Reboot Considers Miami WMC the True Start of His DJ Season

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Reboot Considers Miami WMC the True Start of His DJ Season

The Cadenza constant remembers his earliest WMC impression being "Oh my god, what is going on here?!"

Germany's Frank Heinrich—better known as Reboot—has been making his bones in dance music back since he was a kid, when he used to sneak out to Sven Väth's Omen club in his Frankfurt hometown. The years following have seen Reboot develop a musical approach which borrows from classic house to world music to jazz even, thrusting him from a supporting player on Luciano's Cadenza events to a headliner in his own right.

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These days, Reboot not only puts his exotic sound structures on display at acclaimed venues like Tokyo's Womb, London's Fabric, and Brazil's legendary D-Edge, but stunning festivals from Stereosonic in Australia to Electric Zoo in New York to Creamfields in Brazil. He's also been the proud force behind Rock N' Beats, his own weekly Ibiza affair at Ushuaïa Tower, which integrated classic rock and roll with today's electronic music.

Needless to say, Reboot's career has been the picture of range and diversity. He returns to this year's Miami Winter Music Conference with more of that variety in tow, topping a handful of unique get-togethers that all celebrate the one thing bringing everybody to the dance: the music.

Before his arrival, THUMP was fortunate to catch the NOON Records boss en route to the Sunshine State.

THUMP: You've been making the trip to WMC for several years now. Can you recall your initial opinion of it?
Reboot: My first conference was in 2008 and except for 2014, I have been back every year. I remember quite well that my earliest impression was, "Oh my god, what is going on here?!" It was a little bit like someone squeezed a whole Ibiza season into less than two weeks. And it still seems that the whole electronic music scene and people who love it swarm to Miami for WMC. The whole city is vibrating.

Everyone flocking to one destination for a single reason must really bring out some of the highs and the lows of that scene, however…
On one hand, this is a great place for party people and of course for promotion. On the other, I see the dissolute partying and excess consumption becoming a bit much. Ultra has become the biggest example of that. I wish that people would calm down a bit and just enjoy good music in a beautiful city.

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While BPM is technically the first big gathering of the DJ's calendar year, do you feel WMC should be considered the true start of the season? After all, BPM is like the fun beach vacation getaway whereas WMC is the stop that new tracks gather steam, artists gain momentum going into Ibiza, etc.
Personally I totally agree with that. I typically take my holidays during BPM in January anyway—which means no partying at all—so I haven't even been there yet. My season actually starts in February with several shows in Europe. I even played Ultra Buenos Aires this year. But WMC is usually the big kickoff for what's ahead. It's just a perfect opportunity to present yourself, your productions, your label, or new projects. Again, the entire industry and their followers are in town.

You've got your anticipated party coming up at Steam titled Reboot Presents NOON, featuring yourself, UNER, Todd Terry, and more. What can you tell me about coordinating, curating, and executing your own event?
I am super excited and happy that we were able to make this one happen. It is the first showcase of our company NOON Records / Artists, so we want this party to rock. We're taking the chance here to present our own roster and show everybody why we believe in these highly talented artists. On top of that, we've got our old friend UNER and, last but not least, all-time house hero Mr. Todd Terry. In the end, it's all about the love of music. If we can show that to the people, we've already succeeded.

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How does planning a party for WMC differ to the ones you throw abroad, be it in Ibiza or your hometown of Frankfurt or wherever else on the map in between?
The biggest credit for the organization of this event goes to my business partner, Carol Sepulveda. She is the one that makes the cool shit go down. Ultimately, it is always a lot of work to put a gathering like this together. No matter if it is in Miami, Ibiza or Takka Tukka Land! The only way to make a project like this happen is with people that put all their passion into it. I am very lucky that I have these people around me.

On the flipside, you are also playing showcases for smaller labels like Electronique. The lineup for that party is filled with its share of emerging names. It was you who was once the emerging name playing functions for Cadenza, Cocoon, etc. How does it feel to have made the transition from supporting talent to headliner over the years?
As I said earlier, it is about the music. Not about name-dropping or headlining. I have been lucky enough to make my biggest love become my profession. That is something that I like to share. So whatever I can do to support younger talented artists, I will. The best example for that is our management and booking agency NOON, as well as our label NOON Records. It's the perfect platform for us to present the musicians and music we love and want to support.

If there is anything we can expect from Reboot this year at WMC in terms of new hits you plan to unveil and memorable moments you hope to create, what are they?
Simply expect music that makes the people smile, dance and have a great time. No more, no less!

Reboot will be appearing over the Winter Music Conference in Miami at the 2015 Electric Beach Festival, NOON party, Be As One WMC Showcase, and the Electronique MMW Showcase.

Reboot is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud
NOON Records is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud
NOON Artists is on Facebook // Twitter

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