Andre "Rain" Maubert

We love when our friends hit us off with cool deep house vibes to end the work day. Here’s one from Miami’s Rain Maubert. Take a listen to Sundays With Rain.

While we were out and about covering WMC from the Netmix perspect, About.com’s Dance/Electronic Music channel DJ Dewight Barkley was equally as busy traversing the many parties and happenings at this years event. Check out the post-WMC wrap-up by DJ Dewight Barkley on About.com Dance/Electronic pages.

There’s nothing like being friends with the DJ, lol. I shot this video from the booth at Aero (off 23rd and Collins) on Saturday night, March 28, sometime around 3 AM. The club was jumping as AVH kicked his classic hits, including My, My, My, Witch Doktor, Full Moon and more. The crowd was having such a good time, this dude started throwing money around…literally! He threw a stack of dollar bills up in the air. Too bad it wasn’t C-notes. I guess it’s the economy and he must have been holding back.

Seeing Armand giving the punters what they came for, over twenty two years since we’d first met in Boston in the late 80’s, got me reminiscing. I remember when we used to drive home from the East Boston studio of Mega-Mixx, the remix service we worked for back then. While Armand was remixing tracks til the wee hours of the morning−like Shawn Christopher’s Another Sleepless Night−for the long defunct service, I was in the back room calling mom and pop vinyl shops in Japan, Australia and Germany to sell them the latest issues.

We’ve both come a long way and have enjoyed success doing what we love to do. My career took me toward the Internet, while Armand pursued making great house music (and we can’t forget about hip-hop with Sampleslaya).

Shout outs to Ricky, who’s in one of the photos below. Ricky is a long time friend of Armand and he’s such a stellar guy. He told me he was making tracks now, so look out for Ricky’s studio sessions, soon to hit an MP3 player near you.

Also in the booth, Dan Ross from X-Mix, Mark Farina (jumped on the decks after Armand), Atrak, Kimyon, Ricky and Australia’s Ashley Grey from Xelon Entertainment.

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Fresh of my set at the Adidas store, I’m hanging with superstar Entertainment Attorney, Matthew Kletter and DJ Elyse (Ft. Lauderdale – systemaddix.com) at Cafe Del Sol somewhere on Collins Avenue. We’re getting ready to head to the IRIS rooftop party, then to the X-Mix event at Aero. Stay tuned for more updates from WMC.

In these troubled economic times, it’s a great opportunity to save some money and be green at the same time. Instead of driving to the airport, I figured taking the Westchester Bee Line bus service to the Westchester airport would serve to accomplish both.

The bus stop is actually just across the street from my apartment, so convenience played a big part in my decision making process.

Taking the bus also gave me the opportunity to upgrade my Wordpress iPhone application, which is how I posted this blog entry.

It’s amazing to be able to publish on the fly. I can’t wait til the iPhone gets video, which will make it possible to do more with video updates while mobile. I’ve become my own media center of sorts. An amazing thing when it used to be you had to have a camera crew and broadcast signal to do what you can do today for a fraction of the cost.

This week I am finishing up a final paper for my last credit at NYU. I decided to write about how Wordpress has changed the game in Web publishing and the impact i have felt since migrating Netmix onto the platform.

Ultra Music Festival 2008

The Ultra Music Festival (UMF) — the world’s leading two-day electronic and alternative music experience set for Friday March 27 and Saturday March 28, 2009 during the Winter Music Conference in Miami–has announced more exciting additions to its lineup. Promoters for the festival have revealed that The Prodigy (who will release their new album Invaders Must Die on March 2) and Pendulum, two of the most anticipated live acts for 2009, have been confirmed along with DJ titans Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren. Moby has also tapped UMF for his exclusive Winter Music Conference appearance.

Ultra Music Festival at night

Other acts that are newly confirmed for UMF include: David Guetta, Above and Beyond, Erick Morillo, Booka Shade, the Swedish House Mafia featuring (Steve Angello, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso), Benny Benassi, Rabbit In The Moon, Infected Mushroom, Fedde Le Grand, Richie Hawtin, Luciano, Tiga, Perry Farrell, ATB, M.A.N.D.Y. v. Tiefschwarz, Kraak & Smaak, Dirty South, Pete Tong, Loco Dice, Steve Lawler, Boys Noize, Markus Schulz, Kaskade, Late of the Pier, Planet of the Drums, Andy C + MC GQ and The Whip.

The complete listing of participating artists to date is:

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

Main Stage:

Tiësto, Bloc Party, David Guetta, The Ting Tings, Deadmau5, Santogold, Steve Lawler, Perry Farrell, Late of the Pier. Bayfront Stage: Pendulum Live, Roni Size Reprazent, Rabbit In The Moon, Craze & Klever, Kevens. Carl Cox & Friends Stage: Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin, Luciano, Loco Dice. Mid Park Stage: Swedish House Mafia, Benny Benassi, Tiga, Dirty South, Busy P, Chris Lake.

SATURDAY, MARCH 28

Main Stage:

The Prodigy, Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, Eric Prydz, Above and Beyond, Fedde Le Grand, Infected Mushroom, ATB, Kaskade, Markus Schulz. Bayfront Stage: Deadmau5, Bookashade, Cut Copy, Simian Moblie Disco, Crystal Castles, M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Tiefschwartz, Boys Noize, Hercules and Love Affair, The Presets, Kraak & Smaak, The Whip. Carl Cox & Friends Stage: Carl Cox, Moby, Erick Morillo, Pete Tong, Elio Riso. The Mid-Park Stage: Roni Size DJ Set, Planet of the Drums (featuring AK1200, Dara, Diesel Boy, J. Messinian), Goldie, Andy C and MC GQ, Hybrid DJ Set, Ed Rush and Optical, Bassbin Twins, Soul of Man, DJ Icey, Evol Intent Live, Chase and Status, Drumattic Twins, Baby Anne.

The Ultra Music Festival is South Florida’s favorite music festival, internationally renowned for its memorable live performances and DJ sets from the world’s top electronic and alternative rock artists. It will take place during the 24th annual Winter Music Conference on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 at the beautiful waterfront location of Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami (the same grounds it has occupied since 2006). Tickets are currently available via www.ultramusicfestival.com for $129.95 and then $149.95 as the event approaches. Two-day VIP passes are available for $350.00.

Access the UMF online at these sites:

www.ultramusicfestival.com

www.myspace.com/umf