Written by Zack Kostaras
Photos by Off Brand Project and Alec Donnell
As the weather begins to cool off heading into to the winter months, many of us begin to start thinking of where to escape to enjoy a vacation that consists of sunshine and the beach. For those that are looking for such escape while listening to the beautiful sounds of house and techno music, look no further than the SXM Festival being hosted March 11-15, 2020 in Saint Maarten.
The festival does a great job with booking a blend of industry heavyweights along with rising, underground stars amongst many variants of house music. The phase 1 lineup was announced earlier this month, bringing SXM alumni Bedouin, DJ Tennis, Marco Carola, and Ricardo Villalobos back to the island. New faces include Miami legend Rony Seikaly, tech-house heavy weight Loco Dice, and Serge Devant amongst many others.
DJ Tennis
Having started as a touring manager before making the transition to a DJ, producer, and label head-honcho, Manfredi Romano “aka DJ Tennis” is a man who has and continues to wear many hats. He has a diverse style of dance music that includes everything from ambient techno to Italian disco. While he lives between Miami and Barcelona, he’s constantly on the road touring and playing sets that are always changing and pushing the boundaries of electronic music.
Rony Seikaly
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, and once a former NBA star of the Miami Heat, Rony Seikaly has lived a life that many people dream of. He’s always had a love for music throughout his life, so naturally after retiring from the NBA he pursued producing and DJing electronic music. His style of deep house has fostered him to release music on several labels including Erik Morillo’s Subliminal Records, and have his own podcast show “Sugar Free Radio” on Sirius XM.
Starting back in 2016, SXM became one of the premier boutique music festivals by offering a cutting-edge festival experience in the Carribbean. The festival takes place on both the Dutch and French side of the island, with the festivals main ground at Happy Bay on the French side. On the Dutch side, the parties take place along various day and night clubs through the 5 days.
Phase two and three of the lineup have yet to come, so be on the lookout for more exciting names to be added to the already-stellar lineup.