This weekend marks the 11th annual edition of the , a project spearheaded by the in 2003. Like most other musical events mounted by the area nonprofit, the focus here is on a confluence of sounds from across the globe.
This festival is particularly forward-thinking, though. Not only does the bill mix up various styles of world music, it also promotes acts who fuse it all with a contemporary dance beat. That means a series of shows, from this Thursday, April 6 through Sunday, April 7 that equally showcase traditional rhythms and DJ-inspired culture.
Out-of-town headliners, one a night, this year include the Argentine-Uruguayan "electro-tango" outfit , Colombian cumbia-club act , and American funk carioca duo and . But at least one carefully chosen local act also features prominently on each night's bill. Here are five you need to know.
To get full lineup details and tickets, visit .
The line-up of this punk-funk dance act seems to vary with each show, but it's always massive. At its best, complete with horn section and chirping backup singers, the band sounds like a fleshed-out version of downtown '80s New York acts like ESG. Think soul with an especially heavy low end and more than a little edge.
9 p.m. Thursday, April 4 at the festival kick-off party at Blackbird Ordinary, 729 SW 1st Ave., Miami. Admission is free; age 21 and up.
This five-piece cranks out shimmering electro-pop ditties with some festival-size hooks. There are also the occasional touches of Radiohead-style, slower exploration, but the band is at its best when it aims for the disco floor.
Opening for Bajondo, 7 p.m. Friday, April 5 at the North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Admission is $23 for the individual show, or included in the festival's $35 two-day pass.
Not totally unlike Psychic Mirrors, Krisp mines a certain vein of '80s-inflected dance rock. This group is a relatively stripped-down quartet, though, and instead of going for all-out funk, they often veer off into a slightly more New Wave-y bent. Devo fans, check for a few strains of that band's influence in some of Krisp's songs.
Opening for Bomba Estereo, 7 p.m. Saturday, April 6 at the North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Admission is $23 for the individual show, or included in the festival's $35 two-day pass.
Recognize at least half of this group? This is another project by Tony Smurphio, better known as the big-haired beatmaker behind Afrobeta. For Beatmachines, he's teamed up with buddy J.J. Freire for an act that specializes in completely improvised electronic music -- performed entirely with actual instruments like keyboards and drums. Naturally, no two shows are alike.
At the festival closing party, 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, April 7 at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami. Admission is free; age 21 and up.
The alter ego of Toto Gonzalez, Mr. Pauer is part DJ, part improvisational digital visual artist, part live remixer. This one-man party-starter takes songs you might recognize -- '80s jams, Latin classics -- and flips them into something new by mixing and cutting them up on the fly.
At the festival closing party, 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, April 7 at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami. Admission is free; age 21 and up.
