WMC - Best Parties and Sets of 2010!

Check out Ava Berlin's photos from WMC!

Miami’s annual family reunion of DJs is as much a celebration of the best dance music of the past year as it is a preview of what you’ll be dancing to all summer—and what will be on the radio in two years. This year more than ever, we heard a lot bubbly-poppy latin beats a la SonicC or Buraka Som Sistema, a lot of solid bassline, and a more-house-and disco, less-banger vibe, pushing 4/4 beats without the chainsaw synths that dominated electro for the last few years.

Rather than drone on about the nice weather (one thunderstorm withstanding), free drinkskis, amazing run-ins and a blogroll of namedroppings, I’m going to give you my own highlights of the festival:

12th Planet – SMOG vs. Basshead at White Room
This one must was of the most undisputed “best sets” of WMC. Hours after the performance, the twittersphere was aflutter with praise for the three-hour dubstep set by LA’s 12th Planet. The stage was packed with some of the best bass hounds in the business all screaming and raising their hands as John (of 12th Planet) interweaved bassline and dubstep into a nostril-oscillating performance.

Bloody Beetroots (Live) at ULTRA
Now, I must disclose I didn’t personally get the chance to see this set first hand, but it deserves to be mentioned here as it was a landmark set and probably one of the most unique performances at the festival. Bloody Beetroots brought to ULTRA live drums and keyboards, plenty of Venom masks, a carton of cigarettes and some of the most horrifyingly awesome dance sounds to ever bounce off the palm trees. The videos give you a pretty good idea of what the show consisted of, but first hand accounts place this show at legendary status: a perfect fusion of live performance and bleeding edge song production and dance music.

Erol Alkan - Fixed Loves Durrrr at Vanguard
This set is making my list because of the complete uniqueness of sound Erol brings to the floor—I don’t think he played a single “house” or even “electronic” track in his set. The heavy remixes of funk, garage, miscellaneous, and soul were so flawlessly edited and played it bordered on a new genre, with the pleasant aftertaste of an insurmountable record collection. Joined by Classixx, JDH, Dave P and Aeroplane, every room of this party was filled with some of the best remixes you’ve never heard.

Duck Sauce – Fool’s Gold at Grand Central
Time after time, I told myself, this is not a party to miss. Alright, terrible jokes aside, this live debut did not disappoint. The “Grand Central” was pretty much an abandoned building, the sign seemingly printed on an inkjet and taped to an outside wall. Miles away from the luxury mega-clubs of South Beach, this party brought the true fans of WMC who weren’t going to pay 100 dollar covers or even consider bottle service. The music was absolutely flooring—Treasure Fingers, Sammy Bananas, Congorock, but Duck Sauce really brought everyone to a complete state of dancing panic.

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