PORTLAND, Ore. -- The event was billed as the North By Northwest Music and Media Conference.

But, with nights awash in free-flowing music -- not to mention steadily flowing spirits -- the "conference" part of the three-day shmooze-fest seemed relegated to sideshow status. Not too surprising, given the circumstances.

For most attendees at the Fourth Annual NXNW -- which took place here last weekend -- the choice between shakin' booty to the sounds of P-Funk's founding fathers or flexing gray matter at a panel on contracts, copyrights and trademarks was a no-brainer.

Making the choice even easier was the presence of such young and inspired rock bands as Creeper Lagoon, Medicate, DJ Harp, Hi-Fi Killers and a flood of other known and not-yet-known musical entities.

Spreading music -- rather than the word -- was, of course, the primary purpose of the conference. And there was plenty of music to spread -- more than 350 bands' worth, running the gamut from ska and rockabilly to punk, techno and drum 'n' bass -- along with some 20 different local venues spreading it. On the receiving end were the ears of a multitude of conference-goers and members of Portland's population.

Whether sampling a little of the burgeoning Seattle hip-hop scene at the Mt. Tabor Pub or the Zoot Suite with artists such as Maktub, DJ Kutfather and Turntable Bay or heading down the street and around the corner to Roseland Theater or La Luna and getting some L.A.-attitude punk or San Francisco jazz, or even hearing Portland's own Tommy Tutone sing "867-5309 (Jenny)," it seemed one couldn't go wrong. Everywhere, music spilled out into the streets.

And inside every bar sat another group of artists hoping to get a break.

"We are very happy to be here," said Toru Nakimura, visiting from Japan on a one-week visa with his band Hot Buttered Pool. "This gives us a great opportunity to get our music heard more here in the States."

Though their show was booked to play at Rocco's Pizza, not one of the most ideal locations, Nakamura and his band didn't seem to care. "We'll keep coming back. Until it goes right," Nakimura laughed. "This also gives us a huge opportunity to witness other bands and styles of music."

The three-day event reached a musical crescendo on Friday night, when the Original P, consisting of the re-united founders of Parliament and Funkadelic (excluding lead funkster George Clinton) presided over a madcap groove-fest in downtown Pioneer Courthouse Square that attracted thousands of Portland locals and festival attendees. Taking to the stage in a barrage of colorful, funked-up outfits, Grady Thomas, Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, Raymond Davis and Calvin Simon (all recent inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) proved that 21 years of not playing together didn't quell the genius and musicianship that brought us albums such as Maggot Brain (1971) and songs such "Red Hot Mama."

"These guys were tight," said Kathleen O'Hara of Olympia, Wash. "They definitely have fun on stage and they still sound great. You immediately notice the harmony in their voices -- it's not like a George Clinton and the All-Stars show. These guys care about the vocals as much as they do the music."

Ending their show with a twisting version of "Wat Dat Shakin?" -- also the title of their just-released album -- the Original P proved that the funk lives on. "We're putting the F-U-N back into the funk," Fuzzy said while relaxing before the show. "With a special K."

Brought to you by the same people who have made South By Southwest (SXSW) of Austin, Texas, the overwhelming success it has been for the past 13 years, NXNW (affectionately known as SXSW's drunk kid brother) is a smaller version of the annual Texas event that brings in thousands of music-industry representatives and a diverse profusion of bands, DJs and musicians for several days of music and music-related activities.

Focusing on West Coast music, NXNW features unsigned artists and new, up-and-coming talent that often get overshadowed at the larger SXSW and CMJ/New York fests, where the focus in the past few years has started to turn toward the bigger, already-established bands.

"We had about 1,200 registered attendees [at NXNW]," said Roland Svenson, managing director of South By Southwest. "Portland is a good spot for this. The compact area and proximity of the clubs makes it run smoothly."

Starting Thursday at noon, festival registrants gathered at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Portland to hear esteemed industry panelists, scour the trade-show floor or just meet other conference-goers. But the real excitement began after the sun set and the participating local bars and nightclubs opened their doors to thousands of festival-goers.

Some of the daily panels were hard to get excited about after spending all night in the throes of musical inebriation, and, by Saturday, the daytime crowds at the Hilton were getting thin.

Not to say that the panels were devoid of value -- or of interested observers. Plenty were drawn to hear Krist Novoselic (ex-Nirvana bassist), sitting on a panel called "Can Music Really Make You Murder," an examination of the correlation between rock lyrics and violence.

Everclear's frontman Art Alexakis proved a magnet to a roundtable titled "When Your Dream Becomes Your Job."

However, for many, just being at NXNW was enough. Dave Allen, owner and president of World Domination Recordings, out of Los Angeles, said that despite the costs of registration and travel, NXNW is well worth it. "I hate coming here and having to deal with the suits and such," Allen said during a set by Portland's spectacular ambient band Perfume Tree, one of four bands on World Dom that played that night at the Zoot Suite. "But it's well worth it. The exposure we receive from coming here makes it all worthwhile."

Other acts of note that performed over the weekend included Richard Buckner, Pimp Daddy Nash, REO Speedealer and Sixpence None The Richer.

"NXNW is newer and smaller," Svenson said, explaining the diverse lineup of acts and the focus on new talent. "It is more what SXSW used to be when it was 5 or 6 years old."