MIAMI BLOG: DAY ONE

DJ Mag took over the Surfcomber Hotel in Miami Beach yesterday for an epic, all-day knees-up with our favourite acts from around the globe! We’re here to celebrate Miami Music Week – an annual dance music conference that sets up shop in the Florida capital each March — with the waterside venue decked out with branded beach balls and a crystal clear swimming pool in the center.

It’s not the first time DJ Mag has thrown its famed MMW party at The Surfcomber, with past events featuring acts including MK, Kevin Saunderson and Bob Sinclar. 

Patrick Topping is the first of the UK heavy hitters to man the decks for DJ Mag, taking it deep and whompy from the outset. The familiar sound of his ubiquitous Ibiza smash ‘Forget’ gets its desired reaction — everyone in the swelling crowd goes completely nuts. Next on the bill is German DJ and Kompakt kingpin Kolsch, who keeps it light and summery with an intelligent techno edge. He rustles up some classics from his enormous and impressive back catalogue, as bronzed boys and girls wiggle to the beat by the poolside. 

Our March cover star, Seth Troxler is next to spin, dominating the booth with his usual flamboyant antics and expert selections. He’s dressed appropriately for the location, sporting a fetching Hawaiian shirt with a palm tree motif as a salty breeze blows in from the shores of Miami Beach. Seth plays his signature combination of eclectic, little-known tekkers and prime-time pumpers as the sandy dancefloor quickly fills to capacity. A high point comes when he drops Phats and Small’s stone-cold classic ‘Turn Around’ with the crowd exclaiming “Hey, what’s wrong with you?” as soon as the verse drops. 

Amine Edge and DANCE are tasked with playing the sunset set, a slightly surprising time-slot given their compressed, thick-set sound. The duo don’t disappoint, cooking up everything from chugging disco re-edits to banging tech house, as well as a slew of cuts direct from their G-house imprint, CUFF. As the sun goes down, we get strapped in for a full throttle line-up of EDM acts...

Dannic kicks off the big room section of the party, wasting no time getting things rolling — with a larger than life selection of EDM. He is soon joined on stage by Hardwell and Dyro, the former taking to the mic to announce the rare arrival of the 'Dutch House Mafia'. The trio tear the place apart as DJ Mag beachballs fly through the sky — occasionally flying a little too close to the DJ Mag TV cameras. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to see the video this week. 

As darkness falls on Miami beach, our surprise special guest — Martin Garrix — steps onto the stage, and the crowd go wild! His set practically blows the Surfcomber to bits, excitement doesn't even cover it. 

The show concludes with high-energy vibes from Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike before DVBBS close the show with an anarchic performance that sees most of their drinks rider distributed to the front row of the venue!

With the most diverse line-up on The Beach, DJ Mag once again showed the diversity and passion of the scene. And judging by the happy faces who are spilling out of the venue, it was a day and night to remember. 

A quick, much-needed freshen up at the hotel and we’re off down Collins Avenue to Treehouse. The South Beach venue has become a regular staple of WMC, entertaining showcases for the likes of Get Physical, Carl Craig’s Planet E and Life + Death in recent years. Its two intimate rooms, stylishly dressed up with quirky domestic bric-a-brac, have been chosen by the Dusky boys, who’ve invited Jackmaster, Agoria, Danny Daze, Skream, and original Miami masters Murk for one of their ‘Presents’ parties.

When we arrive, it’s KiNK we find rocking the bigger back room with one of his ingenious live sets. Gleefully brandishing various flashing gadgets, his technoid house grooves are expertly dispatched before closing with his gorgeous, chord-laden remix of Jimpster’s ‘Porchlight And Rocking Chairs’, which fades out to a chorus of cheers.

Next up, Jackmaster steps into the box-like booth and unleashes a surprisingly considered selection of throbbing, bouncy techno to an undulating dancefloor. Meanwhile, we nip next door to catch Oscar G and Ralph Falcon combine as Murk, taking 30-minute stints spinning on the decks, skillfully blending the tough diva house vibes that made them such quintessential house heroes in the ‘90s.

A sweaty stomp later, we’re absolutely spent, so we hop in a cab back to the hotel for some necessary respite ready for round two tomorrow...