It’s no surprise that for some time now live music venues all over Miami have been closing their doors like the iconic Van Dykes Cafe as well as the Vagabond. Yet to my disbelief, along comes a festival in its infancy such as III Points that isn’t just past the baby carriage stage, this little shit is full blown running! The way Soho Studios was transformed into a bohemian Coachella in the midst of our Wynwood Art Walk is one for the books ladies and gentlemen. If you witnessed the variety of music this year at III Points then I do not have to stress to you the level of awesomeness that was achieved. From beast beat master Flying Lotus to local two piece rock group Deaf Poets, the set lists were a scatterbrain smorgasbord of raw music not for the faint of heart.
Also, see: III Points [Photo Gallery]
We’ve all been waiting for a weekend such as this and the delivery couldn’t have arrived any sooner. From Promotion to Production 3p was on point. The buzz that was obtained so many weeks in advance can only be seen by the likes of yearly events such as Ultra and Art Basel. From the moment that that empty Soho Studios opened until it was gutted the following day, something magical happened. Its no surprise that on almost a daily basis in Miami you’ll be able to see the worlds best djs. Yet 3p was so much more than that. This event left us with a sensation that we can now expect a different place once a year to express oneself in the madness of music, art and technology.
Itching closer to the entrance you were taken aback by the walking dead expose’ littered in handmade booths of wood, plane scrap metal and a gutted school bus lounge. This could have easily been used as paintball field however, you soon discovered that the Sector 3 stage was more of an anarchist playground for you to enjoy buzzing local talent Jeremy Ismael, Santiago Caballero, Artime, and Bonnie Beats in the open night sky. Even though overlapping main acts like Thundercat, Metronomy and Hot Natured, locals still showed inflexible support to their beloved Miami residents.
Whether you were catching a drink before heading into the dense main stage, visual stimulants were plentiful. Passing The Last Bar and the Mad Max school bus for the first time on Friday you could see panels the reached the ceiling with the massive iii points logo projection. To your left was an installation of faces blending and mixing into one each other. Once pass the panels smack in the middle of Soho Studios there she was; a majestic disco ball only a few feet above the audiences head.
One can remember the feeling of seeing her in all her glory but what you couldn’t forget was your friends faces, raising their arms up in adoration. This was the ultimate testament, paying homage to the previous era of dance music having come full circle.
The main stage lighting along with stunning visuals projected within your peripheral view took you for a ride, especially during the incredible Flying Lotus set. It was stealth screen magic, drawing you into a psychedelic rabbit hole outfitted in a range of vibrant colors that would melt into stars as if flying through space. From the visual department to the sound engineers, its a miracle that this room in Soho could handle such closed quarter frequencies bouncing to and from. Thats why 3p brought in an engineer specifically for sound masking using the 30 something panels that were strategically placed above our heads. From the talent to the production heroes, this event was stacked with rock stars who made it all possible.
Once your able shake off the appealing intensity of the main stage you most likely wandered into Skate Space where you can glide around the skating rink with you friends while acts like Telescope Thieves, RJD2, Cashmere Cat, The Hongs, Jacques Greene and Dude Skywalker took the stage. This space provided some of the best variety of music ranging from Hip Hop, Rock, Bluegrass, Trap, Chill-Step, and everywhere in between. Random I know, but if your taste in music is as ADD as the time we live in then this space was a harmonic oasis for you. You could vibe, skate, sit, shake or trip out in front of the TV screens outfitted with haphazard videos embracing static and expired logos.
Lastly, exiting Skate Space you’d find yourself in an open alley where the ever-foggy MindMelt stage with booty shaking projections brought to you by Wynwood’s beloved Klangbox Radio. With your back to the main room facing MindMelt, you’d see ice sculpture bars, a sound barrier turned art installation and a wide open space free from obstructions for you to boogie with the freshness of open air. Here you may have caught the likes of locals Laura (Of Miami), Patrick Walsh, Uchi, Basti, Nikey Blitz, Deaf Poets with big names such as Hercules & Love Affair, Dj Tennis, and Mac Demarco. Directly behind each performer shining off the industrial lot parallel to MindMelt was the III points logo, eloquently displayed for the entire Wynwood neighborhood.
The presence of iii points was strongly felt all throughout the Wynwood neighborhood by hosting it during the monthly second Saturday art walk. Not only was Soho occupied Friday through Sunday 7pm to 3am but satellite events promoting new technology trends with even more art installations spread across different galleries the entire span of the weekend, allowing festival goers to fully immerse themselves within their overall concept. 3p went as far as commissioning local artist Nikki Salcedo to paint her wild #junglevision mural right in the heart of Wynwood. Support from local musicians and galleries offered pro-bono pop-ups that doled out everything from complimentary admission to unlimited beer. Positive feedback from fellow concert goers suggests next years buzz to be even greater.
As an avid concert/festival devotee, III points blew my mind in that from the moment you entered their grounds, you felt like you belonged. It was truly created out of love for music, art, and tech culture. From the list of hand picked artists to the Everlast production team responsible for the back end, it uniquely lived and breathed as any music festival should. All of Miami should revel in the fact that we have something else each year to be excited for. It won’t be the same party experience you get 5 nights a week. As local DJ Lou Flores said:
“It has become a project for the future, a futuristic festival where it not only involves people dedicated to music, but to humanity.”
