Art Basel Music

Music was hardly the focus of this year's Art Basel Miami Beach: the annual bacchanal that brings virtually the entire art world to South Florida for five days of browsing, buying and non-stop partying. But, amidst all the garbage sculptures and cocktail napkin drawings, there were some musical items of note, both on and off the walls. 

At the entrance to the Scope Art Fair – one of dozens of satellite fairs scattered throughout Miami – a group of New Yorkers installed The Riot Temple (pictured above): a 17 foot high sculpture that features police riot shields, Shoji screens, and what purports to be the world's first (and only) fully robotic gamelan orchestra. Composer/Inventor Taylor Huffner was there to answer questions about his Gamelatron, which works by means of MIDI sequences that control 117 separate striking mechanisms, producing a sound very much like the real thing (if a bit slow.) Not sure what kind of statement sculptor Ryan O'Connor was trying to make with his shields, but they did manage to keep the sound from dissipating.

Down the street at Pulse, the front courtyard featured musical acts each night, including The Vivian Girls and Khaela Maricich's The Blow. When I was there, Exene Cerenka – former lead singer of seminal punk band X – played a softspoken set of rootsy folk, to which hardly anyone paid any attention. Oh well, at least there were cocktails and a nice sunset. 

Later that night, I was wandering around Wynwood when I came across these guys playing Cuban timba outside one of (many) makeshift galleries set up for the weekend. With their cowbell, conga, maracas and trumpets, they could be heard from blocks around and gathered a decent crowd, though most stayed out on the street.

But the wildest party of the weekend was Saturday night at Fountain, which for $5 offered more than a dozen galleries, performance art, an open bar, a clothing-optional outdoor sauna, and live music. Headliners Chairlift, who have seen their popularity soar on the back of their hit "Bruises," played a late night set out under the stars. Their synth-pop is irresistibly catchy, enabled by Caroline Polachek's strong and beautiful voice, which belies her waif-like appearance. Wearing a plunging black dress with massive shoulder pads, she lived up to the star projected on her throughout the night; after the show, she signed autographs and took pictures with anyone who asked. For real, this band is going places. Why can't more musicians be that charming?

All-in-all, a fun time in the Magic City. Back to the cold (sigh.) (More pics below.)

Chairlift