All in the Family
Your response to the Winter Music Conference probably depends on how long you've been going. If you can remember when Ultra was on the beach, in tents, you probably hate how commercial and boring and overpriced Miami has gotten. If you can't remember it or Groovejet or the Sony roof parties or Tenaglia at Space, you probably don't care about how it used to be because, well, why should you?
Personally, I still think it's the most fun week of the year. And that's maybe because I organize my schedule around Sasha and Digweed, providing a structure that I can wrap the rest of my day around. And of all the events -- Sasha and Digweed at Mansion, Digweed's solo gig at a small club and the festival set at Ultra -- none is more fun than the yacht party.
Yacht parties are now something of a cliche at WMC, but back in 2002 (the year Sasha had to stay home with an ear injury), it was a novel experience. Invite 300 of your friends, throw in an open bar, a buffet and DJs on the deck, and spend the late afternoon and early evening cruising up and down the Intercoastal, feeling that something is right with your life.
Last year's was perhaps the best of all. It poured right up to the scheduled time of departure, making getting there almost hazardous. But once everything got underway, the family the two have accumulated were treated to an unforgettable set. DJs like Luke Fair and Hernan Cattaneo shaking their heads over Sasha and John's ability to effortlessly throw together music that none of them had ever heard before.
And, as it always does, the party provided its own last line. As we made our way into the dock, a beautiful woman tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the oddly placed crescent moon rising above us. "See," she whispered, "even the moon is smiling."
