WMC 2003, My Personal Review...

[Tortures Dionysos]

Here is my detailed review of the Winter Music Conference, 2003!
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Wednesday, 3-19-03:

We fly out to Miami, FL and make to the airport at about midnight. Rush from the airport... spend an hour getting our rental mini-van... and then head to Space for Tiesto.

Get in the club at about 2:30 ($40 cover/$10 parking). The club is packed! We go to the side room... and chill there for a bit.... as we can't even get in the main room where Tiesto is spinning. Finally, we find a spot off the side in the main room so we can at least jam to Tiesto. And damn... he was going OFF! The crowd was PUMPED too! The energy level was amazing! We hung until around 5:30... then we had to go... too tired! Tiesto was still spinning when we left (note: he came on at 2:00 a.m.).

Then we go eat breakfast on South Beach... and while we are sitting there, Tiesto shows up in a limo and eats right beside us! We got to say hello... so that was cool!

We don't have a hotel room, as it's booked in my friend's name, who doesn't arrive until noon on Thursday. We decide to drive to the airport, park in the garage and sleep in the van until they arrive. It wasn't fun... but we did it!

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Thursday, 3-20-03:

We wake up in the van... and then go get our friends who arrived at Noon. From there we head back to South Beach and eat... then we check in at 3:00.... finally... SLEEP!

10:00 p.m... we arrive at Level to see Eddie Halliwell, Judge Jules, Anne Savage, etc... ($30/$10 parking). Eddie spins from 10-11... a funky house set. It was nice! He needs to come to Dallas and spin some house for everyone here! After that we decided to leave to go here Marco V and Johan Geilan... but we find out at it's a cluster fuck at the venue... and they are hand picking people to come in. We decide it's not worth the hassle... and go back to Level.

Midnight... our friend shows up from the airport... the party is on!

2:00 a.m.... Judge Jules goes on. We expect for him to rock the house. This is the WMC ya know. BUT.. he didn't. In fact, we think the brought every record from 2 years ago. WTF? This is the WMC... DJ's are suppose to show their stuff... spin the freshest shit... right? We are sorely disppointed.

3:45 a.m... I check out Anne Savage in the other room.. DAMN! This girl made my night! OMG! She can SPIN! The girl has skills... and she was rocking the room... everyone just stood up, took notice.. and gathered around her... She MUST come to Dallas... if I have anything to do with it, she will be here.

4:15 a.m.... head into the main room for Eddie... he is rocking it as always! YEA! Made my night! I loved getting to finally see him as a person just there to party! A perfect end to the night!

5:00 a.m.... club closes, we go back to the room, swim, and finally pass out asleep about 8:00 a.m.

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Friday, 3-21-03:

8:00 p.m. we start heading out the door for Paul Van Dyk at Space... pick up a couple of more friends... pile in the mini van... and go the club.

We are determined to get a seat in the main room.

Get in the doors at the club at 10:30 ($40/meter parking), and wait by the main room so we can get in... as only the side room is open.

Finally at midnight they let us in the room, and we settle on one of the boxes by the speakers.... but then again, we couldn't find a seat not by speakers!

Edgar V opens for PVD... progressive house... it was a pretty dull set. We were ready for Paul.

2:00 a.m... PVD hits the DJ booth... the packed room goes NUTS! Oh yea! We are in for a good night.

PVD proceeds to spin... and blows our minds... with track after track of new stuff... with a couple of "oldies but goodies" mixed in. Deep bass lines... high energy... very upbeat set.

The whole time Paul spins... HE is going NUTS... dancing... jumping up and down... pumping his arms in the air. We have NEVER seen him this animated (4th time to see him). The crowd it eating it up!

We even see Puffy Daddy (P.Diddy) in the DJ booth with Paul… going nuts as well!

There is this one track he spun... it's a track that has Enimens voice saying, "Nobody listen to Techno, let's go"... over and over. It was GREAT! (Sasha spun it the next day at Ultra too!)

So, PVD stops his set... or tries.. we scream for more... he goes on again... he did 2 encores I think... then he finally left the decks at 8:15 a.m... and the room was STILL PACKED and going NUTS. This crowd was more pumped and into it... than what we saw in Ibiza. Impressive!

I would just like to say that everyone was dancing… and I personally danced for like 4 hours of Paul’s 6 hour set!

8:30 a.m.... we finally make it out the door... my ears are numb... seriously... and they still are today. I think I damaged my right ear permanently. Yes, I had in ear plugs. But my ear is still feeling really bad... as if it has pressure on the inside of it... something is seriously wrong with my ear. I will get to a doctor this week.

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Saturday, 3-22-03:

10:30 a.m... after some breakfast we hit the bed. Ultra is today... but PVD, well, couldn't leave till he spun his last record!

2:30 p.m... drag out butts out of bed so we can go to Ultra 5!

5:30 p.m... after piddling around... we FINALLY make it in the door to the party. The security check was minimal (almost non-existent!), and the line to get in was very small.

First we go watch Sasha and Digweed. Sasha is tearing it up! I haven’t liked Sasha in the past, I am loving him at Ultra!

Then we head over for Tiesto next. DAMN! The outdoor arena he is performing in is huge… and packed! Everyone is dancing, and going nuts! I get into the groove and dance my butt off too!

After Tiesto, we head out to meet our friends so we can see another DJ… I think we wanted to hear George Acosta… not sure.

Either way, the night kinda fell apart at this point… the DJ line-up’s were all screwed up… I got tired, and my ear was aching.

After wandering around for awhile… sitting and chilling in various areas… and eating… we finally packed up at around 12:30 a.m. (the party ended at 1:00 a.m.). Honestly, we were all hurting bad from PVD… and tired as hell!

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Sunday, 3-23-03:

9:00 a.m. we head back to the airport… with a full mini van… and proceed to fly out of Miami… sleeping all the way home!

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Tuesday, 3-25-03:

Go to an ear specialist... apparently, there is a muscle in the ear that can "freeze" up, like getting a "charlie-horse" in ones leg. My muscle in my ear has relaxed, and my hearing is fine. Took a hearing test... I have the "hearing of a 13-year-old"... is that good?

Either way... I think next time I won't shove my earplug so far down my ear! I think that did me in.

I do SWEAR by earplugs though! Everyone should wear them!

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Overall Synopsis:

~ THANK YOU Charlie and Amy… you two were too sweet and good to us! It was great getting to party with you!

~ Tom, Misty, and Ryan… we were HARDCORE baby!

~ Russ and Leslie… thanks for joining our party crew in the mini-van! Wouldn’t have been the same with you two!

~ Jason… thanks for partying with us at Ultra! Seeing you made the night great! “Dallas in the house!”

~ Gator… only saw you once… Damn! Oh well… thanks for everything!

~ Steve-O and Julia… missed partying with you kiddos! It was great seeing you for that brief moment outside of Level though!

~ Miniya… it was great partying with you at PVD!!! Thanks for everything too girl!

~ Kenan… never saw you… but we talked on the phone a lot… “I’m on the beach”!

~ Jeremy Word… WORD!

~ Miami is basically Ibiza… but in the United States… and only for a week. Just as expensive.

~ I have never seen so many boob jobs in my life.

~ Miami drivers are freaking nuts! I can’t believe I never got hit. Came real close to getting in a few wrecks though.

~ Getting a rental car worked out perfect. Taxis are too expensive.

Originally posted by Bunny

~ Steve-O and Julia… missed partying with you kiddos! It was great seeing you for that brief moment outside of Level though!

Great review Karen. I really wished we could have planned a meetup. I was planning on being there earlier but Juliya ended up loosing her ID and credit card so we spent hours backtracking for it and it didnt turn up. After we got to Ultra and it got packed I wasnt sure where to possible look for you guys in the sea of people. I did talk to you for a bit to try to figure out where you were but to come and find out you were in a different arena and my voice gave out to try to talk to you with the music pumping.

It would have been great if we could have all hung out together from the draves board.

much love and respect. see you at your next event but im sure it will be before.

[xryptic]

Originally posted by Bunny
~ Miami is basically Ibiza… but in the United States… and only for a week. Just as expensive.

There are places to go where things are not so expensive down there, but I wouldn't venture near 'em if I weren't a local.

Originally posted by Bunny
~ Miami drivers are freaking nuts! I can’t believe I never got hit. Came real close to getting in a few wrecks though.

I learned to drive in Miami!

[EASTCOASTHAPPY]

I WILL BE THERE NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!

[st. blaize]

posted by bunny:



~ Tom, Misty, and Ryan… we were HARDCORE baby!

~ Russ and Leslie… thanks for joining our party crew in the mini-van! Wouldn’t have been the same with you two!



girl, we had SO much fun w/ you guys. the weekend would not have been the same w/o partying w/ you guys. i haven't laughed that hard in a loooonnnnnggg time. PVD goes down in my books as the best BIRTHDAY present EVER! and ULTRA has got to be the best fucking party i've ever been to. Definitely top 3 party experiences period.

and all i have to say is, you sure did make "things happen in the front seat" all damn weekend.

next year YEAH!

L.

[jayson_gold]

DALLAS WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO WHAT I EXPERIENCED IN MIAMI THIS WEEKEND! period. Everytime we move forward in the scene, we get knocked right back on our faces here. I know Miami isn't always like that but they do party like rock stars every weekend. I went into an after hour+foam party down there at 6:30am (alcohol still being served) and left at 7:30am with a HUGE line still outside to get in! My friends left the club next door at 1:30pm the next day! 24 hour clubs!!!!!!!! 24 hour party people!!!!!!!!!! And these weren't people just trying to finish off there party drug buzz!! I love miami!

ULTRA 5 WAS AMAZING!!!! lots of new and old talent around! I will be there next year also! Karen's review was great so I will add more later when I think of it.

Great partying with dallas peeps down there,you know who you are! And great to meet some new Austin friends down there also!

later more I'm back at work,

p.s.-thanks for the demo leslie, I love what I've heard so far...
-me
dj earcandy

Originally posted by PlAnOjUnGlE
DALLAS WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO WHAT I EXPERIENCED IN MIAMI THIS WEEKEND! period. Everytime we move forward in the scene, we get knocked right back on our faces here. I know Miami isn't always like that but they do party like rock stars every weekend. I went into an after hour+foam party down there at 6:30am (alcohol still being served) and left at 7:30am with a HUGE line still outside to get in! My friends left the club next door at 1:30pm the next day! 24 hour clubs!!!!!!!! 24 hour party people!!!!!!!!!! And these weren't people just trying to finish off there party drug buzz!! I love miami!

Uhm....... News Flash.........no city in this entire country can afford or have a scene like that LEGALLY.
Miami is definitely unique.

People love it so much yet not too many living there can afford to party the way most of you guys did this past week over at WMC.

Miami was recently awarded the dubious honor of being the poorest major city in America. Yet you wouldnt know it by hanging out in South Beach and watching the Ferrarris, Hummers, and custom motorcycles going by.

At least here you can afford to live on your own, go out every weekend or every other weekend, and still complain about stupid shit like soundsystems, bouncers and 10 dollar covers.

peace

[xryptic]

Yeah when I was living down there we would be at the clubs a lot of the time until Sunday afternoon, and though I miss Miami it's a fucking shithole for the most part.
It looks so glamorous at first, like a giant movie set, until you look behind the set walls and the props.

[Tortures Dionysos]

Well, I have to agree with this... Miami is a POOR city.

Seriously. No offense to anyone who is from there... or who lives there... but most (90%) of the areas we drove through... where low-income.

And, even on Collins Street... right outside of the hotels where most WMC conference people were staying... were HOOKERS at 7:00 a.m., on Thursday morning. HOOKERS! It was very surreal... hookers... pimps... Tiesto getting out of his limo... yuppies going to work.


Also, the fact that alcohol service NEVER ENDS has something to do with the 24-hour party. Let's face it... Dallas will NEVER AMOUNT to most cities... because we live in the fucking bible belt where alcohol service ends at 2:00 and everyone goes home.

Personally... I could never afford to party in Miami all the time. Shoot, I could barely afford to do it last week! We spent $100 to go to a club, park, and get a bottle of water. AND... when we got in that club... we were so jammed in there... we couldn't even get in the main room to listen to the headling DJ (Tiesto).


It was a good time... a great visit... but would NEVER want to live there.


LESLIE... you KNOW I was using that mini van power to make magic happen!!!! Ha! *Honk* *Honk*. Be afraid... be very afraid... Happy to see you and Russ are home SAFE!!! Thanks for sharing your Birthday night/weekend with us!

[jayson_gold]

Yah, I thought about it a little more and have decided that florida would not be the place to party year round. But it is definatley a great party place! Dallas does have its advantages though.

The main thing I was most pleased with was the dedication to the party. Like I said earlier, everyone I saw at the after hour events I went to were there for the party not the drugs or the beanbag puddles.

Hell, I'm from North Carolina so each big city I go to I Love more than the last! I was thrilled when I arrived in Dallas seeing the presence of electronic music with the lack there of in N.C. All in all, after this trip to Ultra I am even more dedicated to the music.

I would have to say the highlight of my trip was playing at a little pizza place in south beach for food! I hope to post the pictures for ya later!

-me
dj earcandy

VEGAS BABY, VEGAS-the fastest growing city in the world. and yes alcohol 24/7.

There is always something to do in Vegas. its not southbeach but defineatel entertainment capitol of the world


WHO wants to go to the conference in VEGAS they have every year

What about Sonar in Spain?

Thats the new hotness.

[annesta]

Originally posted by Blame
What about Sonar in Spain?

Thats the new hotness.

Speaking of.. Here is a pic of it!

http://www.dallasraves.org/photos/sh...papass=&sort=1

[Soccer Mom]

Originally posted by PlAnOjUnGlE

I would have to say the highlight of my trip was playing at a little pizza place in south beach for food! I hope to post the pictures for ya later!

-me
dj earcandy [/B]

LOL, I played at the same place for some grub.

[Cobias]

what about Tenaglia, did he play his 13 hour set like last year? just curious.....sounds like you guys had a blast! mad money to spend there though, but well worth it! Sonar eh? been to Spain Blame? muy Bella!