Month four into a six month stand of Third Thursdays and the This which is PAMM and the That which is POPLIFE have proven what we’ve suspected all along — yep, you guessed it, that together the two aren’t just All That; they’re All That and Then Some.
We speak of course about that glorious colliding known as POPLIFE Social at PAMM, the thrilling Third Thursday phenom which has all the cool kids coming undone. Why? Well, for one reason it’s based in a world class art house. For another, it’s curated by a world class outfit of racket-wranglers. Then there’s the fact that the action all goes down on beloved Biscayne Bay, with Miami’s increasingly stunning skyline as a backdrop, and an extremely wily array of bestest and brightest of every stripe right there on tap to blow your mind.
This Third Thursday, that means John Hancock III, whose sound might best be described as Awesome New Electronica. Or something. This being Miami, and he being a Miamian, it also means one lean, mean wow of an evening.
See. You. There.
Lest you not be sufficiently persuaded, read on to see what Tropicult got from Poplife principal and all-around ace Miamian Aramis Lorie.
What’s the big idea behind POPLIFE Social at PAMM?
The idea behind the Third Thursdays Social is to use the synergies of art (PAMM) and music (POPLIFE) to create experiences that’ll appeal to people all across the spectrum. It’s part educational and part fun, and it’s got a beat everyone can dance to.
Who came up with the bright idea?
That’s hard to say. I can tell you Hollie Altman, Alexa Ferra, Erica Gil and Tracy Belcher from PAMM have all been instrumental in getting the series up and running, as have Stephany Torres and Jake Jefferson from POPLIFE. I can also tell you that the idea was born from a mutual respect and appreciation for what each institution has created and nurtured in our city.
Who’ve you had perform so far?
The legendary producer/DJ Arthur Baker kicked off the series in March; the equally legendary producer/DJ Jellybean Benitez followed in April. For May, of course, we had the destined-to-be-legendary Psychic Mirrors.
And who’s coming up?
June’s lineup consists of Awesome New Republic’s John Hancock III performing live along with Uchi and DZA. The idea is to keep it diverse, but with a focus, and yet enhance the talent field as we move forward.
What has been the response?
The response has been incredible! Bands and DJs, from all four corners of the world, are constantly approaching us looking to get on the bill. And everywhere I go, I’m getting thumbs-up and thanks. PAMM’s been really terrific too — not just supportive of our programming ideas, but a great pleasure to work with.
Word is you’re branching out beyond POPLIFE, that so?
POPLIFE has always been involved in many different ventures related to cultural development. Recently the spotlight’s been on our company, Super Music Group. SMG is Derek Walin and Brandon Kessler, along with POPLIFE co-founders Jake Jefferson and me, Aramís Lorié.
Who’s on Super Music Group’s roster?
SMG’s roster expands from Cosmonaut Grehko, a Moscow-based multi-instrumentalist to Miami champion and Slow Roast founder DJ Craze. From Kentucky native producer/songwriter/DJ Amtrac to that tag team of LA-based fashionistas/singer-songwriters/DJs who go by the name Posso. Our family of talent is really unique and diverse and we’re really involved in nurturing what they bring to the table.
Why’d you decide to add management to your agenda?
Management is something Jake and I have kind of done on the cool for a long time. And we figured that after so many years of unofficially giving advice to our artist friends, it was now time to officially start doing so. It’s wonderful to see first hand the evolution of the talent on our roster, and to have a hand in helping that talent evolve.
How will managing racket-makers compliment the staging of racket-makers?
At the risk of sounding like an out-of-date TED Talk, it’s really all about synergy. The staging — which, of course, includes booking the acts, producing the shows, even curating events — already has many aspects of managing. Unfortunately, it lacks the benefits of being the actual manager. Taking our interests a step further will allow us to establish a free-flowing interaction between the creative process and the performance process. The goal is to ensure a seamless transition from the time a star is born to the time they go galactic.
Anything else we need to know about before you go-go?
Where to begin? The Poplife team is always channeling ideas, and we’re always working on bringing to Miami the most up-to-the-minute and knife sharp acts out there.
Grand Central’s got an amazing summer line-up but come Fall I’m particularly excited about the having the legendary industrial group Front 242.
Oh, and for Art Week we’ll again be teaming with PlOt for another night of Life and Death. Last Basel the Berlin-based label brought in an inimitable array that ranged from Vaal (the latest incarnation of Sting’s daughter Eliot Sumner) to deepest house DJ Dixon (of the label Innervisions). They also transformed the space into something indescribable. And this year we’ll add our own array of homegrown visuals to compliment the mix.
Photos by World Red Eye
6pm