:::: Nitevibe :::: WMC 2005

M3 Sunset Sessions
Surfcomber Hotel March 23 - 25
By Andrew Casden

The rise of the M3 Summit in recent years has breathed new life into the late March Madness of Miami, offering up a slightly different kind of musical palette than that of the Winter Music Conference. Headquartered at the lovely Surfcomber Hotel on Collins Ave, the M3 Sunset Sessions brought together a diverse collection of live electronic artists and DJs and MCs over the span of four days, starting on Wednesday and going through until Saturday. Some of the artists were making a return to the M3 sessions, while others were making their illustrious debut.

Thursday's BBQ got things kicked off with a mostly San Francisco line-up courtesy of our own Om Records. J Boogie set the mood in the early afternoon with his signature mixed up styles of hip-hop, funk, and laid-back Latin grooves while folks chilled poolside. Colossus was up next, bringin' the acid-jazz and hip-hop straight outta Oaktown, with their live ensemble crew doin' it once more for the people. The rain rolled in around 1:30, and people took shelter from the storm. For about an hour, Boogie kept the vibe alive, until a break in the clouds meant getting back to business. Farina came out for a short Mushroom Jazz set, with that swingin' downtempo thump we know so well. Capping things off for the Om crew were newcomers Strange Fruit Project, hailing from Dallas, who are a recent addition to the SF label's hip-hop imprint. These three MCs came to play, and got live on the mic with beats and flows reminiscent of Tribe and early J5.

Later in the evening, Giant Steps brought out heavy hitters Gilles Peterson, Bugz in the Attic, and the G-Stone crew featuring Peter Kruder, shifting the mood from hip-hop and downtempo to that of broken beats, breaks, and house. Kruder would spin later that night at the Delano with the likes of Truby Trio, playing a set that teetered on the edge of midtempo and dancey, the kind where you can bob your head over a few drinks or get up and shake your ass.

The party continued on Friday, as Jazzanova, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and The Juan MacLean headlined the evenings lineup. Jazzanova never disappoints, and showed off for the M3 guests with a groovy mixture of rare-groove house and soul, breakbeat funk and trip-hop. The Juan MacLean drew a buzz for his live set on the gritty side of the techno palette. His new album, Less than Human, is receiving critical praise, and he certainly didn't want to let his reputation precede his performance, demonstrating a knack for the theatrical and energetic synth-soaked rock/techno that he's come to embody. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble showed up ready to entertain with their live jazz and funk arrangements of trumpets, trombones and plenty of sax. The brass sound was a great organic element to this sessions that day, acting as a counterweight to the techier leanings of previous acts and DJs.

By Andrew Casden