Ah, March. Warm weather, springtime, and festival season is right around the corner. Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Winter Music Conference (WMC) is a staple in the music scene worldwide but unlike an opening DJ, WMC and Miami Music Week kicks the season off and has us turned up to 11. Starting as a conference for trade insiders to network, WMC evolved into a full-blown party, taking advantage of having big names in town and providing DJ’s a launchpad to drop tracks that become hits over the coming season. March is a month everyone from industry juggernauts, legendary DJs, and music fans alike descend upon downtown Miami and take over the Faena district for seven days of LITERAL nonstop events, ending in a bang with Ultra Music Festival. From the low key boutique workshops, Q&As with top tier artists, dark and notorious nightclubs, there is only one thing on my mind: the pool parties. Who doesn’t dream of soaking up the Floridian sun and partying by the pool to the sweet, sweet sounds of your favorite DJs?
As the time approached I zealously sat searching through events to try and plan out my week, feeling like a kid in a candy store. Page after page, event after event I grew more and more excited until I found it, the holy grail of pool parties: Epic Pool Parties at the Kimpton EPIC Hotel. Epic Pool Parties arrived on the scene in 2019 and became a game-changer almost overnight presenting heavyweight talent such as DJ Tennis, Michael Bibi, Claptone, Louie Vega, Lee Foss and many more. As quickly as they made a name, they become some of Miami’s top do not miss parties and in the landscape of WMC and MMW, that’s bonkers. The Kimpton Epic Miami is situated right off of Biscayne Bay and provides magnificent views of both the Miami skyline and the Port of Miami. The hotel celebrates its 10th anniversary with a remodel of the pool on the 16th floor where the party will be taking place, and I’m excited to experience it.
Kings Of House – WMC Official Opening Party
Rolling into 2020, Epic Pool Parties shows no signs of slowing down. The party kicks off Tuesday the 17th with the official WMC opening party, Kings of House featuring Louie Vega and David Morales returning for another exclusive six-hour B2B of appropriately epic proportions.
Amnesia Presents – DO NOT SLEEP
Wednesday welcomes the iconic Ibiza mega-club Amnesia presenting a DO NOT SLEEP showcase headlined by the infamous Dutch soiree starter, SKREAM. With support from legends like Rich NXT, Sidney Charles and more.
COCOON Miami
Thursday will host COCOON, rocking a prismatic lineup of Marco Faraone, Matador, Matthias Tanzmann, Yousef, and Detroit visionary Carl Craig.
Lee Foss Presents Repopulate Mars
For me, Friday is the pinnacle of the Epic Pool Party events. Lee Foss’s Repopulate Mars will gravitate down from galaxies unknown to grace the 16th floor of the Kimpton EPIC hotel. From the extraterrestrial lineup, lavish costumes, and grandiose production, this event is curated specifically to get the feet of punk-funk kids, aliens, and cyborgs alike moving. Label boss and Chicago native, Foss has been a powerfully influential innovator for Future House and Techno. His recent releases of “Garden of Groove (remix)” and “Lies, Deception, and Fantasy” are mainstays for DJs all around the globe. The list of artists joining Foss is Monstrous. MK (Marc Kinchen) and his mythical 500 track discography coupled with top duo Prok & Fitch that intend to tear up the decks and bring us the House and Techno that has earned them a spot as one of Beatport’s highest selling artists annually. Ben Sterling will bring us the heavy Basslines and signature Acid House sounds we know and love. Underground sensation Detlef will take control with trademarked vibes like EP “Music Please” and Tech house phenom Latmun will not only keep the dance floor alive but take us on a journey through the time-space continuum. Rising star (and personal top 3 DJ) Mason Maynard is definitely the one to watch. He is going to skyrocket out of the atmosphere, across the Atlantic ocean, and land on the 16th floor of a Miami hotel behind a couple CDJ’s to give us funky deep cuts and Bass-heavy bangers. The list truly goes on and on. Thanks to Foss’s traveled career, some of the best sounds from top Dance Music heavens around the world from Manchester to Detroit will be there, repopulating mars one Epic Pool Party at a time.
Desert Hearts Showcase
To finish off the weekend, Saturday boasts a Desert Hearts showcase with a lineup perfectly synched with “conscious ethos of House, Techno and love..”. If you are a House and Techno lover like myself you won’t want to miss sets by Doc Martin, Josh Butler, and Josh Wink. Repping my favorite label Dirtybird Records, I cannot wait for Ardalan and Wyatt Marshall. And of course, our favorite Desert Hearts gurus Mikey Lion, Marbs, Lee Reynolds and Porky will be there to bring us home on an all-day partying adventure through music.
Nothin’ but an Old School Pool Party
Sunday closes the week out with a “Nothin’ but an old school party” with classic OG’s Questlove, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kenny Dope, Todd Terry, Eli Escobar, and Inlighten.
If you’re a fan of dance music and you’re not there for Miami Music Week or the line Epic Pool Parties, you’re fucking up. See you poolside!
Tickets can be purchased for all six Epic Pool Parties Here!
*Claptone Masquerade Party 2019 Featured Image Via Epic Pool Party Website Gallery*
