By Brian O’Connor

Miami Beach, Fla. – According to organizers, more than 3,900 dance music denizens descended on Miami Beach this past March 13-17 for the perennial pilgrimage to the Winter Music Conference. According to WMC officials, that figure represents a 10-percent increase from last year. Furthermore, the WMC continues to accumulate international cache as a preferred destination for Euro-clubbers, who wish to sample South Beach’s nocturnal wares.

Less than a month prior to the Conference, David Morales won a Grammy Award for "Best Remixer of the Year," while Madonna nabbed the trophy for "Best Dance Recording," so there was at least a sense of official sanction that dance music is being taken seriously Stateside.

However, it’s a far cry from the hype that was generated just two years ago as major labels swarmed South Beach to sweep up "electronica" acts to help revitalize a sagging recording industry. "I didn’t see the major label support or interest down there like I’ve seen in the past," says Dave Casto, director of the Illinois Record Pool. "The story, to me, was tons of indies."

Indeed, electronica may have proved unable to fully revitalize the recording industry, but DJing technology continues to permeate the pop charts. The hip hop and R&B charts are, of course, heavily influenced by the needle and decks, but so too is the modern rock chart, where acts like Sugar Ray, Fatboy Slim, Everlast and Citizen King are all avowed devotees of the Technics in the studio and onstage.

The best ways to gauge the pulse of the industry at the Conference are to saunter poolside and attend the panels. To that end, it’s evident that the European influence on U.S. dance music continues to be a profound one. The fact that TV commercials in the States are inundated with dance music is old news to Europeans, where house music is pumped through the sound systems of fast food chains.

For example, "Music Publicity and the Next Millennium," co-moderated by DJ Times’ editor Jim Tremayne, offered a global perspective of the dance music "game." "Dance music is an accepted part of U.K., and European culture," says Scott Manson from London-based magazine Ministry. "And because of that, it’s easier to get DJs to play your records; it’s easier to get the press to write about it; and it’s easier to get radio to play it."

There was no better illustration of the globalization of dance music than "Music Technology: WWW, Y2K, MP3, R2D2?" Moderated by Netmix’s Tony Zeoli and Jon Spooner, the panel explored the latest advances and techniques in computer applications with regard to the music world. With increased modem speeds and high-bandwidth technology fast becoming a reality, the synergy between computer technology, music and commerce will soon be a very real one. The question remains: Who gets which piece of the pie?

Other panels stuck to the tried and true slate of promotion banter, publishing workshops, legal advice, and an A&R session, where, for the most part, platitudes were tossed around like a beach volleyball.

The Winter Music Conference would be nothing without its vast assortment of nighttime activities. Highlights included Fatboy Slim (aka Norman Cook) rocking the house at the Cameo Theater, where he closed with the feel-good hit "Praise You." (Curiously, Godfather of Punk Iggy Pop, a huge Fatboy fan and Miami resident, was spotted at the show.) The same night Todd Terry kicked a set of old-school hip hop that got heads bobbing. Q-Burns Abstract Message (aka Michael Donaldson) went old-school on his choices of Roland gear, as he sent Cameo patrons on a journey of swirling techno and musical breaks. EZ-Rollers imported their everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to drum-n-bass to The Mission. DJ Rap and Grooverider moved some bass at Salvation, and Roni Size Reprazent upped the intelligence at the Cameo.

Basement Jaxx sets at The Mission and the Cameo had people talking for days. At The Mission, the U.K. duo rolled through import favorites like "Rende-Vu" to overwhelming response – no "Fly Life," but it hardly mattered. Earlier Chicago’s DJ Heather and New York’s DJ Emily thrilled the upstairs crowd with sets of storming house.

Although he experienced sound problems at Mission, King Britt dropped tasty smooth house during Ovum’s party at The Living Room. While Britt held court in the back, fellow Ovum founder Josh Wink punched in a little harder in the front. On closing night, Astralwerks’ "Respect Is Burning" party at Groove Jet featured a superfunky set by Dmitri of Paris, who lobbed classic disco softballs amid a flurry of his own sleek remixes to a crowd ready for anything.

On Tuesday, DJ Times co-sponsored a party with Sony Music’s Columbia and Epic imprints and DJ effects maker Electrix at the Warsaw Ballroom, where Epidrome/Epic recording artist Alexia demonstrated her ample pipes and DJ Monty Q pumped a delectable assortment of energetic house tracks and some classic rock, too.

The International Dance Music Awards, held March 17 at the Fontainebleau Grand Ballroom, bestowed a truckload of honors on the dance music community. Winners included: Rockell’s "Can’t We Try" for Best Freestyle 12-Inch; Cher’s "Believe" for Best Hi-NRG/Euro 12-Inch; X-Mix for Best Remix Service; Stardust’s "Music Sounds Better With You" for Best House/Garage 12-Inch; Groovilicious for Best Independent Record Label; Twisted for Best Independent Distributed by a Major; Arista for Best Major Label; Brandy & Monica’s "The Boy Is Mine" for Best R&B/Urban 12-Inch; Jay-Z’s "Can I Get a…" for Best Rap/Hip Hop 12-Inch; Crystal Method’s "Busy Child" for Best Techno/Trance 12-Inch; and Beastie Boys’ "Intergalactic" for Best Alternative/Rock 12-Inch.

Other winners included: Jellybean’s Mario Alayon for Best National Record Promoter for an Indie Label: Arista’s Danny C for Best National Record Promoter for a Major Label; Peter "PK" Knego for Best National Independent Record Promoter; Lauryn Hill for Best New Dance Artist – Solo; Vengaboys for Best New Dance Artist – Group; Madonna for Best Overall Dance Artist; Pure Sugar for Best Overall Dance Arist – Group; Madonna’s "Ray of Light" for Best Dance Video; William Orbit for Best Dance Producer; Stardust’s "Music Sounds Better With You" for Best Overall Underground 12-Inch; and Cher’s "Believe" for Best Overall Pop 12-Inch Dance Record.