Ever since electronic music first began to take hold of ears, hearts, and feet all over the United States, Europe, and beyond in the 1980’s, the practice of experiencing electronic music as a collective as often been viewed as akin to a religious experience. The club is a church, the DJ a priest, the dancing masses the worshippers, and the beat the sermon. It is therefore only appropriate that Made Event’s 36-hour event during Miami Music Week be entitled Sunday School; a place where children go to learn the ways of religion in an informal setting. And aren’t we all just that – children refusing to grow up, coming together to worship the gospel of house and techno in the safe haven of like-minded revelers.
Sunday School: The Lost Weekend took place at the Ice Palace in downtown Miami, otherwise known as the middle of what seemed to be abandoned warehouse buildings, deserted train tracks, and the occasional highly suspicious looking figure hustling the street corners. But no matter, for once inside the outside walls of the event space that consisted of an outdoor area and two stages, all memory of the outside world simply melted away. Seven or so hours disappeared in the blink of an eye on Friday night, as bodies, minds, and hearts all moved in sync to the rhythm of the thundering basslines emanating from the stacks of Funktion One’s guarding the corners of the rooms.
At Stage 1, D.I.M., Tiga and Spank Rock all gave exhilarating performances, catering to those more interested in the electro and house end of the spectrum. It was however Boys Noize that truly stole the show, mixing old favorites from his Oi Oi Oi and Power albums with some of the seriously wicked acid that he’s been displaying a preference for lately. Next door at The Lobby, those more inclined toward straight techno were spoiled by an incredible live set from Gaiser, who reacted perfectly and intuitively to every shift in the audience, which at this point in the night was little more than a heaving, grinning, beat driving organism. Friday night peaked at around 4:30am, when Richie Hawtin stepped in and pushed it just that extra inch, carrying every single person in the place with him to the absolute brink of the human-meets-techno experience. His set was hard and loud, but the crowd was more than prepared for it, meeting his every manipulation of sound with one of the body. And that was only the first night.
It quickly became apparent that Sunday was best taken on as a marathon, not a sprint, given that the majority of the attendees had barely slept, eaten, or sat down for that matter, in a good three or four days. It was therefore incredibly well played on the part of Made Event to have both Victor Calderone and Luciano playing extended sets during the wee hours of the morning, allowing merrymakers who had not been home for quite some time (and who had no intention of going there) to take breaks in the cool morning grass without missing anything heartbreakingly crucial. That is not to say that these artists were anything less than extraordinary, with Luciano in particular delivering one hell of a set, packing the dancefloor of Stage 1 as night slowly began to turn into day.
With the hot Miami sun rising higher and higher, the music began to diversify a bit, moving away from the steady pace of the night’s techno toward more melody driven artists, some of whom even incorporated live instruments and vocals. Benoit & Sergio, tINI, and No Regular Play all delivered the perfect blend of deep house on the outdoor Terrance, providing an ideal soundtrack for the adjustment to the rays of the sun after the cool, dark night. Inside, Nicolas Jaar performed with a full live band, which provided just the right brief respite from the consistent 4×4 beat that otherwise permeated the space. Although focusing primarily on album material, Jaar and his band still kept the sound fresh, experimenting with live manipulations and synching the electronics with the live drum patterns. For those still on the techno train, Steve Bug and Better Lost Than Stupid kept the energy going well into the day, with The Lobby area in particular never emptying, despite the levels of heat and physical exertion.
In retrospect, the entire experience seems a bit unreal, in the way that such incredible and special events centered around the experience of one moment in time always do. After a good night’s sleep, a full meal, and reversion to regular life these experiences can begin to seem very far away. However, until we can return to Sunday School and lose another weekend in Miami next year, we can study the teachings of our musical priests in our own private lives. I know I for one never cease to worship the temple of electronic beats, even for one single day.
