Posted April 13, 2017

By ETTY GROSSMAN

Miami Music Week is that time of the year when every single name in electronic dance music comes to Miami for one of the busiest week of the year.

This year, from March 21 to March 26 , hundreds of events from giant-scaled music festivals to extremely intimate and curated showcases brought in different types of parties for  every crowd.

Besides what everybody thinks, the Ultra Music Festival is just one of many events; it is one of the biggest but it is certainly not for everyone. Those who couldn’t handle Ultra’s voltage, but still want to enjoy live music, opted for a pool party and their expectations have been exceeded.

The Playground Pool Party with Klingande is one of the favorites. At only 26 years old, French DJ and tropical house producer Cédric Steinmyller is best known by his stage name Klingande and has reached No. 1 status on the charts and gone gold and platinum in many countries in Europe.

Just like last year, on Sunday March 26, the hipster and whimsical South Beach hotel Delano Beach Club welcomed Klingande and other sets from Autograf, Jonas Blue, Classixx and Nora en Pure. Doors opened at 2 p.m. but the place only got crowded after 5 p.m.

The audience was a good mix of female and male young adults, however, there was also an evident niche of adults between 40 to 50 years old, who were having a lot of fun.

Jonas Blue was the first artist to take the stage. It seemed people wanted to party so bad, that right after his first song, the dance floor started to tightly fill itself.

Ed Sheeran dancehall-infused pop song “Shape of You” was Blue’s selection to open the party. He continued with his lighter and airy summer jam “Perfect Strangers,” and suddenly he changed the mood by playing on of the most played Francophone singles “Alors on Danse” by Belgian musician Stromae.

Blue was on stage for about one hour, doing what he does best, blending dance music with pop sensibilities. During this 60 minutes, people’s energy increased and just before leaving the stage he shared his latest single, which would be released next month, “Hey Mamma.”

Classixx was next. The electropop duo disappointed the crowd simply because there wasn’t a duo on stage; Michael David was the only artist playing the music and he didn’t give an explanation about why his childhood friend and music partner, Tyler Blake wasn’t there.

The duo’s blend of disco, new wave, funk, house and indie rock changed the party’s mood and sent the people directly to get and other drink and spend some time in the pool.

Even though Classixx played the majority of their latest album “Faraway Reach” people seemed lost, proving people’s opinion that electronic dance music can’t be fully enjoyed without dancing it.

Around 6 p.m. the party was boosted by the uniqueness of Nora en Pure. Born as Daniela Niederer, the South African-Swiss DJ and deep house producer gave fans a great performance.

She remained true to her tradition and started the show with “Come with Me,” the single with which she gained a name on the international stage.

Men were obviously fascinated, but women also were because her life experience and cultural diversification shows splendidly in her mix. She used sounds, rhythms, melodies, and beats from all over the world, frequently simultaneously, to make a room dance.

Nora en Pure’s set lasted roughly an hour and a half or so, “Zambia,” “Shades of Grey,” “Hear Me Now” and “Lake Arrowhead” were some of the songs that got the crowd immersed in the moment and dancing together.

After the Nora en Pure’s impeccable presence, the room was kept in the moment by Autograf, a trio from Chicago dedicated to producing future house music.

Jake Carpenter, Louis Kha and Mikul Wing are the three artists making up this group. Their appearance was peaceful, but energizing just as their music.

They played famous songs such as “Rockabye,” “Bad Ideas,” by Alle Farben and “One” by Swedish House Mafia; but their best moment was when they played their original release “Dreams.”

While playing this song they incorporated live instrument, Kha played the piano while Carpenter played the malletKAT, an electronic marimba. Other highlights from this band were their visuals, which were full of color and personality. Surprisingly they do all their stage production and artwork.

After Autograf’s performance, attendees had the kind of anxious feeling eager fans get waiting for their artist’s arrival to the stage. They were more than ready for Klingande. The energy and doubled as Klingande began playing. The melodic deep house music playing seemed to instigate a connection of friendship and emotion between everyone; people couldn’t stop smiling or dancing.

He opened the stage with a house version of Ray Charles’ classic “Hit The Road Jack,” with which the crowd initiated a loud sing-along. Suddenly Pol Steinmyller, Klingande’s saxophonist made his entrance. More than collaborating musically with the artist and doing saxophone solos, Pol also served as a hype man connecting with fans and lifting up their energy levels.

“Riva,” “Punga,” “Somewhere New,” “Losing You,” and “Jubel” were some of the most exciting songs Klingande played.

He didn’t interact much with the audience and he only approached the microphone at the end to thank them, but for his loving fans, this seemed enough. Even though the set was shorter than the most, his performance was so clean that it left the crowd more than satisfied.

The concert ended around 9 p.m., a little bit early for those who party, but just at the right time for those who work on Monday morning.

This party has been around for two years now and it would definitely stay for long. If you like this type of events, next year’s tickets would be available from January. Be fast and buy them ahead of time because they may sale out.

• Klingande Playground Pool Party
• Artists: Klingande, Nora en Pure, Autograf, Classixx and Jonas Blue
• Venue: Delano Beach Club
• Address: 1685 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, Fla. 33139
• Promoter:DiskoLab
• Price:$40 – $60
• Hours:2-11 p.m.
• Ages:21+
• 4.5/5