III Points 2016 Review – Miami’s Festival Savior

Despite the best efforts of that cold hearted natural disaster Matthew, this year’s III Points fest defied all expectations. With a blend of unique tunes from artists who are all advancing their respective genres and scenes, involving activations, and offsite events, III Points owned both the weekend and its earnest attendees while showcasing some of the best talent Miami has to offer.

As we entered Friday, we quickly realized that Mana has been converted into an industrial utopia, with massive storage containers strategically placed to lead patrons to the various stages. Kicking things off with a bang was Vince Staples at The Main Frame, a massive warehouse space with some major sound. His showmanship and attitude permeated his performance and set the tone for the night with his energy. From then on out, it was techno and house with some of the biggest local and international DJ’s playing multiple stages until 5 AM.

After marveling at Mokibaby’s gorgeous installation, a careful arrangement of old school TV’s playing VHS classics, I took a few steps and discovered that Link Miami Rebels (the team behind Trade) had their own stage tucked in a back alley way of the festival. Featuring some of their residents, the stage brought a consistent supply of dark techno, and was true to the vibrant underground scene LMR has helped to maintain and propel. Closing out the main stage Friday was none other than Dixon, who played an emotive and deeply entrancing three hour set, ending the night with Tiga’s remix of LCD Soundsytems “I Can Change”.

Saturday was  a treat for all the old school hip hop heads, as Redman and Method Man brought major energy Saturday night as they brought us back to the “golden age” of hip hop with some Wu-Tang classics (Oh, and a drone that delivered them blunts as well). Thievery Corporation threw a wild party with their dub infused sounds and rousing instrumental arrangements, bringing on multiple vocalists throughout the performance to augment their set list. But as was the theme of the weekend, Saturday was under a heavy tech prescription, with Maya Jane Coles and Dusky bringing the heat in The Main Frame, while Leon Vynehall, DJ Tennis, Amtrac, and Ben UFO held down a consistent groove at the outdoors Isotropic stage.

The surprise of Saturday would have to go Miami Residents and up and comers, The Ascendants. Playing on Door IV, which was curated nightly by local radio and promotional teams, the duo opened with an edit of the “Stranger Things” theme before playing a groovy, no frills tech house set that had arguably the best energy of the weekend.

Sunday featured some amazing live performances, including a pair of incredibly fun and engaging performances from headliners M83 and Flight Facilities. The surprise of the day occurred when I discovered that Earl Sweatshirt, who had missed his flight, was being replaced by local OG Trick Daddy. Playing a quick set full of his hits, he proved he still has the charisma and energy to light up a room.

I was also able to check out the Zignum Mezcal activation, which held true to the festival’s focus on technology by allowing patrons to have virtual “spirit animals” emulate their dance moves on a massive screen overlooking the fest (oh yeah, and the Mezcal was amazing too).

Other highlights included Machinedrum’s bass fueled live performance, which included an amazing visual display to accompany his dark and heavy tunes. The Electric Pickle stage at Door IV also brought consistent grooves, with Founder Will Renuart closing out the night with a sick Vinyl session filled with deep disco and house cuts. Finishing out The Main Frame, as we all wished to delay the inevitable end of an amazing weekend, was masterful selector DJ Koze, who took us on a journey of musical inspiration before closing with his superb disco remix of Lapsley’s Operator.

The related III Points events taking place throughout the weekend outside of the main venue were also not to be missed. One specific highlight of my weekend was the Booty Bass event hosted by the always hilarious Juleisy Y Karla two of Miami’s popular cross dressing divas. These ladies were complimented by a booty shaking tiger cooling the crowd down with rejuvenating blasts of air. The tiger was my hero, and was just another accent that contributed to making III Points 2016 an experience that broadened our musical horizons while giving patrons a deeper look into the musical and artistic innovations of Miami.