After covering my tenth Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival last month, I came to the conclusion that everything I grew up on is the hands of an entirely new generation. The kids at raves these days were babies when I was a kid at a rave. I feel kind of old for the first time in my life, but the connection to rave culture feels reborn. I like that the word “rave” is reborn too. Not that the stigma has left it, in many ways it’s only been re-enforced. But long gone are the days of yester-decade when the mere association with the word “rave” would undermine an event with a passé, delinquent, childish vibe. On the other hand, during the last decade many dance music affairs seemed pretty long in tooth when it came to patrons. The Winter Music Conference five years ago was very adult. Decadent, don’t get me wrong, but aged.

Now that the kids are back, listening to electronic music, wearing colorful beads, and popping those you-know-whats, the fun, fantastical world of rave culture is back, not that it ever really left. It just splintered off into pieces for a while. And now it’s less about the genres and sub-genres but more about the vibe, the trippy-dippy one-love stuff, and the esoteric aspect of it all. Terrence McKenna would be proud.

Steve Aoki put it perfectly to me backstage at Ultra. “Electronic music, EDM, house whatever you want to call it, it’s not mainstream, still after all these years. But what has happened is that the underground is bigger than ever. It’s almost the size of commercial mainstream culture, but it’s still underneath it all. Maybe it always will be, and that’s the beauty of it.”

In fact, when the mainstream tries to pander to the vast, global community that rave and electronic dance music has fostered, it turns into to a big fail, like Madonna’s contrived moment with the crowd at Ultra. She asked “Has anyone seen Molly?” Of course, everyone cheered. But many of us felt like grandma just made a pass at one of our friends. Since the underground has grown to its present proportions, it’s also become more inclusive. I couldn’t help notice the wide range of ages (18-late 30’s) and styles (from hardcore freak to surfer preppy types) at the Richie Hawtin M-Nus Showcase at Space closing out the Conference. And they all stayed to watch minimal techno savant even though he didn’t take to the deck until a very old school hour of 5 AM. That was the point I realized I’m getting too old for the morning rise set. Plastikman is worth it though. All in all, I welcome the new gen with open arms. They should take the culture and run with it. They’re more media and technologically savvy, and what is rave and EDM culture if not that? They are also friendlier and more positive than I my friends and I were. Then again, we were selling fake hits in the parking lot and jumping the fence to get in. But that’s more an old school Miami thing I can’t shake. I’ll tell you more about that sometime soon. Peace…(and Love, and Unity, and Respect).

“It’s very simple," says Miami's homegrown world-renown DJ Irie. "Miami is the nightlife capital of the world. Hands down. The big DJs understand that to really be recognized, they have to have a presence in Miami.

Like many of today’s top imports who grace our city’s turntables, Miami’s most notable DJ, Irie (a.k.a. Ian Grocher), is increasingly rotating his rhythms among a new generation of Miami mega-clubs. As always, the cavalcade is centered on South Beach, its heavyweight hotspots, and various pop-ups too numerous to list here.

"Miami is always on the tip of people’s tongue," says Irie. "The city itself is a brand. The mixture of cultures lends itself to a mix of musical influences. That’s important to a DJ. It’s liberating.”

But the borders of clubland are far reaching these days. Now, platinum names like Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, and members of the chart-topping Swedish House Mafia (Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso), are venturing throughout the city’s clubscape to stake a claim in Miami’s evolving DJ legacy.

But what club are they drawn to most? Head a few minutes up Collins Avenue from South Beach to the Fontainebleau Hotel. There you'll find their giant, state-of-the-art venue - the world renowned, and according to many, best club on the planet, LIV nightclub. Their DJ booth constantly hosts the biggest names on the planet.

Erick Morillo, the premiere artist on his own Subliminal Records, has successfully turned his brand out on a global scale by spinning and hosting his infamous Subliminal Sessions - first at Ibiza, then New York City followed Las Vegas, and most recently in Miami at LIV. So where does Morillo feel his best sessions go down between those markets?

“Miami is defining a lot of my work right now," Morillo explains. "The city is an inspiration to anyone into electronic music. The lights, the sounds of the city, the people that never sleep. But more than anything, the clubs."

The clubs in Miami are what nightlife industry entrepreneurs from all over the country come to study before opening a venue that aims to be the s*&#. And though nightlife in Miami has had its ups and downs over the last decade, the association to big name DJ talent has never waned. As large rooms and big parties come back with the economy, it’s paying off. Miami, even more than ever, is the ultimate music destination, not only for the clubgoer, but for the talent in the booth as well.

“To be a major nightlife destination these days you need to bring in big name DJ’s," says LIV's co-head and Miami Marketing Group's David Grutman. "People want the full nightlife experience and that’s a big part of it. One of the things clubs in Miami do that make the experience for patrons impeccable, and the DJs seem out of this world, is equip our venues with high quality, state-of-the-art sound systems, and layouts that compliment the dance floor. You get consistent quality in those areas in Miami you don’t see elsewhere. So, Miami has one of the most quality nightlife experiences in the world, and that enables to commit to big name DJ talent.”

One of those quality DJs club owners like Grutman are committed to is Rony Seikaly. Yes, the ex-NBA center was the Miami Heat's first-ever draft pick. His post-NBA career involved owning and operating nightclubs, most notably Mynt. Having a knack for music, it wasn’t long before he re-assumed the nickname he earned as a post-up wiz during his playing days - The Spin Doctor.

Seikaly picked up DJing and turned the hobbie into a profession. Now he spreads his “Rony Style” all over Europe as a touring DJ, releasing original tracks including the club hit “Come With Me,” on Subliminal Records.  He credits his involvement in Miami nightlife with giving him an edge as a DJ, and an understanding of what started the infatuation between superstar DJs and Miami.

“Back in the '90s Miami was the new capital of nightlife," says Seikaly. "Everything was huge. At the start of the 2000’s people were getting away from bigger clubs - going to lounges, smaller bars, and outside hotel patios. Now people are coming back to big clubs, like back in the '90s. Big parties need big DJs. Aside from the décor and the atmosphere, and the beautiful people,  LIV is getting the big DJs.”

Nightlife is getting more entertaining in Los Angeles. Seriously. It used to be that a hot spot, some fresh music, and a cool vibe was enough to get party people out. It turns out some of us need more to keep us on the hook, like some actual entertainment before, during, or after the party. We have such ADD in this town (there’s something in the water!).
Probably the funkiest showcase-cum-club night is Point Break at the Dragonfly in Hollywood. Produced by twisted club kids, the Boulet Bros. (the guys behind the infamous Miss Kitty’s Cabaret that gave artists like Mickey Avalon their start), the Point Break weekly features re-enactments of that classic cult movie every Saturday night. It’s a freaking riot.
A regular cast plays all the big roles from the movie, but they choose the Keanu Reeves character from the audience. They hold up huge signs with the lines for them to read off. Audience participation is always encouraged, and their point is always proved. Even a drunk chick from the club doing a cold read can do as good an acting job as Keanu Reeves. If you go, make sure to purchase yourself a “survival kit” at the door for a dollar (a raincoat), since they splash a lot of water and fake blood around.

No word on what Keanu thinks of this production. But Marilyn Manson likes it so much he catches shows regularly. After the production the party turns into an electro-kink party, replete with old and new school booty bass music and continuous stage shows featuring spanks for the party people.

Sticking to high-brow culture, I attended a spoken word at one of the coolest spots in LA. The spot is a “speakeasy” called R Bar, in Korea Town. You need a password to get in. I don’t remember how I got mine, so just investigate. But the dark and subdued bar comes alive with funky music and oddballs till late into the night. And strangely enough, being that it’s in Korea Town I never see many Koreans. Oh, hipsters…

Now, I don’t go to spoken words. Yes, I’m a writer, I’m a comic, and I love music and art, so you’d assume I have a notebook full of poetry. But I can’t stand listening to wannabe beatniks spouting off prose in some staccato pentameter about how much they’re misunderstood by the insensitive world around them. If they feel the need to get self-involved shit off their chest, write them as lyrics to a rock song and find a band to back you up, cause your poems on their own can be headache inducing; not to mention a total buzzkill. But this spoken word was different. It’s people going up and telling funny stories about their lives, usually party-related. And then they get to play a track off their iPod in between. I played David Bowie’s “Modern Love” over and over again.

And finally, I attended a kind event I have never been to, and probably would never have gone to had it not been over at the historic rock venue, Key Club. It was a live wrestling show produced by indie wrestling personality Ryan “Smiley” Katz called Fight Night located on the Strip that segued into the more usual rocker affair featuring bands like Phoenix Down. Now, I’m more an MMA guy than a wrestling fan (my mom told me that wrestling and Santa Claus were fake when I was really young, and it ruined both the WWF and Christmas for years to come), but I do recall for a brief period I did enjoy the characters of the WWF Saturday morning cartoon and the ladies of G.L.O.W. And I’ll always love Hulk Hogan. I even partied with him once at Mansion on South Beach. Boy, can the Hulkster drink vodka!

When you see it close up, with a screwdriver in hand, this wrestling business is pretty entertaining. They actually do slam each other good and I noticed a few misplaced knees really do land on the heads of the wrestlers. The audience looks down onto the ring from the booths and second story cavernous confines of the historic Key Club, yelling insults at various indie wrestling stars. The shenanigans outside the ring are fairly amusing. This shit is the most interactive thing I’ve ever done.

But the guy who stole the show didn’t wrestle at all. He was a luchador superstar, and according to his introduction, Mexico’s “most successful used car salesman.” He is Manny Peeples. The guy doesn’t do anything violent or acrobatic. Rather, he comes out in his custom-crazy outfit, fashion forward luchador mask, a beer in hand, and offers a few astute observations. He also proceeds to rag on everyone from the hostess, a hot Asian sensation called Kim Lai Ying Ling, to the luchadores he brought from Mexico to wrestle. “I don’t know if these people have Telemundo. Have another beer, it will make sense later,” Peeples told the crowd in his proto-typical accent, to which they obliged.

So next time you go out, pass by a party that is also a show, or a show that is partly a party. It gives you something to talk about when you’re soaking up the alcohol at a late night diner wondering what you’re going to do with your life. I decided I want to dance.

In case some of you haven’t read it in the news, a “rave riot” broke out Los Angeles this week. That’s right, several thousand ravers showed up and then shut down the busiest part of Hollywood Blvd. It wasn’t a flash mob. It was just supposed to be a free set by Kaskade outside the screening of Electric Daisy Carnival Experience at Grauman's Chinese Theater.

DJ Kaskade proved he has a lot of loyal fans when he encouraged his followers to come out to Hollywood Blvd with this Tweet earlier in the day: “Today@6pm in Hollywood @Mann's Chinese Theatre. ME+BIG SPEAKERS+MUSIC=BLOCK PARTY!!! RT!”

Kids showed up, happy color beads and all. But when the crowd grew over capacity and interrupted traffic (I have no idea where these kids parked…) the cops came to bust up the large but peaceful crowd. When that happened a few rabble rouser ravers broke some windows and smashed a cop car. That’s when the shit hit the fan. Police in riot gear and legion formations, armed with bean bag guns, steamrolled through the boulevard. A police car was set on fire, according to multiple news reports. I didn’t see that, though.

Yes, I was there. I got on the seen late, about 30 minutes after the initial disturbances. What I did see can be viewed in what I filmed on my phone. I interviewed a few cool raver kids who seemed like they just wanted to have a good time (and I ran into my comedian friend Michael Lenoci).

The LAPD shut down Hollywood Boulevard to traffic and forced businesses along the Walk of Fame to close their doors, keeping some customers trapped inside. Traffic was snarled for miles (even more than it usually is). Police and news helicopters hovered over head. It was a pretty hardrcore reaction by the city.

In the middle of it all, DJ Kaskade sent out multiple Tweets, calling for calm and entreating the crowd to disperse.

"EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO HOME NOW! I DON'T WANT THIS TO REFLECT BADLY ON EDM OR WHAT WE ARE ABOUT," he tweeted. "BE RESPECTFUL AND CHILL OUT!!"

So what do I think about this? Well, it wasn’t really a riot. Just poor crowd control for a flash mob like gathering by the cops. It wasn’t like the kids were out of control before they showed up, unless you count having a huge crowd on a public street out of control. That happened after the cops became aggressive.

Color me anti-climatic. Call me an apologist for kids wanting to do something on  a big scale. Call me a sucker for rave culture and spontaneous human congregations. But what simply happened is that Kaskade has a hell of a lot of fans, and they all wanted to hear him spin. They all wanted to have fun. That and the fact the cops and the tourists got scared of the colorfully clothed, smiley faced, diluted pupil’d, dancing youth. The thugs you saw starting trouble were not there to see Kaskade. The handful who threw rocks and set fire to a cop car, those kids weren’t cool. But the rest were. Yeah, I said it…and what? Get your rave on.