1615-25 Various Miami Beach •i 56
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Sun, sea, sand and... subwoolers
Forget Gloria Estefan. Nowadays, it's British talent like
Judge Jules and Seb Fontaine who provide Miami with
a summer soundtrack. Simon Garfield meets the
superstar DJs who gave South Beach its groove back
N ONE PARTICULAR weekend at the beginning of
spring,Britain looked like a terrible place to be.Foot and
mouth was at its height.The financial markets were in ,
turmoil.The rainfall continued to dampen one's soul.And
so a group of young men with bleary eyes and pale skin
resolved to leave the country for a while,and travel half
way around the world to put alheedle on a record.
They have come to South Beach,a place that several I I
people suspect to be the largest film set in the world:endless
promise and fantasy,a restless backdrop,many good-looking ,
people showcasing the results of work done under local +
anaesthetic.You may gather almost all you need to know
about the current South Beach scene from two of its
features.The first is that it often calls itself SoBe,in the
same way that parts of Manhattan have become TriBeCa or ;
WeChe or NoGo.This is usually a sign that the city
rejuvinators have sat down to dinner with the city marketeers
and both have tried to justify their wages.Never trust an
area of a city that has changed its name in the last couple o , +-
of decades:it always means you're being sold a facade. 2
Would Frank Sinatra have played at the Fountainebleau in
the 1950s had it been on SoBe?
VI •
Quite. ..mow ;
The other thing you need to know is that SoBe is an
absolutely perfect name to describe today's South Beach.
The area knows it is not as hip as it was when Calvin Klein 6Nrge AllOP:: tilf
and Chris Blackwell set up store,and it doesn't care.The
locals know that it is an exorbitant,heartless manifestation >
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ACCORDING TO DJ SEB FONTAINE, "MIAMI IS LIKE LEEDS. THERE ARE A FEW REALLY GOOD CLUBS, .
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:•of hedonism,and they don't care.They know that
along Washington Avenue and Ocean Drive and
Collins Avenue it has some of the best nocturnal
hangouts in the world,and all sorts of people
care very much for these.
There is one more thing you should know, •
a defining South Beach event.Every year there
is a thing called VolleyPalooza,wherein would-be 4 .
models jump up and down to hit a ball over a net _ +111
amid leery cheers,a little disco,and much drinking 1
•
of Malibu(courtesy of the event's sponsors).The �5/
Beach invader.This picture. ream - .
Miami South Beach elders will try to flog you their
:'.
DJ Seb Fontaine shows South Beach
new'Cultural Campus',a couple of blocks of Miami how to put a needle on a record. - ytdy,.•
City Ballet and sculpture galleries,but the young Below,clockwise from top left: _ - ....NA.,'htir
people know they'd rather be at VolleyPalooza Miami days and nights at Crobar, ��'
shouting"Bounce!Bounce!Bounce!" Spundae and Club Space `��
And so it can be little wonder that British I �'' •mac'
people have descended here in large amounts for `.. `„ �!U' ,,,
many years,fleeing postal strikes and weatherer _ a
forecasts in a bid for shiny pursuits.At the end '. — ,4„
of March there is an additional reason for being �, , •?'
here,especially if you like to party at four in the R ••. w ' ..� „ �, �
morning:the Miami Winter Music Conference. .,. .
•
Inevitably,this is another South Beach misnomer. •iiri./AS;
;
The Miami Winter Music Conference is not held -
in winter,and it is not really a conference.It is , a. '�� 'i7
a place where the world's best club DJs gather to
drink and party,to hear new records that may
/
soon become the big sounds of summer,and to
demonstrate why they-and not you or I-are }
paid thousands to play someone else's music to
a crowd of over-stimulated,perspiring youth. jt.
01
This is obviously good work if you can get it, , " , 1N,\
and at the moment the Brits are getting more of
it than most.A few Germans,French,Italians and
Americans also ply their trade in Miami,but mostly
it is Norman Cook(aka Fatboy Slim),Judge Jules,
Seb Fontaine,Gilles Peterson,Dave Seaman,
Gordon Kaye,Steve Lawler and Carl Cox.The
DJs do not come alone.They bring their agents, passage from the awful weather season to the his name on people's bodies.It's partly the intemet,
managers,public relations teams and the financial alfresco dance festival season.It's mostly just partly the mix CDs,partly the fact that he looks
backing of the large superclubs Ministry of Sound tax-deductible sun." like a pliable and well-shorn bellboy,and there is
and Cream,a support network suggesting that the another reason,another theory."I've got a very
UK dance scene has come some way since a few ULES detects a certain irony in the current memorable name,and I always think that if you're
hundred people gathered in fields and car parks British influence amid the palms and Art got a monosyllabic name that people can even
in the late 1980s to wave their arms in the air. Deco."It's a coals to Newcastle situation remember when they're vomiting at the end of
Poolside at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach is with dance music.Americans created house the night,then it's really significant.You know,
Todd Terry,for 13 years an American DJ/producer music in the mid-1980s,and now it's a lot of Judge Jules,Pete Tong,Carl Cox..."His
of renown.He has noticed something new in the the Europeans who are making it big in the nickname comes from his days as a law student.
British scene."The big British clubs finally States because of intemet radio.In Europe, "My big snag is that the letter J doesn't exist as
understand the basic concept that it takes the dance scene has always had a strong radio pronouceable consonant in many languages.It
money to make money,"he says."Dance infrastructure behind it-in Britain we've had doesn't exist in most northern European
music is now going to the money stage, Kiss[dance radio network]and now the whole languages or Cantonese or Mandarin-I'm
and there is no doubt that the British are of Radio 1 [BBC's youth station]at the weekends is fighting a losing battle in those territories.Som.
part of that." all virtually dance.But that's not the case in • people know me only as Yudger Yulea."
Judge Jules is by the same pool,enjoying his America where the radio is very bland and dull.So Which still doesn't quite explain why an
eighth Miami conference,finding it very difficult they listen to new stuff via their unmetered intemet American kid should spend$20(£14.50)to hear
to think of any of his peers who aren't here. access and the best sounds they hear are often this particular Brit open his record box at two in
"For me,it's the dividing event between winter British and European.That's my theory,anyway." the morning."People will always tell you that
and summer,"says the Radio 1 star."It marks the Jules is popular in Miami,and is asked to sign every DJ has their own sound,and that's true,"
"""'` '- AUGUST 2 0 0 '
MIAMI 59
AND A LOT OF ORDINARY ONES. ITS OWN SOUND, MIAMI BASS, IS A LITTLE BIT FLORIDA"
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c set in as this dubber realised that Beat
wind had indeed changed surrender .
These tracks—first heard at Miami's
Winter Music Conference—will go
he says."One thing I deliver which some DJs "There is an element of preciousness among DJs. around the world this summer
don't is a presence behind the decks.It's not just Everyone loves to say:'I'm doing my own thing.' 1 Electric Avenue(Fangbang mix)by Eddie
tbout a DJ looking down at their records and The truth of it is,we're pretty much all doing the Grant The reggae-pop standard gets the
'ixing perfectly,but there's an atmosphere and a same thing but slightly differently.Sometimes,the hard house treatment;Mr Grant gets a
jading of the crowd.It's the same with live acts only comparison is that we're playing the same surprise cheque for royalties
some will have a great deal more persona." records but in a different order,but that makes all -
Jules maintains his Miami fanbase despite his the difference.It's like a builder building a house 2 Neanderthal by The Caveman.Chunky
;lightly disparaging remarks towards their local with someone else's bricks." deep house from superstar DJ Roger
lub scene."Miami doesn't have a very strong From Ealing,west London,Fontaine was born Sanchez,who inked the deal for this
ince culture.It's a very posey city where it's all Jean Sebastien(and,as Muzik magazine charmingly tough-edged track at Miami
out wannabe models.But what they do have is put it,despite his name,he"is no ponce") 3 trap}} People(Chocolate Puma mix)
booty-dance scene—women in G-strings James Barton,founder of Cream,and Fontaine's by Static Revenger Already massive in
king their asses,which is actually a defined principal employer,tells me that Fontaine"can't Europe's happy house bates,a favourite
tical genre here.It's partly that reason that the dance,can't sing,wears the worst clothes,but he in Judge Jules'sets
4 'a!'+„”` (Grant Nelson mix)by Sound
ish corporate clubs have found themselves so can mix two records.Actually he's a great DJ and
:adily accepted over here in the last few years." he loves what he does and the kids he plays for.
I ask the same question of Seb Fontaine,a And generally I hate DJs." Dezign.A slice of killer dancefloor pop,
sampling the house classic by Lisa Lisa
esident DJ at Cream in Liverpool,another Fontaine's vocation came in with his mother's
)ermanent fixture at Radio 1,a master of both milk."She slapped on a few tunes in Ibiza,"he says. 5 New Year's Dub by Musique vs U2.
ech funk and tech house,also enjoying the Miami "My parents met out there—my dad's French,and Guitar-driven dance rewiring of the rock
in on expenses."It's very hard to explain,"he says. my mum was over there doing the hippy thing. ;A standard,with big anthemic vocal
UGUST 2 0 0 1
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Tel:+1 305 532 2002 •
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Hailed as one of the"trendiest hot
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• I was conceived in Ibiza.My mum used to play the normal queue.Everyone is going:`Do you name to Spiller's dancefloor smash last
hip stuff-James Brown.A record would end,and have any idea who I am?'" summer-where hip-hop,acid jazz
my mum would burst out the ladies'loo to put a He anticipates a few problems with his own and electronica rule.Three rooms,five
new one on while hitching up her knickers." session. He is due on at 1.30 am,about the same bars,frequent theme nights.
Fontaine is heavyset,mildly thuggish in bad time as the`legendary'Danny Tenaglia appears at - -
light,effortlessly polite,extremely industrious and. a different club.And he fears he may barely have LEVEL
clearly views his job as a long-term career.Judge time to get warmed up."I only get an hour and a 1235 Washington Avenue
Jules has said that when he started,DJing"was a quarter here-that's like having sex and your Tel +1 305 532 1525
www.levelnightclub.com
wally's job-all you needed was a loud shirt and mum walking in half way through.But I've got Friday,Saturday 10pm-5 am
a footballer's haircut".But things have changed. some really good records. I kind of know what With a 30ft glass-encased waterfall-
"When I began at the age of 17,I never thought I'll be doing,but no DJ should plan exactly what as well as four dancefloors,three level
it would come to this,"Fontaine continues(he's they're going to do before they see the crowd." five rooms and nine bars-this deep
now 31)."There were no famous club DJs.There When he started out,Fontaine travelled in house and bass-heavy trance venue
was no money in it.You were lucky if the promoter beaten-up cars to raves in Somerset.These days gets the clubland tourist's vote.On
didn't run off with your£40.When I was 20, a DJ can earn between£500 to£10,000 a night, Fridays it's gay night,and Saturdays a
I thought I could take them all on,but I'm still and Fontaine says he's somewhere in the middle, very Studio 54,attracting a mix of VII
learning.Years ago,say there was a bit of fluff on depending on the venue."Now clubs have
drag queens and up-for-it Miamians.
the needle,I'd think,oh my God,quick,run to the marketing strategies and shareholders to look after,
next deck.But then I saw Norman Jay just take the and it's firmly about eyes on the future and SPACE
record off,and the crowd are going spare,but he global tours and making this last as long as we 142 NE 11th Street
Tel:+1 305 372 9378
just held up the needle,blew the fluff off,and he possibly can. wwwctub-space.com
turned this cleaning process into the most amazing "There are new territories opening up all the Friday 10pm-10am,Saturday lOpm-12pm
thing.By the time the record went back on the time.I did the handover party in Hong Kong- Justifiably world-famous club known
crowd went bananas.It just shows you can even me,a boy who grew up in Ealing.And now for its cutting-edge drum'n'bass,
stop music if you're really in control of a club." when I come to Miami,people know exactly who 5 hip hop,house,techno and trance.
In Miami,Fontaine is due to play at The Shadow I am.It seems as if British DJs are playing every `s Fab sound and lighting systems,
Lounge on Washington Avenue,a venue where he club in the world."■ g occasional big-name guest DJs,and
already has a strong following.He speaks well of the „7.. south Florida's only 24-hour liquor
local scene before the British invasion."It's very like The Creamfields 2001 dance festival,featuring W licence.Ain't it funky now?
any emerging British city with an emerging club Seb Fontaine,Pete Tong and Carl Cox among m
life-much like Leeds,"he says."There are a few others,is in Liverpool on Saturday 25 August. i KITCHEN CLUB
really good clubs,and a lot of ordinary ones.But Details:+44(0)870 242 7326.Creamfields' 11220 Biscayne Boulevard.
there's a very big Latin-Hispanic scene,but also a 'world tour'begins in New York on 1 September, o Tel: 305 661 9099
a wwwdarkdoorscom/theki[chen
few good deep underground clubs.Miami definitely with events in Las Vegas(29 September), 3 Saturdays lOpm-Sam
has its own sound,Miami Bass,which is a little Buenos Aires(10 November),and an all-nighter a
a So slavishly unfashionable it's cool-
bit Florida and with great Latin influences."But in Australia later this year.www.cream.co.uk - and right off the Miami tourist radar.
he suggests the best time to visit is probably out a Gothic,industrial,synthpop and new
of season,and almost certainly not during Winter - g wave all get aired here.Wear black
Conference,when"everyone thinks they're British Airways flies to Miami o from head to toe.
somebody important.The guest list is bigger than ® from London Heathrow a Christa Semko
AUGUST 2 0 0