Arts

Last month, Josh's Deli in Surfside was transformed into the Saffron Supper Club. The lights were turned down, and the duck prosciutto and smoked salmon were tucked away. Candles covered the long diner counter, and an infatuating aroma of nutty rice tahdig greeted dinners.

For more than a hundred thousand electronic dance music fans from across the world, Ultra Music Festival is heaven on earth. But tell that to the people who live and work close by.

The Tony-award winning Broadway musical, Fela! is in Miami this week. The production is based on the complex life-- and music-- of late Nigerian activist, musician and singer Fela Kuti.

Kuti is known worldwide for founding the musical genre afro-beat. But in Nigeria, he’s known for using his music to protest the country’s military government through the 70s and 80s.

South Florida may not exactly have the brainiest reputation -- but those of us in the area's intellectual trenches know that it's not all beach bimbos here. In fact, the pleasant weather and peaceful shoreline vistas may well be making the population collectively smarter.

Going to an antiquarian book fair with a university’s special collections librarian is similar to walking around Central Park with a leaky bag of bread crumbs. Or if you prefer a local metaphor, like a chum brick floating in Government Cut, with sharks coming for miles bumping their noses against the boat to test the edibility of the situation. Watching the dealers shout down a respected and well-known book buyer is a sight to be seen.

We've all seen the Harlem Shake videos on YouTube: the Miami Heat Harlem Shake, the underwater diving team Harlem Shake, the Florida Senate pages' Harlem Shake. It was hilarious for a while, until it wasn't anymore.

But there is one that still has me laughing - the Harlem Shake "Tree Version."

If you've passed through or live in downtown Miami, you've probably already heard Ultra Music Festival testing its massive low-end speakers. Yes, the festival, which starts this weekend and then repeats all over again next weekend, brings plenty of bass. With the top names in electronic dance music converging on the massive event, the weekend offers plenty of straight-ahead, four-four beat oblivion.