Miami Music Week Review: A Sensational Week of Music

Connor Phillips | April 09, 2022

Miami Music Week took its game to a new level this year with an assortment of stellar lineups at the best venues that Miami has to offer. Ravers descended upon Miami from March 22-27 with jam-packed schedules with different pool parties every day and different shows every night. After a two-year hiatus, there were no expectations for what the experience would be like. Upon arriving in the never-sleeping city, rave squads were instantly blown away by the atmosphere of Miami Music Week 2022.

Jamie Jones Presents: Paradise Miami In The Factory

The entrance to Factory Town, one of Miami’s hottest outdoor music venues, was crowded by midnight for Jamie Jones' Paradise showcase. Surrounded by palm trees, elevated surfaces, and speakers, the main stage lit up with sets by Ida Engberg and Hot Since 82. They played the optimal balance of minimal and deep house to get the vibes flowing. Around 2:30 AM, the smaller tiki hut-themed stage offered Ben Sterling’s flawless transitions. Loco Dice's tribal house and variety of drums had fans shuffling nonstop. Towards the end of his set, it started pouring rain and half the attendees cleared out. The rest of the crowd, resilient to see Jamie Jones, huddled together and splashed around in the ankle-deep water. For the final hour, Archie Hamilton and East End Dubs threw down a B2B set. The house remixes they played featured lyrics from popular pop and R&B songs. Paradise Miami concluded around 7:30 AM, and a line of people had already gathered in anticipation of the next showcase.

Insomniac Records Pool Party

On Saturday, Nautilus by Arlo hosted an incredible house lineup on a tropical-themed stage for the Insomniac Records Pool Party. HUGEL started it off with Latin house anthems that instantly got the crowd moving. He passed the torch to Westend, who played his newly released remix of “Ain’t Me Without You” by WEISS and his hype track “Get This Party Started”. Next up was CID B2B Dillon Nathaniel. The duo fed off each other’s maxed-out energy and blessed the audience with snare-fueled buildups to their drops. TOKiMONSTA and Dombresky’s sets allowed the crowd to recharge themselves. Dombresky played the sunset slot and we relaxed to his disco remixes of classic hit songs. TOKiMONSTA mixed a lot of deep house and even played a hypnotic remix of “Still Don’t Know My Name” from HBO’s Euphoria. The final set was SIDEPIECE, the house alter ego of DJ duo Nitti Gritti and Party Favor. Every single track was a banger and their transitions captivated the attendees. Highlights from the set included an edit of “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan and their track “Don’t Keep Me Waiting”.

Dim Mak Showcase at Oasis Wynwood

To cap off the weekend, Steve Aoki, KSHMR, and more threw down at the Dim Mak Showcase at Oasis Wynwood. The venue was lit up with purple and white spotlights. Steve Aoki gave the crowd exactly what they wanted: a heavenly combo of his old hits mashed with his releases from 2021. As usual, fans watched as he caked fellow ravers directly in their faces. KSHMR surprised fans with a barrage of psytrance anthems and they responded with roars of excitement. Smoke cannons erupted on every drop while bright red images flashed across the screens. It took fans a few hours to finally settle down after his intense set.

Overall, Miami Music Week certainly lived up to its hype. Each show and venue has something unique to offer to its attendees. It's hard to imagine how Miami Music Week will raise the bar next year. Miami Music Week returns for another week of full-fledged dancing and partying from March 21-26, 2023.