Janet Jackson performs at the Fillmore Miami Beach. (Howie Grapek / GPO)

The concert: Janet Jackson’s “The No. 1″‘s

Where and when: Miami Beach’s Fillmore, Monday Dec. 5

What happened: There were times during Janet Jackson’s energetic, nostalgic, slow-jamming, booty-shaking cap to her current North American tour where you looked at the young dancers accompanying the singer on involved routines for songs like “Rhythm Nation” and “Together Again” and think:

• Wow! Janet Jackson at 45 moves like she’s 20 years younger! Go Janet!

• The majority of the dancers might not have been born when “What Have You Done For Me Lately” and “Nasty Boys” were released!

• Who knew that “Nasty Boys” would stand the test of time?

Photos: Janet Jackson at the Fillmore

Let’s get this out of the way — Janet is often accused of lip-synching, which a lot of singers who do a lot of dancing sometimes do. Janet has said that she is singing live on this tour, and for most of the show, that seemed evident, particularly in the ballad section. But it’s also clear that she was singing, at least early in the show and during the more kinetic numbers, over a backing track.
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Girl Talk -- real name Greg Gillis -- performs at the Fillmore Miami Beach this week. (Darren Hauck / Getty Images)

By MICHAEL HAMERSLY

If your friends told you they were going to the Girl Talk show, you might scoff and joke that no thanks, you’ll just stay home and watch “The View.” But that’s only if you haven’t heard the crafty creations by Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, who takes all kinds of samples from all kinds of different songs to create insanely entertaining mashups. Check him out Thursday and Friday night at the Fillmore Miami Beach, performing in support of his new album “All Day,” and play “name that sample” – or just dance the night away. He talked about his music and what we can expect from his shows.

What inspired you to get into sampling and creating mashups?
I started getting into some bands when I was 13 or 14 that had electronics in them, and that kind of led me into looking into more electronic music. And then I got into sort of left-field sampling stuff, and I was in a band in high school that incorporated a lot of sampling, very raw, abrasive stuff, like using skipping CDs or cutting up physical tape or messing with four-track recorders, and listening to rap music as well. So by the time I got a laptop when I was 18, I had already seen a number of people performing live – in particular, I was a big fan of Kid 606 – so it was kind of a logical step from what I was doing in high school to that.

How would you describe your sound today?
I like it to walk a line between being accessible and also complicated and potentially dense. I like to layer a lot of samples and have it move quickly with a certain level of precision. And all of that comes from the influence of electronic music – I really love stuff like Squarepusher and how detailed it gets – so I love collage-based music that is detailed like that.

Have you ever gotten into trouble in terms of copyrighting?
No, no issues so far.

Could the artists come after you if they wanted to?
Yeah. It fits into a gray area, but I believe my work should qualify under fair use in United States copyright law, which allows you to sample without asking for permission if it falls under certain criteria. So we put it out there and basically hope for the best. I don’t wanna go to court, I don’t want anyone to challenge it, but if they do, then I would stand up for it. … But I find a lot of people who own the rights to songs reaching out to me now, giving me a capellas and instrumentals and sending me CDs in the mail, very open to me sampling the music they represent.

What can we expect from your two live shows in Miami?
I trigger all the samples in real time, so it’s very live, and I reference some of the material from the albums, and I notice people react strongly when they hear stuff from the albums. But I love to kind of jumble it all together – I love to take a beat from the new album and combine it with vocals from the last album. Or take a familiar part from the last album and put a brand-new hip-hop a capella overtop it. And on the visual side, over the past few years it’s been building up to make it more of a spectacle. We have a custom-made LED wall, we have homemade props, custom lighting design – just trying to make the visual part of the show as over-the-top as the music.

What inspired you to call yourself Girl Talk?
When I was getting going, I had seen a number of laptop performers, and there was something about that world that was kind of a bit stiff to me – you know, people sitting down and staring at their computers and putting in no effort to entertain the crowd. And that’s not what I wanted to do – so I wanted to pick a name that was counter to all that, that didn’t sound like a guy playing a laptop. And anyway, by picking that name, I definitely didn’t expect it to turn into a 10-year-long project [laughs].

You’ve been to Miami a few times – what do you think of the city?
I love it – it’s definitely to me one of the more extreme cities in the United States. It has its own style and culture. It’s just so distinctly different from any other place in the country. And there’s just a history of different music. I’m actually a fan of a lot of the more weird, left-field electronic music from there – Otto von Schirach and all that Schematic stuff – they’re my good friends who I collaborate with sometimes. They kind of brought a lot of that stuff to me – I didn’t know about it before. So yeah, Miami has always been really amazing.

Kylie Minogue emerges from a golden shell during the opening moments of her 'Aphrodite' tour stop in Sunrise. (RhythmScene.com)

It’s been nine years since the KylieFever tour, Kylie Minogue’s biggest tour to date which set a precedent that all pop concerts should be staged so epically and performed so phenomenally. With a reputation as a trendsetter and iconic style symbol, Kylie Minogue has metamorphosed in the Aphrodite: Les Folies tour. While the U.S. wing of the Aphrodite tour has been specifically designed for more intimate settings, the show will be grander than you’ve ever experienced Minogue. The BankAtlantic Center was transformed with Corinthian columns and the Goddess arrived on a gold throne escorted by her band of Adonises.

The faithful flocked in droves to witness this unique occasion complete with Pegasus and Greek warriors. The set list was littered with songs from every Minogue era, from the club-oriented dance-pop beats of her new LP, Aphrodite, to the very beginning sounds of a young pop tart. She worked in her most recognizable singles on this side of the pond, “Loco-Motion” and “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”.

Photos: Kylie Minogue @ BankAtlantic Center | Visit this writer’s website

The Australian diva’s latest effort, Aphrodite, has a club dance presence which is what attracts her fans and has established her cult status. This lavish performance led her devotees on an elaborate excursion as a revered goddess with “Aphrodite” and “Wow”, to a tortured soul facing Hades with “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” and “Confide In Me”, to her final ascension in heaven with “There Must Be An Angel” and “Love At First Sight/Can’t Beat The Feeling”.
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Hey, SunFesters! I’ll keep this as brief as possible, because if you were at every or almost every day of this year’s SunFest like I was, you’re probably exhausted and don’t have a lot of patience for the words and the comprehension and such.

I enjoyed this year’s SunFest. Was it my favorite of the eight I’ve attended? No. Was it the worst? Not even close. All in all, it’s still an amazing value for the money – there is nowhere else where I could’ve seen Earth Wind and Fire and Jeff Beck down the street from each other for under 40 bucks. I probably couldn’t have seen even one of those acts for that price. And yeah, so the parking and the food is expensive. Where isn’t it? Park and walk, y’all. Eat first. Get hand-stamped, go outside to eat and come back. No one is tying you to the gyro stand with a bungee cord and a hot poker.

I also don’t get people who say “It’s a scam.” It’s costly, depending on how you do it. But a scam is when you pay money for something and get bait and switched. You paid for a bunch of shows that you had the schedule for, so it couldn’t have been a surprise to you. You went to those shows or you didn’t. You didn’t pay for Jeff Beck and get his cousin Joe Beck.  You weren’t scammed. You had a good time or a disappointing one. But I don’t get how anyone was scammed.

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Lady Gaga performs at Sunrise's BankAtlantic Center. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

The Monster Ball – a place where little monsters go to be themselves and Lady Gaga locks the doors to keep the freaks out and her monsters safe inside.

You can say whatever you want about Lady Gaga. You can disagree with her music and her clothes and the way she conducts herself, but the one thing you cannot deny her is that she puts on one helluva show.

After taking a spill onstage in Houston Sunday night, Lady Gaga took over the BankAtlantic Center for her first of two nights in South Florida (she’ll be performing tonight in Miami at the American Airlines Arena).

Well, take over is an understatement.

More: Photos: Lady Gaga at BankAtlantic Center | Information about tonight’s Miami show | Visit this writer’s website

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Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am performs a solo DJ set at Ultra. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

“Miami, you are beautiful!” – David Guetta

As the entire universe converged on Miami for the final day of the 2011 Ultra Music Festival, it’s hard to imagine that all 150,000 people (dressed in banana costumes, underwear, and neon wigs) would soon be returning to their everyday and probably pretty boring lives.

The first ever third day of the festival proved that, yes, Ultra is still the biggest and best electronic music party on the planet. Early in the day, the crowd was a tad on the thin side, but as the eight-stage venue slowly began to come alive, fans came out in full force to simply dance.

More: Day 1: Miami takes on a sense of sensory overload | Day 2: Carl Cox’s high-energy tent was the place to be | Ultra photos: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Visit this writer’s website

For the second time during the festival, Dirty Vegas took to the stage. This time, instead of a DJ set in the Heineken Dome, the trio played a live set of the Main Stage, showing that they are far more than a few guys with computers.
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Moby's high-energy DJ set was only part of the attraction Saturday for those who wanted to party at the Carl Cox stage. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

Saturday was the halfway point of the 13th annual ULTRA Music Festival. The attendance was relatively light until the late afternoon/early evening hours which probably meant that everyone was beat from Friday’s action-packed kickoff.

We started out in the Carl Cox tent and rockin’, screamin’ DJ Steve Aoki was on stage doing what he does best. People underneath the tent were packed like sardines and there were even more people spilling out into the Heineken station just to get a piece of the action. Anyone that couldn’t catch Steve’s performance missed out on a lot of banshee-like screaming coming through the constant wafting smoke from the stage. It was intense to say the least!

The Dutch powerhouse Afrojack (also known as Nick van de Wall) took over the reins from Aoki on the Carl Cox Stage. He came out to a mess of people chanting his handle. Before he started his set he told everyone that he was going to kick off with a track that no one had ever heard before. Unfortunately, he didn’t say what the name of it was!

Nevertheless it got everyone pumped and ready for the next song, which most everyone knew the lyrics to, called “Take Control”. He would mute his track during the chorus line and let the crowd sing it for him which they definitely got a kick out of. Afrojack had great energy during his two hour set and would always sing along with whatever track he was playing. After his set on the Carl Cox stage he went over to the Main Stage at 5:10 to give his fans some more. I have to admit that I wasn’t a big fan before but after seeing him live he has got me looking him up on iTunes.

More: Day 1: Miami takes on a sense of sensory overload | Day 3: Miami’s big party goes longer than ever, doesn’t skip a beat | Ultra photos: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Visit this writer’s website

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CSS' lead singer, Love Foxxx, entertains the Ultra crowd in Miami (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

Friday was the first day of Ultra, the sold-out, larger-than-life electronic music event in Miami and if I had to summarize the day in one word it would be ‘WOW’! There were die-hard fans from every age group and every walk of life known to man and a good number of them were dressed in some sort of attention-getting, neon-colored apparel or costume that looked like they had probably worn it on a past Halloween.

The festival started out with a palpable excitement and energy which only continued to grow as the day and evening went on. Fedde Le Grand was one of the first artists of the evening on the main stage. He had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. They were excited about his beats and he kept them coming! Benny Benassi took the main stage after Fedde’s set and the fans were so excited from anticipation that before Benny actually got on stage they were chanting his name as if begging him to come out. Benny had his fist pumping and a huge cheerful smile on his face the whole time he was performing for the crowd. You can tell that he really loves what he does and he loves the fans. And as any good fans would do, they reciprocated with their excitement for him and his high energy set. People were actually dancing and raving so hard and intensely I was actually scared that they might injure themselves!

More: Day 2: Carl Cox’s high-energy tent the place to be | Day 3: Miami’s big party goes longer than ever, doesn’t skip a beat | Ultra photos: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Visit this writer’s website

There are eight stages in all this year at Ultra so one could never complain of idle time or boredom. If you want action packed, look no further! In the Carl Cox tent the DJ station is set up to resemble the Gravitron. You know, that intense carnival ride that tries to pull your guts through your back? Well they couldn’t have picked a better stage set up because that’s pretty much what the scene felt like. So surreal and intense and exciting that couldn’t quite keep your wits about you.

Probably one of the most lively and entertaining acts of the evening was Brazilian electro rock band CSS. They played on the Live Stage and gathered a very respectable sized crowd. The lead singer, Love Foxxx (a.k.a. Luisa Matsushita) was like a little Jack –in – the – Box. Once she got wound up and ready to perform she was unpredictable and exciting. She even jumped the stage barrier twice to mingle and interact with the crowd. And that was before she tore off her pants! The metallic gold confetti stars that she threw out during the performance were also an additional source of crowd excitement.

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The Disco Biscuits play on the final day of Ultra, Sunday, while two side projects play Saturday.

More: In Concert: How to survive Ultra

Last year, The Disco Biscuits’ appearance at Ultra Music Festival wasn’t quite what they wanted. Guitarist Jon Gutwillig broke his wrist just before the show, and he had to be replaced for the show by friends of the band. By all accounts, it was a good show, but it wasn’t the full experience expected.

So this time around, the band wants to fully immerse Ultra and Miami’s Bicentennial Park into the full Bisco experience, so to speak.

Not only will the Philadelphia-based group be playing a full set on the festival’s final day, but two of the group’s side projects, Conspirator and M80 Substation, will also be playing sets. And the Biscuits will play a post-Ultra party on Sunday night at Miami’s Grand Central club.

“It’s going to be nice to be able to slather Miami with the full Biscuit show,” said keyboardist Aron Magner in a telephone interview.
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By JORDAN LEVIN

One of the world’s major dance music weekends will split in two next year.

The Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival, electronic music events that draw tens of thousands of dance-happy fans from across the United States and beyond for nights of parties with the world’s top DJs and electronic music acts, have set separate event dates for next March.

WMC will hold its event March 8-11. Ultra will stick to the end of March, but will expand from two to three days — March 25-27. Ultra’s producers made the announcement just hours after WMC announced its dates on Tuesday.

WMC was launched in Miami Beach in 1985 as a conference and forum for the then-obscure niche of electronic dance music. Over the years it has spun off hundreds of satellite events and parties, helping forge South Beach’s reputation as an international nightlife destination.