the festival itself. I had never been to Mexico and was dying to see Playa del Carmen. So when a friend of mine said she was going, I was like...yep getting my ticket now!

We went for the closing BPM weekend to catch the last three days of parties and then stayed an extra day to relax.

Some things I liked most about BPM:

1) It was in beautiful Playa del Carmen, Mexico (duh). I also got to put another stamp in my passport which I was pretty excited about.

2) The wristbands. Rather than buying separate tickets for various parties, you pay a flat fee for the weekend or days that you're attending and then get a wristband to wear for the duration of the festival. That wristband granted you access to every and any party as well as easy reentry. It had a scanner on it so you go to the door, get scanned and then boom you're in. Easy system.

3) Relaxed vibes. The atmosphere of BPM was pretty low-key compared to other big festivals. The music is not EDM noisy bells and whistles, so don't attend thinking you're going to hear big room electronic music. The festival showcases mostly techno DJs that have a minimal, percussion-based style. Think less melodic, more beat driven. This more toned-down mentality translated to laid-back day parties near the beach and night parties with moody, deep beats. Personally, techno music isn't my favorite genre of dance music (it's not melodic enough for me) but I appreciate BPM's deep tech glory and I always love exploring new artists.

4) Free wi-fi. This feature was especially nice since I was in a foreign country and didn't pay for an international phone plan.

During our first night, we started at a club venue called the Blue Parrot to see Luciano. We got to Blue Parrot WAY too early and so we had a drink there and then went to another club called La Santanera for the Octopus Recordings party. Oliver Huntemann's slightly dark, downbeat set was definitely a highlight, giving us a taste of Germany's techno sound.

En route back to Blue Parrot for Luciano, I noticed that my wallet was no longer in my purse. Sooo that was basically the end of night #1 for me.

*In La Santanera after my wallet disappeared! Still had a good time though.*

*Leave your sins at the door of La Santanera.*

Day #2, we hit up the RUMORS day party at an outdoor venue on the beach. We caught the tail-end of Behrouz's set and then witnessed Bob Moses' breathtaking showcase. The Canadian DJ-duo paired live vocals with balmy music and it was honestly the best performance at BPM in my opinion. There was something about Bob Moses' airy vocals and dreamy beats in the whimsical, warm setting....ahh heaven. Amazing amazing. I was so thankful to see them live finally.

*Bob Moses at the RUMORS BPM day party.*

That night we were at The Jungle. Known as the "festival within a festival", the YA'AH MUUL party was amped with multiple stages, tire swings, various outdoor seating lounges and a massive headphone structure. See photos below.

For the last day of BPM (Day #3), we checked out the Yoshitoshi day party at Wah Wah Beach Bar. We caught the last few minutes of EDX's set and my ears warmed up to his melodic house sound that I love - a nice alternative from the previous bass driven, tech DJ sets. Sharam was the main act, unleashing his deep house sound mixed with a bit of techno.

*EDX at the Yoshitoshi party during the BPM Festival.*

*We were behind the decks for Sharam's BPM Festival set.*

*Sharam at the Yoshitoshi party during the BPM Festival.*

For BPM's closing night party we got in the MOOD for non-other than the Queen of Techno, Nicole Moudaber. We were exhausted from the Yoshitoshi party but it was the last night of BPM and I'd never seen Nicole play, so we dragged our butts over to Blue Parrot. At 3am, Nicole finally made her appearance in her edgy, deep techno glory laying out the darkest, moodiest of beats. I only lasted till 4:30am but she played non-stop till 6:30am delivering her much anticipated techy set to the BPM crowds.

If you were at BPM, I hope you enjoyed the festival and Mexico as much as I did! Below I've posted some more photos of our trip. We stayed an extra day in Mexico and made a side trip to Tulum to see some Mayan ruins and swim in a cenote, a natural swimming hole that had the clearest and most blue water.

*The view from our hotel rooftop in Playa del Carmen. We stayed at the beautiful Hotel Cacao.*

Article by Layal Brown

Photos by Layal Brown with contributions from Kim Mancini

Burning Man 2015 Recap

October 26, 2015 Layal Brown

Each year thousands of people from all over the world descend upon a dried-up prehistoric lake in Nevada to celebrate human connection, self-expression and self-reliance. They collectively form Black Rock City, home to the event known as Burning Man.

Burning Man is the kind of magical place free of judgment where you can let your freak flag fly in all its glory, meet others of your kind and have a chance to relieve yourself of the traps of the 9-5 grind. It is the closest thing you can get to utopia. An adult Disney fantasyland full of possibilities that renews your faith in mankind and generosity and the creativity of others.

There are countless activities and workshops available to you - temples, art installations, mutant vehicles, lectures, light shows, fire-breathing mechanical octopuses and snakes. The collective and creative energy of Burning Man’s attendees is breathtaking.

Nothing can quite prepare you mentally for what Burning Man throws your way.

First held in 1986, this once-small San Francisco beach gathering has grown drastically over the years. The organizers behind the event deny any affiliations of being a “music festival,” but for all intents and purposes, this is the wildest music festival in the world.

The event has hosted its share of high-profile DJs, many of them by the currently-out-of-favor Opulent Temple, a sound camp that regularly draws thousands with its unforgettable stage and next-level sound system.

Sound camps are formed to provide dance floors with a specific focus on the expression of music and dance. Although these areas play various genres, electronic music is the dominant sound. It is also imperative that sound camps must all provide their own equipment. This is in accordance to one of the ten guiding principles of Burning Man; radical self-reliance.

The more widely known sound camps include the Opulent Temple, Distrikt, Disorient, Bubbles and Bass, Sacred Spaces Village and Camp Question Mark. These spaces have hosted hundreds of DJs including old-school international superstars such as Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, and Paul Oakenfold, EDM-era titans like Bassnectar, Skrillex and Diplo, break-beat regulars such as Stanton Warriors and well-respected dance music veterans like Marques Wyatt and Francois Kevorkian.

This year, Opulent Temple took a step away from their typical stage build for their popular Wednesday night “White Party.” Instead, there was a commutative stage consisting of multiple art cars from other camps. Various cars from other camps outfitted with large speakers met them at a specific location in the center area of Burning Man and linked up wirelessly to form a makeshift half circle dance floor.

Around 1AM, the caravan of art cars announced a special DJ performance by both Carl Cox and Diplo.

This special performance was an exception to the new rules of Burning Man this year. The organizers this year specifically designed Dance Music Zones for art cars with not one, not two, but three levels of sound. The DMZs were located a mile away from The Man in the opposite direction of the camp grounds. Given the popular surge of electronic music and acts like Above and Beyond, they figured this was the next best option to accommodate the select crowds.

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Dance music populated most of its pages, but there was something for everyone. There was flamboyant excess at the Liberace Karaoke and Piano Bar at Disorient. There was a rare and innovative instruments session at Kamp Suckie Fuckaye. Planet Earth gave 80s fans a Depeche Mode Tribute while the Rootpile worked on fixing your fiddles. Reverbia threw psyfolk gospel rock performances.

Tuesday was Tutu Tuesday. The Distrikt during the day had DJs Derek Hena and Ejagz spinning french house and electro swing. At one moment, Thomas Jack appeared with his fellow Aussies. This was nothing unsurprising. And that’s the beauty of Burning Man. It didn’t really matter where you came from. Status or prestige or fame also let down its guard.

In the midst of the dust storm that hit Tuesday night, there was the Kalliope Art Car at the far end of the camp ground. Tony Pink and other DJs kept it steady and played a fusion of disco, funk and house to liven up the mood despite the 1930s dust storm that lasted a few hours.

Wednesday’s annual White Party hosted Carl Cox and Diplo in the inner playa. We then headed to the Deep Playa, which was past the boundary lines of Burning Man. This is where the DMZ (Dance Music Zone) was located. Situated far outside the camp grounds to isolate the loudest Art Cars noise levels. By far the most popular art car was the Robot Heart, which played mostly minimalist techno and tech house. Tycho returned this year to follow-up with his signature Sunrise Sermon, a downtempo masterpiece that started around 6am.

Early Friday morning David Hohme unleashed an amazing set at Bubbles and Bass that we sadly had to miss, but the recording is one of the best sets posted online. The last night out we mustered up enough energy for the West Coast Bass Party at Sacred Spaces Village which featured tribal bass legends Beats Antique and glitch hop beast Phutureprimative. Friday was packed with the best acts out there, including Camea at Disorient, Mikey Lion and Lee Reynolds at Distrikt and Marquess Wyatt at Bubbles and Bass. At this point, we were losing steam from the week and enjoyed the Burning of the Man on Saturday.

Despite rumors, Burning Man wasn’t only centered around techno. As an added bonus for exploring, it offered the most eclectic sounds in electronic music, as long as you were willing to explore. (Article and photos by Alex Grabowski)

(Photos and article by Alex Grabowski)

Movement Festival Brings a Glimmer of Life Back to Detroit

June 20, 2015 Layal Brown

“Techno is the story of jazz as told by machines, written by the mechanics.”

Detroit was a city that was once one of the largest metropolises in the U.S. and the “Automotive Capital of the World”. And most importantly, its musical legacies influenced the generations.

Detroit is now known for its urban decay and suffering the largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history. Half of the population has moved out. Empty apartment buildings and distressed skyscrapers line the streets. But there is also techno. And its helping revitalize the greater downtown area…

On Memorial Day weekend, Detroit’s Hart Plaza hosted the annual Movement Festival (AKA DEMF for the purists), steadily defining itself as America’s key techno showcase and drawing fans from across the globe.

Movement is a celebration of love, pride and hope that captures the resilient spirit of Detroit by championing the do-it-yourself attitude of turning a grassroots idea into a reality. Though it’s hard to ignore the city’s economic woes, it’s impossible to forget Detroit is the birthplace of techno.

Instead of chasing chart-toppers, Movement's organizers, Paxahau Promotions, dug deep into electronic music’s progressive underground and exposed audiences to a sophisticated bill of pioneers and rising stars. In a world filled with EDM festivals that are less about sound and more about commercial image, Movement was genuine and unpretentious as it zeroed in on what mattered most: the music.

The festival catered to all types of electronic sounds. If one was looking for a quick reprieve from the suffocating basslines of Cell Injection, Rodhad or Matador in the Underground Stage, then Maya Jane Coles, Hot Since 82 and Henrik Schwartz were ready with the tech-house and fresh air at the sun-drenched Beatport Stage.

The Red Bull Stage was the most diverse stage. Hip-hop performers such as People Under The Stairs and Detroit native Danny Brown shared the Red Bull Music Academy Stage with Disclosure and Eats Everything among other house djs. Red Bull also hosted techno and drum n bass artists such as Squarepusher, a crowd favorite known for his audio-visual performances that combine jazz, drum and bass and acid house. Method Man and Snoop Dogg were also among the hip-hop acts. While this might come as a shock to electronic die-hards, the musical diversity has played a role in exposing larger audiences to local talent, both classic and new.

Few festivals pay tribute to the legends like Movement Festival, which made sure to give recognition to the greats where it was due. On the first night, the Thump Stage paid tribute with a “Detroit Love Showcase” that invited legends like Stacey Pullen and Carl Craig to delight the audience. Among other notable acts was Kerri Chandler, who played a soulful Chicago-house style set reminiscent of Frankie Knuckles with classics such as Marshall Jefferson’s Move Your Body.

Other notable performances included Dog Blood, a collaboration between Skrillex and Germany’s Boys Noize, who delivered a bona fide show for a young audience that left the plaza spent. Henrik Schwartz helped deliver an incredibly diverse tech house set. And Seth Troxler went back to back with the Martinez Brothers as the “Tuskegee.”

Toronto house duo Art Department played one of their last shows together. They announced they would be going separate ways, with producer Jonny White continuing under the moniker and his partner Kenny Glasgow pursuing solo material. The impending split didn’t get in the way of a seamless interplay between the two onstage.

The experience was truly underground. And you couldn’t help but feel inspired by the community that hustled to put Detroit back on the map.

Check out Detroit photos and prominent songs from Movement below. (Article, music selections and photos by Alex Grabowski)

Anjunabeats Miami Music Week Official Aftermovie

June 9, 2015 Layal Brown

Anjunabeats released the aftermovie to their Miami Music Week party today. If you're like me and didn't go to Miami Music Week this year (sigh) this is a good taste of all the magic that went down.

Miami Music Week

April 2, 2014 Layal Brown

After a very stressful few months of work and successfully pulling off a great client event, I needed to get out of the stuffiness that D.C. can be and head to sunny Miami. Miami Music Week was a refreshing break from work that allowed me to let out some serious steam and be wrapped up in amazing music.

I've been to Ultra Music Festival before but this time I wanted to experience the day parties and see what else happens in the city. First pool party we went to was the All Gone Pete Tong party which was my slice of house heaven. The lineup included Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, MK, Oliver Heldens, Nathan Barato and many more. We then popped over to the Clevelanders to see Arty play.

Next up on the list was the Anjunabeats party at the Raleigh Hotel. The party was in a beautiful space with a chill crowd and ample space to dance and then relax when you needed a break. The lineup included Mat Zo, Norin & Rad, Audien, Arty and Matt Lange. I was planning to stay till the end so I could see Seven Lions play but my crazy friends decided that we make an impromptu appearance for the last hour of Ultra for Paul Van Dyk's closing set. And...it was so worth it.

Check out Miami photos below!