III Points Festival is back in Miami this weekend for another three days of exciting, innovative music. The organizers behind III Points (including David Sinopoli, the young talent booker at Midtown's always-hip Bardot) have outdone themselves for their third year, bringing together some of the world’s biggest names in cutting-edge indie, electronic, and hip-hop music.
And, this being Miami, there will be plenty of underground, deep house, and techno pulsing throughout the weekend.
Here are my top five must-see artists this weekend, completely worth shelling out the modest $55 to $110 for tickets and braving that old Miami traffic. See you guys on the floor!
Bonobo (DJ Set)
10 p.m to midnight, Friday, October 9, Main Frame Stage
From his ambient, downtempo first albums released a decade or so ago to his groundbreaking albums and live shows featuring dense, intricately orchestrated instrumentation and guest vocalists, Bonobo is a constantly innovating artist. For III Points, Bonobo will be playing a two-hour DJ set. Expect him to move between his biggest stylistic influences: trip-hop, dub, funk, drum 'n' bass, house, and all manner of experimental electronic music.
Sango
12:15 a.m. to 1:15 a.m., Saturday, October 10, Main Frame Stage
Sango is an incredibly talented producer whose typical set bounces around between hip-hop, neo-soul, and all types of futuristic beats. Originally from Seattle, Sango was the one who really first put L.A.’s (now) massive Soulection label on the map; he was their first producer to break out and bring the rest of the crew along with him. His breakthrough mixtape of The Weeknd remixes led to production work with artists like
Danny Daze
1:30 a.m. to 3 a.m., Saturday, October 10, Black Hole Stage
Danny Daze began his career in Miami but has since taken his blend of deep house and techno all over the world. Seeing him in Miami always has the warm feeling of a homecoming, an artist happily returning to where he started on his own terms, as the artist he set out to be. His live sets are amazing — Daze creates a deep, atmospheric sound and subtly builds the energy, releasing the tension at just the right moments. Get there.
AlunaGeorge
7:30 p.m. to 8:20 p.m., Saturday, October 10, Main Frame Stage
AlunaGeorge’s singer, Aluna, may be my favorite voice in dance music at the moment. Her silky, unique vocals make tracks from artists like
Local DJ Picks: Dude SkyWalker, Santiago Caballero, Mikey Ramirez, Jeremy Ismael, DJ A-Train, Pirate Stereo
OK, I’m cheating a bit here on my “five acts to see” promise, but I wanted to include some great local DJs that will be playing the festival. III Points' great strength over other local festivals (Ahem, Ultra, MMW/WMC) is that they really make an effort to get local and up-and-coming talent some exposure during the festival. I have heard incredible DJ sets from all these guys, and I fully expect them to bring their best to III Points. Make sure you take some time to support some of Miami’s finest DJ talent.
Check out our sister paper Miami New Times' coverage of III Points 2015 for full set times, activation schedules, photo galleries, and more!
III Points with King Krule, Bomba Estereo, Run the Jewels, Nicolas Jaar, Damian Lazarus & the Ancient Moons, and others. Friday, October 9, through Sunday, October 11, at Mana Wynwood, 318 NW 23rd St., Miami; 305-573-0371; manawynwood.com. Tickets cost $55 to $110 plus fees via squadup.com.