Swedish House Mafia
and The Brazilian Girls
October 31, 2010
Masquerade Motel, Miami, FL
Review by Abraham Mizrahi
Photos by Adam McCormick
Much like the big three of the NBA, Wade, Bosh and James, the big three of electronic music, Swedish House Mafia's Angello, Ingrosso and Axwell, have decided to take their talents to South Beach.
Audience
Traditionally the only grownups out and about before sunset on Halloween are those taking their kids out to enjoy Trick-or-Treating before bedtime. Those October 31st mid afternoon hours are generally reserved for the party people to finish napping and start throwing together a last minute costume. The house music super fest, Masquerade Motel, presented a welcomed exception to the rigorously mundane schedule of Miami nightlife, challenging partiers to start their shifts at 3pm.
This day long rager took place in an enormous, heavily fortified white tent sequestered in the heart of Midtown. Approaching the entrance, one was hit in the chest with a thumping bass and a hand from an over eager security guard. Before long, the usual night owls scurried their way indoors and the excitement of the spectacle began to emanate and build.
"Making a big splash at last year’s Ultra Music Festival, Miami welcomed them back with open sweaty arms."
Wandering inside the mysterious tent was like walking into an electronic music dream; no matter your location, the sounds of the DJ were unavoidable.
Angello
On stage early to hype the crowd for the main event was the New York electro dance band The Brazilian Girls. On a side note, none of the four members are actually Brazilian and only one is a girl. No strangers to Miami or the house scene, The Brazilian Girls put on a strong set keeping the crowd entertained while bolstering the anticipation for Swedish House Mafia to take the stage. A look into the crowd was a look into the various sets and cliques that make up the Miami nightlife scene; there were the young girls making questionable decisions, the guys in expensive button downs and ripped jeans, and the people wearing big sunglasses despite the dark atmosphere. Each clique worked to outdo the other in typical Miami fashion, seeing who could buy the most expensive bottles and who could angrily use the word "bro" more.
Audience
Going along with the whole masquerade theme of the event, most of the audience showed up in some sort of costume or mask. In true South Beach style, women showed off as much skin as possible, donning costumes meeting the standard post-modern requirement for girls to dress as sexy nurses, patients, police officers, cats, dogs, or in some more frightening instances, clowns.
About seven hours into the show and countless hits of MDMA and acid later, Swedish House Mafia took to the stage. Veterans of the hard partying scene in electronic meccas around the world such as Amsterdam and Ibiza, these DJs are at the height of their popularity. Making a big splash at
Axwell
last year’s Ultra Music Festival, Miami welcomed them back with open sweaty arms. The trio took the stage and proceeded to send the packed tent into a frenzy. The mega tent was erected in the DJs' honor; giving them an opportunity to create their own vision of “Masquerade Motel,” utilizing enough flair to keep KISS happy. You name it Swedish House Mafia brought it, lasers, canons, giant projectors, smoke, and enough pyrotechnics to sink the Titanic.
The trio kept the beat pounding and the crowd dancing while pulling out all the stops and setting a new precedent for electronic music concerts in Miami.
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