Snapped: The music after dark at Art Basel Miami 2016

Miami’s Art Basel, the annual art fair that takes over Southern Florida, has quickly become known for showcasing much more than just your typical art gallery and cocktail party. In recent years event organizers have flocked to Wynwood and Miami Beach to deliver groundbreaking dance music events featuring the industry’s leading artists, proving the high end art community can mingle with gritty sub-cultures while spending late nights at a rave. 2016 expanded on the all encompassing vision with curators going beyond the call of duty, taking revelers on a sonic journey through grand soundscapes and sweaty, dancing bodies.

With hundreds of thousands flocking to Miami during the first weekend of December, there’s plenty of attractions to satisfy the senses. Many will browse and interact with national and international thought-provoking still and live contemporary art between several art fairs scattered throughout downtown Miami and Miami Beach such as Art Basel, Art Miami, Scope, Untitled, Pulse, NADA, and Aqua to name several. Outside the fairs and after viewing hours, brands produce art-driven influencer events while local promoters and clubs book the most current and in-demand electronic music acts to cater to the population influx on the scene.

This year’s schedule of events seemed to be the most stacked it’s ever been, with respected Miami clubs such as Electric Pickle, The Dog, Bardot and Space bringing in the likes of Green Velvet, Richie Hawtin, Gaslamp Killer, Beats in Space with Danny Daze, Tim Sweeny, and Jennifer Cardini and more. But what brought the city to life more than anything this year were the out of town collectives that curated groundbreaking events away from the usual party locations.

A clear standout was the Life and Death showcase with a jaw-dropping lineup that included DJ Tennis b2b Damian Lazarus b2b DJ Three, Rodhad, Âme, Dorisburg, Young Marco, Radio Slave, Tijana T and many more. Not to mention Diynamic also held a showcase celebrating 10 years of the label with Solomon, Adriatique, Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Stimming, Karmon and Magdalena. Both of these events where put on by local event organizers III Points, who have their ear to the ground when it comes to music on the cutting edge. Massive raves of this magnitude have become the staple events of Art Basel, with more of a festival atmosphere becoming the norm.

Miami’s burgeoning nightlife scene gets a strong boost during Art Basel, which helps to hold over the music community until WMC in March. Don’t hesitate to mark your calendars for 2017 and view photos from a selection of events above.