WINTER MUSIC CONFERENCE

WORDS BY JEREMY DILLAHUNT

UP ALL NIGHT
The 20th annual Winter Music Conference and M3 Summit held this spring in Miami’s South Beach is an industry conference unlike any other. The meetings convene at 4am, contracts are signed with suntan lotion, and you don’t even have to work in the business to enjoy the show.

Over the past five years, the Eden-like enclave of South Beach has become the choice locale for those looking to indulge in the sybaritic lifestyle. During the daylight hours the sun beams down upon this tiny hamlet like a friendly pat on the back. Celebrities like Timbaland, Missy Elliot and Cameron Diaz have taken up residence here, seduced by its bougainvillea-lined sidewalks, Caribbean cafés and rustling palm trees.

Travelers beware, however. South Beach’s sleepy daytime atmosphere belies a wild joi de vivre that doesn’t get out of bed until well past midday, eats breakfast at 3pm and thinks sunglasses were made to protect eyes from strobe lights. Come evening, the ocean breezes stir more than just the palm trees lining Collins and Washington Avenues as South Beach explodes with the bustle of a nightlife industry unparalleled in the US. Posing and dancing in lush style are the choice pursuits after dark in South Beach, and millions of dollars have been spent to erect dozens of the world’s best nightclubs, all conveniently situated within blocks of each other. An indication of just how popular South Beach has become was MTV’s choice to host the 2004 Video Music Awards ceremony there, marking the first time in the event’s 20-year history it was held outside of Los Angeles or New York City.

In past years, the parties have become so happening that celebrities such as Lenny Kravitz, Wesley Snipes, Juliette Lewis and P. Diddy have shown up to get down under the disco ball.

Louie Vega

The Winter Music Conference and M3 Summit, held this year from March 22-26, mark the culmination of all this good-timing. Originating 20 years ago as an "industry conference” attended by a few dozen music professionals, WMC/M3 has grown into a week-long, open-invite party for everyone who loves to dance under lasers, whether it be to house music, trance, disco, techno, hip-hop, samba, Afrobeat, soca, reggae or drum ‘n’ bass.

Part networking event, part bragging rights competition, WMC and M3 draw scores of record labels, thousands of DJs and would-be recording artists and a gaggle of technology, fashion and lifestyle brands trying to outdo each other with the lushest, maddest party of them all. The best part is that much of the fun is open to the public, so bring your dancing shoes and get ready to pull your biggest shapes.

For this year’s event, you can expect the area’s nightclubs to be putting on the best show of the year, taking advantage of the massive influx of talent from across the globe. Parties are held in nightclubs, on rooftops, at poolsides, on the beach, in basements and in out-of-the-way, secret locations serviced by private buses. It is possible to move from one event to the next without feeling like you’ve left the party you started at. World-class DJs like Sasha, Tiesto and Paul Oakenfold, who play to crowds that number in the tens of thousands in Europe, spin at intimate poolside affairs for less than 100 people. In past years, the parties have become so happening that celebrities such as Lenny Kravitz, Wesley Snipes, Juliette Lewis and P. Diddy-who even performed and threw his own party last year-have shown up to get down under the disco ball. It is even rumored that Mr. Diddy will be unveiling his latest love, a record of dance tracks, at this year’s WMC.

Opium Gardens

Another side benefit of these parties, if you’re in the business, is that they serve as a nexus for DJs and producers looking to promote their hotoff-the-presses music. In an ironic twist on the practice of file sharing, at WMC the songs that get traded are on 12-inch pieces of vinyl.

For all the fun having that goes on at WMC and M3, there is also a serious pursuit of business happening in concert-just with large cocktails and 4am conference meetings involved. Record deals are signed on bars, licensing agreements are made in cab rides from one party to the next, and international distributors shout out contract details over the beat of club speakers. And that’s just during the nighttime hours.

In the daytime-though rarely before the clock strikes noon-industry panelists ranging from senior partners at Olgilvy and Mather to the editors of Wired magazine discuss topics like the future of digital distribution and offer tips on how to get music licensed to television ads. While some of these panels require special registration, most are open to the bleary-eyed public and offer unparalleled access to record label executives and distributors. Before things get too businesslike, however, a break is usually called to remind everyone in attendance that there’s a beach just outside the conference room.

DFA Party

An event created by and congratulating the nightclub industry needs an over-the-top moment to celebrate the success of another conference spent well-tanned. WMC and M3’s is the Ultra Music Festival and the International Dance Music Awards, a party so big they had to move it across Biscayne Bay to Miami proper, where it takes up a mile of Bayfront Park and draws 40,000 people. For those turned off by large crowds, the timing is perfect to stay put in South Beach where the party, though somewhat diminished, continues unabated until the celebrities attending the IDMA show up. (Traveler tip: Get to the club early and stay put. You won’t have to deal with long lines and you may even get the opportunity to give up your seat to the likes of Beyoncé, one of last year’s IDMA winners.)

Though it’s hard to tell where the business part begins in all of this, for those who just want to dance the night away, WMC and M3 offer the year’s brightest opportunity to do so. With so much to offer you may have a difficult time fitting it all in. But when you’re options are go to the beach, go dancing, drink cocktails, spa treatments or indulging in epicurean delights, how can you go wrong?

COMIDA CORNER
South Beach’s culinary tradition is a combination of chic eateries inspired by New York City and Los Angeles and the area’s strong Caribbean and Latin roots. During WMC/M3, you can expect the dining area of many eateries to be transformed into party until dawn dancefloors when the kitchen closes.

Though it’s hard to tell where the business part begins in all of this, for those who just want to dance the night away, WMC and M3 offer the year’s brightest opportunity to do so.

Wish
801 Collins Ave. 305-674-9474
Located on the ground floor of The Hotel, Wish’s menu is a synthesis of the rich traditions of French cuisine and the spice of Brazilian cooking. Try the pan-seared foie gras of cascabel with roasted banana, arugula, daikon and basil on honey wheat for starters and finish off with the cachaca-marinated tuna with jicama quinoa, seared watermelon and avocado hollandaise.

Rumi
330 Lincoln Rd. 305-672-4353
A lounge/restaurant, Rumi’s Caribbean-inspired seafood menu is an epicurean treat. Salmon tartar with limes, black olives and crispy potato sticks is a popular starter, and the grilled swordfish with mushrooms, lobster sauce, tarragon and fennel will leave you wondering if they have a brunch menu.

Tamara
1677 Collins Avenue 800-327-8370
Tamara sits inside of one of South Beach’s landmark hotels, The National. Diners can eat indoors or outside overlooking the gardens and pool. Feast on the Mediterranean sea bass with cucumber ragout for starters before moving onto the Colorado rack of lamb cooked with port wine and rosemary and thyme.

CLUB CRAWL
For the 20th anniversary of WMC, South Beach’s clubs and bars are going all out and are going to be throwing the parties of their lives. Many hotels have special VIP passes for registered guests that will allow you to skip to the head of the line. Talk with your concierge about special club promotions when you check in.

Privé 136 Collins Avenue 305-531-5535
Like its name suggests, Privé is a chic, intimate lounge-styled club with room for up to 500 people. It’s somewhat exclusivity makes it ideal for the A-list crowd, and it is not unusual to belly up to the bar and find yourself next to Hollywood stars or music moguls.

Mansion
1235 Washington Avenue 305-531-5535
A massive, multi-leveled, 40,000-square-foot super club, Mansion is housed in an old French casino built in 1936 and features six bars with room for 2,500 people. Its location is ideal, centered in the heart of South Beach and within walking distance of many hotels and restaurants.

Opium Garden
136 Collins Avenue 305-531-5535
The grand dame of South Beach nightclubs is a sprawling 32,000-square-foot, open-air space decked out like a Chinese walking garden. Visitors can relax on couches surrounded by bamboo plants or dance ‘til dawn to the venue’s multi-million dollar light and sound system.

WHERE TO STAY
South Beach hotels are known around the world for their hospitality, tendency to indulge guests and stunning locations. Convenient for the dance inclined, many have nightclubs and chic lounges located on the premises and will be booking top DJs for WMC and M3 to play poolside or in the restaurants.

The Delano 1685 Collins Ave 305-672-2000
The Delano, an Ian Schrager hotel, set the bar for all of South Beach’s hotels to follow when it opened. Designed to feel outdoors on the inside, the lobby’s entry space provides a seemless transition into enclosed space. The hotel’s pool, shaded by towering palm trees, is the envy of SB.

The Hotel
1685 Collins Ave 305-672-2000
Built in the heyday of the Miami’s art deco movement, The Hotel was redesigned by Todd Odlham and is filled with 58 sun-lit rooms that give it a modern boutique quality. The Hotel’s best feature is the roof pool by which guests can lounge at in the daytime or drink cocktails beside at night.

The Mercury
100 Collins Avenue 305-398-3000
As much urban spa as hotel, The Mercury is a resort located in the heart of South Beach, complete with guest luxuries that include Belgian linens and a courtyard swimming pool. Before checking in, get those abs in shape, as many Hollywood starlets have been known to frequent the grounds.

For more details, visit www.m3summit.com and www.wmcon.com