Roni Size
Photo: Island

MIAMI — In the era of MP3s, CD-Rs, iPods and the ubiquitous mix-CD, everyone from Starbucks to your parents has tried their hand at the DJ game, often with perfectly positive results. But after four arduous days of hearing dance music permeate every sonic inch of the Winter Music Conference, this cultural development bolstered the status of every DJ — the real kind — that performed, laying plain the artistry of their craft.

That said, the vast majority of WMC parties fell into the risk-free category of monochromatic, genre-based music, whether progressive house, tech-house or any other permutation in between. DJs who differentiated themselves from the pack — live performers were virtually nonexistent this year — dug deep into the roots of dance music, effortlessly incorporating soul that was intangible as well as unmistakable.

At what's become an annual treat, the cream of Chicago's crop, DJ Sneak and Derrick Carter, kicked it up a notch Tuesday night at a party announced solely by a handwritten cardboard sign outside the venue, with Sneak himself standing out front at 2 a.m. to dispel any notions of a scam. Faithful to the chunky, funky house music that made the Windy City scene famous, the turntable supermen matched rhythms and melodies with dexterity. For flourishes, Sneak dropped nasty piano and horn riffs from Latin and African palettes, while Carter snuck in a snippet of Oingo Boingo's goofy "Weird Science" and closed with Prince's "Little Red Corvette," complete with the song's extended coda jam.

Earlier Tuesday evening, a party thrown by the emerging record label Chez Music and its sister, Wave Music, transported the New York house scene's patented pancultural vibe to South Beach. In one room, Matty Heilbronn turned the crowd loose with a smoking track that combined a chugging house rhythm with James Brown's classic "Super Bad." Just a few steps away, Chicago veteran Roy Davis Jr. infused his energetic set with the warm analog synth lines indispensable to New York house since its early-'80s inception.

It was attention to this history that distinguished a Tuesday night set by 22-year-old drum'n'bass newcomer High Contrast as one of the conference's most innovative. By layering the same blanket of analog synths so intrinsic to house over complex but smooth drum'n'bass patterns, High Contrast (Cardiff, Wales, native Lincoln Barret) not only provided a signpost for a scene looking for new directions, he also revealed himself as a producer at a surprisingly advanced level. One track he spun symbolically appropriated the vocal hook from First Choice's disco classic "Love Thang," whose timeless lyrics and infectious rhythm have been referenced or sampled by countless house and techno artists over the years.

Roni Size also turned in a refreshing drum'n'bass set on Tuesday, albeit against the sunny 1 p.m. hotel penthouse backdrop of bagels, coffee and mimosas. The "early" start seemed aimed at people fresh from the tightly packed Space club, where Danny Tenaglia was commandeering the decks for 20 consecutive hours (from 11 p.m. Monday to 7 p.m. Tuesday) at his annual marathon. Aside from his typically broad breadth of styles, Tenaglia invited Yoko Ono to sing "Open Your Box" just after sunrise and had Deep Dish and Carl Cox cheerleading vociferously from atop the speakers.

Though overshadowed by the Tenaglian juggernaut Monday night, a diverse bill at Goddess included a technically impressive hip-hop set by Roots drummer ?uestlove as well as a slinky-smooth set by fellow Illadelphian Vikter Duplaix that touched on cornerstones of soul music ranging from the '70s Philly heyday to the "broken beat" style centered around West London and Berlin's Jazzanova collective.

Perhaps reflecting the troubling times of the past six months, many DJs returned to dance music's foundation as uplifting and empowering soul food. Dark, pounding beats were noticeably less common, and some artists spoke more directly through their record selection. Roy Davis Jr., a deeply spiritual man, was not alone in spinning tunes that emphasized self-confidence and peaceful coexistence in their lyrics, while Derrick Carter responded to a 5 a.m. cry for more by playing an emotional track with the chorus "No more pain, no more tears."

• Oingo Boingo
• Prince
• Derrick Carter
• Roni Size
• Danny Tenaglia

Paul Oakenfold
Photo: Perfecto

Paul Oakenfold, Deep Dish, Gorillaz and more than 100 other electronic music acts from around the world will perform at a massive Miami Beach, Florida, party on March 23.

The fourth annual Ultra festival will kick off the Winter Music Conference, a yearly five-day electronic music gathering that has been transforming Miami Beach into the epicenter of DJ culture for 17 years.

Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, DJ Skribble, Timo Maas, Goldie and Roni Size with MC Dynamite are among the other artists who will perform on six different stages at a yet-to-be-announced location.

Also on the bill are DJ Craze, DJ Dan, Christropher Lawrence, Rinôçérôse, Tall Paul, Josh Wink, DJ Rap, Dieselboy, DB, George Acosta, DJ Icey and Liquid Todd.

Gorillaz will perform live with Del the Funky Homosapien, the voice behind their massive single "Clint Eastwood."

Tickets will soon be available online at www.coolworld.com and www.ultrafestival.com.

The Winter Music Conference, scheduled from March 23 to March 27, will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Last year's Ultra festival featured many of the same acts, along with John Digweed, Pete Tong and BT (see "Winter Music Diary: The Beats Go On With Bukem, Bahamadia, Digweed").

• Paul Oakenfold
• Deep Dish
• Gorillaz
• Paul Van Dyk
• Carl Cox

Crystal Method
Photo: Jason Campbell

Cyberfest organizers will release their second compilation album on November 13, featuring remixes of tracks from many of the electronic music icons the festival has featured, such as the Crystal Method, Roni Size, Keoki, Josh Wink, Armand Van Helden and Paul van Dyk.

Cyberfest 2001 — Sounds of the Digital Revolution Volume 2 also includes live video footage and artist interviews from previous Cyberfests, which have been held annually since 1992, according to a publicist for the project.

August's Cyberfest in San Francisco, headlined by the Crystal Method and Mix Master Mike, attracted 25,000 people. Following the success of the event, Cyberfests were scheduled in Houston in September and Miami in November (see "Crystal Method, De La Soul Sign On For Expanded Cyberfest"). A second Cyberfest has since been scheduled in San Francisco on New Year's Eve. Lineups for Miami and San Francisco have not been announced.

Cyberfest 2001 — Sounds of the Digital Revolution Volume 2 track list, according to the album's publicist:

• The Crystal Method - "Now Is the Time (The Crystal Method Millennium Mix)"
• Keoki - "Pass It On (Micro Remix)"
• Donald Glaude - "To the Soul"
• Third Sight featuring Dufunk - "Zodiak Killer"
• Planet B - "The World Keeps Falling
• St. John presents Europa - "Europa 2002"
• DJ Tiesto - "Flight 643 (Original Mix)"
• Wish FM - "Calabazita (Jason Mouse Mix)"
• Roni Size - "Breaks (Exclusive Mix)"
• Josh Wink - "Evil Acid (Original Mix)"
• Armand Van Helden - "I Can Smell U"
• Paul van Dyk - "Columbia (PVD Remix)"

• The Crystal Method
• Roni Size

The Crystal Method
Photo: Jason Campbell

One of two inaugural Creamfields festivals scheduled for U.S. soil has been canceled, organizers announced Wednesday.

Creamfields Las Vegas, scheduled for September 29 and set to feature Basement Jaxx, Sandra Collins and other electronic acts not on the Creamfields New York bill, was called off for logistical reasons.

"Basically, the land that we had been told was available for us to use in Las Vegas turned out to be unavailable," Jim King, of organizers Cream, said in a statement. "It has been very frustrating and we are bitterly disappointed. We had put all our concentration on an alternative site in Los Angeles, but due to time restrictions, we were unable to guarantee that the move from Las Vegas to L.A. would guarantee that the Creamfields event would be truly unique."

Cream has instead invested more resources into Creamfields New York, set for September 1 in Long Island, according to the festival's spokesperson. Several additional acts, such as Hybrid and UNKLE's James Lavelle, have been added, and more will be announced next week.

Creamfields New York should be one of the bigger electronic-music festivals in North America. Forty-six acts are so far slated to appear on six stages.

The Crystal Method, Orbital, Stereo MC's, Hybrid, Uberzone and the Dub Pistols will perform live on the Main Stage.

Arena One: The Experience, presented by Cream, will feature Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong, Timo Maas, Erick Morillo, Seb Fontaine, Tall Paul, Christian Smith, DJ Feelgood, Anthony Pappa, John Debo and Mike Taylor.

Ritchie Hawtin, Josh Wink, Dave Clarke, Darren Emerson, John Acquaviva, Max Graham, Scott Hardkiss and Scott Henry will spin in Arena Two, presented by Buzz and Bugged Out.

Arena Three, presented by the Boutique and Mixer, will feature Photek, James Lavelle, Adam Freeland, Liquid Todd, Jason Bentley, Dara and DB, while NY Deep, presented by JD Productions, will find Francois K, Danny Krivit, Ron Trent, Kerri Chandler, MKL and Andi Hanley on the turntables.

Finally, Little Louie Vega, Todd Terry, Joeski & Onionz, Sandy Rivera, Carl Kennedy, Marcus & Dominique, Graham & Holmar and Filipsson will perform in the Centro Fly Arena presented by GBH and Plant.

In other Creamfields news, the fourth Creamfields U.K., set for August 25 in Liverpool, has added the Chemical Brothers to a lineup that includes Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk and Goldie.

The cancellation of Creamfields Las Vegas comes on the heels of the Mekka Tour being called off (see "Mekka Tour Postponed Until 2002"). Roni Size, BT and the Crystal Method were slated for the inaugural trek.

The summer is not without electronic-music outings, however. Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox and others have been on the road for several weeks with Moby's Area:One tour, Crystal Method and Uberzone recently launched the 7-Day Tweekend tour and Perry Farrell is expected to announce an electronic music-heavy tour.

• The Crystal Method
• Fatboy Slim
• Basement Jaxx
• BT
• Roni Size

Roni Size
Photo: Island

For the Mekka Tour, all roads now lead to next year.

The electronic music trek, which was to feature the Crystal Method, Paul Oakenfold, BT and Roni Size, among others (see "Crystal Method, Roni Size, BT Heading To Mekka"), was postponed just three days before its kickoff.

"Everyone on the [Mekka] team has put their hearts into making this happen, but when it came down to it, we just didn't give ourselves enough time to put it together," a tour spokesperson said in a statement announcing the postponement. "While the concept's been under development for over a year, the actual production and promotion of the tour started too late."

The Mekka Tour, which was scheduled to begin Saturday in Detroit, is expected to launch next summer, the spokesperson said.

In July, the second annual Spitkicker Tour merged with Mekka (see "De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Common To Join Mekka Tour"). Following Mekka's announcement, the fate of the hip-hop-centric outing has yet to be announced.

The inaugural Spitkicker Tour featured performances by De La Soul, Common, Biz Markie, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch, all of whom were slated for this year's outing.

Mekka's announcement comes on the heels of another electronic music gathering's demise — the Las Vegas version of the U.K. Creamfields Festival, which was slated for September 29 and was to feature the Crystal Method and Fatboy Slim, among others (see "Fatboy Slim, Crystal Method To Play First U.S. Creamfields Fests"). A New York Creamfields concert on September 1 still stands.

• The Crystal Method
• BT
• Roni Size

De La Soul
Photo: Mo Daoud

The Mekka electronic music tour has enlisted De La Soul and their Spitkickerroster to round out the hip-hop portion of the inaugural late summer blast, organizers announced Monday.

Common, Biz Markie, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch, alumni of last year's Spitkicker Tour, will be performing on a hip-hop stage on Mekka that will also feature previously announced DJs including Mix Master Mike and DJ Craze.

In addition, the Roots' Black Thought and DJ Jazzy Jeff will be hitting select dates.

Mekka, which will also feature the Crystal Method, Paul Oakenfold, Danny Tenaglia, Armand Van Helden, BT and Roni Size, among others, kicks off August 4 in Detroit.

De La Soul launched the Spitkicker Tour last year to showcase their community of socially conscious hip-hoppers. All of the groups have collaborated on album and onstage.

Performances expected this year include De La Soul and Common's "The Bizness," Talib Kweli and Common's "Respiration," Pharoahe Monch, Common and Talib Kweli's "The Truth" and Talib Kweli's new single with De La Soul, "Soul Rebels," according to the tour's publicist.

All of the Spitkicker alumni now on the Mekka bill will also perform together on an as-yet-untitled Spitkicker single. Biz Markie will contribute his turntable skills.

An exact lineup detailing which artists will be performing on which dates is available at www.mekkatour.com.

The tour celebrates the official launch of Mekka, a global entertainment company focused on the promotion and development of electronic music culture, and will also include Deep Dish, LTJ Bukem, DJ Rap, Sandra Collins and Junior Sanchez (see "Crystal Method, Roni Size, BT Heading To Mekka").

Mekka will be held in outdoor venues, such as large fields and fairgrounds. Specific venues will be announced at a later date.

Updated Mekka Tour dates, according to the tour's publicist:

• 8/4 - Detroit, MI
• 8/5 - Toronto, ON
• 8/10 - Tampa, FL
• 8/11 - Miami, FL
• 8/15 - Dallas, TX
• 8/18 - New York, NY
• 8/24 - St. Louis, MO
• 8/25 - Chicago, IL
• 9/1 - San Francisco, CA
• 9/2 - Los Angeles, CA

• De La Soul
• Common
• Talib Kweli
• Paul Oakenfold
• The Crystal Method

Roni Size
Photo: Island

The world's top tier of electronic music artists — including the Crystal Method, Paul Oakenfold, Danny Tenaglia, Armand Van Helden, BT and Roni Size — will gather in August for a 10-city North American tour called Mekka. The outing, which kicks off August 4 in Montreal and wraps up September 2 in Los Angeles, will celebrate the launch of Mekka, a global entertainment company focused on the promotion and development of electronic music culture, according to the tour's publicist.

Acts from various genres of electronic music will be represented, from hip-hop to techno to drum'n'bass to trance. Deep Dish, LTJ Bukem, Mix Master Mike, Sandra Collins and Junior Sanchez are among Mekka's other top names. Several hip-hop acts will be announced later this month.

Mekka will include a rare live set by Detroit techno legend Carl Craig. BT, the Crystal Method, the New Deal and Überzone will also be performing live. Working the many turntables on the tour will be DJs Jimmy Van M, Derrick Carter, DJ Rap, Doc Martin, Dave Ralph, Stacey Pullen, Christopher Lawrence, Dieselboy, Mark Farina, DJ Craze, DJ Dan, Terry Mullan, Bad Boy Bill, Misstress Barbara, Andy C, DJ Hype, Grooverider and Mr. C.

Halo and Hipp-E of the Chicago DJ collective H-Foundation, who will also be spinning at Mekka, and Sanchez will mix separate CD compilations in conjunction with the tour. Release dates have not been announced. The tour will be the summer's third major tour featuring electronic music. Moby, Oakenfold, Carl Cox, the Orb, Timo Maas and others will be part of the Area: One tour on July 11 in Atlanta (see "Area: One Festival's Details Come Into Focus"), while Perry Farrell's Jubilee festival, headlined by Jane's Addiction, is also expected to feature top DJs and producers (see "Jane's Addiction Touring In August"). Details for that tour have not been released, though publicists for several electronic music stars, including Size, have said they have been invited to join the outing. Mekka will be held in outdoor venues, such as large fields and fairgrounds. Venues will be announced at a later date. The artists will perform on multiple stages and in tents. Mekka, the company, will specialize in artist management, wireless applications, magazine publishing and music distribution and publishing.

Mekka Tour dates, according to the tour's publicist:

• 8/4 - Montreal, QC
• 8/5 - Toronto, ON
• 8/8 - Dallas, TX
• 8/10 - Jacksonville, FL
• 8/11 - Miami, FL
• 8/18 - New York, NY
• 8/25 - Chicago, IL
• 8/30 - Seattle, WA
• 9/1 - San Francisco, CA
• 9/2 - Los Angeles, CA

• The Crystal Method
• Roni Size
• BT
• Paul Oakenfold
• Mix Master Mike

Carl Cox
Photo: Moonshine

Fatboy Slim, Roni Size and Danny Tenaglia are among the premier DJ/producers working on a collaboration album with dance music trailblazer Carl Cox.

Josh Wink, Subliminal Records founder Erick Morillo and Reprazent DJ Krust will also be featured on the as-yet-untitled record, tentatively scheduled for a May 2002 release, according to a spokesperson at Moonshine Music.

Cox has already worked on a track called "Dirty Bass" with Tenaglia and Christian Smith. Several other tracks are in early stages of production and more special guests are likely.

The genre-conquering DJ/producer will release a few singles before the album is released, his spokesperson said.

Cox, one of the first DJs to practice the seamless-mix method that is now the foundation of dance music culture, released the live album Mixed Live last fall.

• Carl Cox
• Fatboy Slim
• Roni Size

Fatboy Slim
Photo: MTV News

Following the chaos that marred last year's overstuffed gathering so badly that many longtime attendees chose to stay home this year, the 16th annual Winter Music Conference marked a return to form.

The proliferation of daytime musical showcases and poolside schmoozefests combined with an ever-expanding number of nighttime parties to disperse crowds thoroughly enough that access to them, which was a major problem in 2000, was no longer an issue. With that stressor gone, the industry — the overlapping mass of A&R reps, marketers, journalists and, of course, DJs and producers from all over the world — was free to deal with the "business" at hand: soaking in as much sun — oops, music — as possible in a 120-hour period.

As in years past, house music in its myriad varieties once again ruled the roost as the most popular dance-music style this year, although there was clearly an effort to diversify lineups. Two parties sponsored by Urb magazine showcased the scene's true strength, its open-mindedness, by cutting across several genres — house, techno, down-tempo, broken beat, drum'n'bass, hip-hop — in single events. Live sets by Richie Hawtin and Roni Size & Reprazent topped the bill at a huge Sunday-night bash, but musical curiosity was the evening's true star, as a wander through club Space's four sound areas was rewarded with tastes of Jazzanova's Sonar Kollectiv of soulful house DJs and producers, Finnish trio Pepe Deluxe's turntablist-heavy hip-hop, a live performance by the innovative Tijuana, Mexico, outfit Nor-Tec Collective and a DJ set by up-and-coming U.K. star MJ Cole of the two-step style that has recently swept Britain. Several other events also laid plain the vast landscape of dance music today: Urb's Tuesday-night party at Goddess included DJ sets by fusionist A Guy Called Gerald, Detroit techno deity Juan Atkins, house cornerstone Mark Farina, Los Angeles deep-house top dog Marques Wyatt and a back-room tag-team with Rae & Christian's Mark Rae and Kruder & Dorfmeister's Peter Kruder, who later teamed with Berlin down-tempo don Rainer Truby. Ultimately, aside from the burgeoning artists (Philadelphia house producer Vikter Duplaix, San Francisco's Naked Music crew) and "breaking" records (Erro's "Don't Change," an anonymous house remix of Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue"), this was the underlying message of WMC 2001: Electronic music and dance music are, like the silicone-enhanced bosoms on South Beach, spilling over themselves, with the emergence of established stars such as Paul van Dyk, Fatboy Slim and Sasha & Digweed compounded by a never-ending sprawl of 12-inch singles by young producers from every corner of the earth. The vitality of the scene, questioned over the last year in part because "electronica" hasn't made its much-ballyhooed leap over to the pop charts, was unfailingly vigorous all week, which was a testament to the drive of the industry that keeps it going. For example, last year trance, a style that is heavy on digital, at times mechanical, production and is often derided by dance purists as predictable and shallow, appeared poised to eclipse the two decades of house and techno that preceded its arrival and become the "face of electronic music" to the population at large. This year, however, trance was simply another color in the dance-music rainbow, which is somehow able to safely manage its growth and maintain a peacefully coexisting spectrum of professionals whose collective goal is advancement of perhaps the only dynamic and vital musical form in youth culture today. At what other industry conference do attendees compete over how little sleep they're running on and how distorted their perception of reality has become? Stamina is a matter of pride in South Beach every late March, and sleep is nothing but a sign of weakness. A corporate shareholders' meeting it ain't.

Don't let the beat drop.

• Fatboy Slim
• Sasha & Digweed
• Richie Hawtin
• Roni Size

Fatboy Slim
Photo: MTV News

MIAMI — Sleep was nothing but an afterthought among the sonic smorgasbord of Sunday and Monday Winter Music Conference events that included live performances and DJ sets by, among others, Richie Hawtin, Roni Size & Reprazent, Danny Tenaglia, Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx.

Faced with the daily conundrum of five times the number of desirable events for the amount of real time in a day, what was the poor Winter Music Conference reveler to do? The answer for the last two days and nights of the annual global dance-music spectacle was the same as it has been every year: don't stop.

Whether that means don't stop dancing to the groove (at any of the dozens of glamorous shindigs at South Beach's clubs, hotel poolsides or exclusive boat cruises and mansion parties), don't stop workin' it (at the roiling, tireless shmoozefest that is the conference's social fuel) or don't stop the party (the decadence is awe-inspiring and seemingly ubiquitous), there has been enough fantastic music in Miami over the last two days to spoil even the most jaded dance-music fan.

One of the conference's most talked-about parties was the showcase for Detroit independent label Intuit-Solar (home to ghetto-tech/booty bass dons DJ Assault and DJ Godfather), though not necessarily for its musical aspect. Bringing the speedy, gritty beats and lewd, goofy lyrics to their seemingly natural home at the South Beach strip joint Club Madonna, Assault and Godfather provided a fitting soundtrack to the nude dancers with such hit tracks as "Ass-N-T--ties" and "Ho's in This House," with some music-industry members receiving complimentary lap dances.

A more conventional and typical WMC offering came Sunday night in the form of one of the week's premier lineups, at Decadence, a party sponsored by the leading American dance-music magazine Urb. Stocked with artists who normally pack venues on their own, the event's four sound areas provided as accurate a cross-section of dance music as any this year.

Size and his live drum'n'bass outfit Reprazent finished their U.S. tour in fine style at Decadence, tearing through cuts from last year's In the Mode and their epic debut, New Forms (1997), with an incendiary mix of blistering digital funk and organic, soulful grooves. Bay Area veteran DJ Dan followed with a solid if unadventurous set of breaks that warmed the largest room at the club, Space, for the night's headliner, Hawtin.

Simply by performing live electronic music in a week supersaturated with DJ sets, Hawtin distinguished himself from the rest of the techno class Sunday night. That he produced a chest-quaking, fiery ensemble of minimal, at times brutal, tracks with his signature getup — three turntables, a 909 analog bass synth and a bank of effects — established, yet again, that Hawtin is alone today in dance music's top tier in his ability to entertain while thoroughly challenging the listener.

Space's Red Room was given over to the Berlin-based Sonar Kollektiv, an affiliation of mostly downtempo producers influenced by jazz (especially Latin-flavored) and house music. Sonar artists Fauna Flash, Truby Trio and Jazzanova, who lead the collective, spun mesmerizing deep house and dubby techno sets that featured elements of Brazilian and African percussion as well as soul jazz and funk.

• Richie Hawtin
• Roni Size
• DJ Assault
• DJ Dan
• Danny Tenaglia