The hot nights of Buenos Aires

It was a pleasure to travel to Buenos Aires again for the Second South American Music Conference (SAMC). I was lucky to have been at the first conference, so I already had an idea of what to expect, how to get into the swing of things and learn more about the music scene of South America. Besides, I couldn't wait to sample an Argentine steak!

This time the conference took place at a different venue, and there were many small stands of local companies — music shops, radio stations and magazines. Over time the number of participants will, of course, grow. The first people I met were two journalists from Brazil and Mexico, and it was with them that I set off to look around the stands. It was a great opportunity to learn a lot of interesting things about the music scenes of their countries.

The seminars were excellently thought out and proved popular, although, according to the rules, the number of attendees was limited by the number of seats, so not everyone who wanted to could get in. At the seminars, local and foreign DJs and music-industry professionals came together to discuss such topics as technology and equipment, labels, downloading music, the mass media, electronic music, audiovisual design and recording studios. One of the participants, the South American DJ Dero, said: "For us this conference is a very important event. It will help our music scene develop its potential. We have several DJs and musicians who, reaching world level, have become superstars. An event like this gives us the necessary push, and the presence of foreign guests lets us exchange valuable experience."

All the local conference participants shared this opinion. These people are so passionate about the work they love that their unanimity didn't surprise me. South America has become one of the most important destinations for top-class DJs, who come here to play at clubs such as Mint in Buenos Aires, Gotica in Lima, D-Edge in São Paulo. More and more young talents are emerging here who release on international labels and win ever greater recognition. Dero is one such musician. His track "Illusion" came out on Subliminal Records (USA) and made it onto Pete Tong's playlist on BBC Radio 1. Other examples: Silver City released on 2020 Vision (UK), London 909 on Yoshitoshi (USA), Diego Rok on Luxury Grooves (Spain) and Gustavo Lamas on Kompakt (Germany). The picture is rather optimistic, and it's only a matter of time before new talented musicians from the southern part of the American continent break onto the international scene. The South American Music Conference will be the catalyst for this process.

Having talked with a multitude of people and absorbed an enormous amount of new information, I was ready for Saturday night.
Two rooms with high ceilings and an industrial atmosphere had been fitted out as dancefloors. In one of them — the Green Room — techno and tech-house played. Two huge screens were set up either side of the DJ booth, and in front of them — joggers on treadmills. The screens showed the streets of Buenos Aires, and it felt as if the joggers were running right through the city streets! I had never seen anything like it, it was a stunning sight. An LED screen in front of the DJ booth showed who was behind the decks. In the second room — the Red Room — two huge video screens displayed bizarre videos and the DJ at the decks. Behind the DJ was some amazing lighting rig with hundreds of bulbs, which projected words and pictures in time with the music. This was the trance dancefloor, and when we came in, the Italian chart regular Benny Benassi was working up the crowd. Later he said: "Now that's a party! People were just going wild. I was thrilled!" In a small room called the Pavilion, where the conference itself had been held, the rising South American turntable stars Corrie, Tommy Jacobs and Chino Benitez were now performing.

We caught the moment when Tom Stephan was finishing his set with the finale of the track "Revolution", plunging the dancefloor into a frenzy. After Tom came Diego Rok. "It was a great honour for me to perform at this event," said Diego, "it's very nice to share the DJ booth with Richie Hawtin and Adam Beyer, but this event also means a lot for South America. In recent years a great many DJs from all over the world have been here, and they are unanimous that there's a wonderful music scene here, the people are full of energy and ready to party to the last."

By half past nine in the evening both dancefloors were packed practically to bursting. In the Green Room, Misstress Barbara was at the decks. "The Second Music Conference was impressive!" she shared after the party. "It was insanely nice to see a sea of hands in the air during my set. South Americans are truly happy people! I'm sure this event has a great future." The Argentine crowd favourite Dero played after Mistress, and he appeared in the company of a percussionist and with a megaphone! After his set he said: "This year all the tickets for SAMC were sold out, and the audience's reaction exceeded all expectations." In the Red Room, also filled to bursting, Christopher Lawrence was working his magic in the DJ booth. "20 thousand people on the dancefloor — it's incredible! The professionalism of the organisers, the enthusiasm and musical awareness of the audience show that South America has become one of the leaders in electronic music," said Christopher after his set.

Before Tiesto's performance the Red Room was impossible to squeeze into. At midnight he took his place at the console, appearing before a sea of ecstatic clubbers. At the end of his set he turned up in a Diego Maradona shirt, sending the audience into wild delight. Performing after Tiesto is no easy thing, but Judge Jules is a favourite of the Argentines, and he immediately took control of the dancefloor. During his set people delightedly threw caps and T-shirts onto the stage, and Jules savoured every moment. "SAMC is growing faster than Google or Microsoft," he said after his performance. "It's gone from zero to one of the world's most important dance-music events in just two years! The atmosphere is incredible, the number of people astounded me. A wonderful event."

At first the Pavilion wasn't given the attention it deserved, but by half past two, for the performance of this year's only guest from Brazil, Eli Ewasa, it too was filled to bursting. Eli effortlessly blended the previous DJ's reggae track into pleasant tech-house. "I adore coming to Argentina, meeting friends from all over the world, playing before a wonderful audience and immersing myself in the wonderful atmosphere of the local scene," said Eli. "On our half of the continent the music scene has been getting stronger and stronger over the last ten years, we have amazing clubs and parties. In the future, no doubt, many new talents will emerge. Our audience is responsive, tireless and ready to party non-stop!"

In the Green Room, Richie Hawtin was sending the dancefloor on a journey of atmospheric beat and powerful infra-bass. "To see before you an ocean of fans of good techno — what could be better!" Richie shared his delight. "It was stunning — for me, for Argentina and all of South America." On the techno dancefloor the celebration was rounded off by Adam Beyer, and in the Red Room by Ferry Corsten.

In Buenos Aires they definitely know a thing or two about good parties. The people here are friendly and hospitable. They don't suffer from musical snobbery and love it when a DJ plays for them and interacts with them, and they adore fresh hits. The dancefloors were packed to bursting, but nobody minded dancing, jumping and having fun in such cramped conditions. They're full of enthusiasm, and it's very hard not to catch the party spirit from them. The next day they'll be calling on you again to do the very same thing — if you're up to it! Sadly, I wasn't up to it, but it was great fun to give it a try.

The South American Music Conference greatly inspired me. It was followed by an ambitious club tour that took in Chile, Guatemala, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. Word travels fast, and next year SAMC will be even bigger. Buenos Aires is the perfect place for such an event. Besides its lively nightlife, there's an endless multitude of shops, restaurants, museums, galleries and simply beautiful places. It's definitely worth lingering a few days and soaking up a little of the Latin spirit. The time difference with most European countries is only four hours, so you won't even particularly upset your daily routine. What more could you wish for!

Translation — Lena Nikueva