♪♪ ♪♪ Jacob: Miami is a city that everyone recognizes, but few truly know.

We've seen its neon glow on iconic television shows.

We've cruised Miami Beach, trying to look as fit and fashionable as the locals.

Yet there's much more to this city than the golden sands and Art Deco hotels of Miami Beach.

Head across the causeway to discover a multicultural, 21st-Century metropolis that represents the potential of our globalized world.

From downtown's high-rise glossiness to the mural-covered walls of Wynwood, from the steaming-hot cafe con leche of Little Havana to the colorful street parades of Little Haiti, Miami is a sensory overload, fueled by a singular brand of spontaneity of music as hot as the tropical sun.

This city is an adventure waiting to happen.

This is Miami like you've never seen or heard before.

This is "Music Voyager."

Pilot: Flight 527 ready for departure.

♪♪ ♪♪ Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, once again, "Music Voyager"!

Jacob: You may think you've heard everything, but the world is full of surprises.

And when you're hanging out with musicians, nothing is off-limits.

Is this what you guys do every weekend?

Every night.

Every night!

Yeah.

My name is Jacob Edgar.

Music is my life, and life is short.

So crank up the volume and let the voyage begin.

Man: [ Singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Jacob: With soaring apartment buildings and a revitalized commercial district, downtown has recently reclaimed its role as the hub of modern Miami.

With Latin and Caribbean communities giving the city its unique spice, it's no wonder Miami has been called the capital of Latin America.

The American Airlines Arena regularly hosts shows by Latin America's biggest stars, such as Marc Anthony, Shakira, Juanes, and Pitbull, who now call Miami home.

And from 2 Live Crew to Rick Ross, Miami has long been home to a thriving hip-hop scene, and groups such as KC and the Sunshine Band, Miami Sound Machine, and NRBQ got their start here.

This is a city that loves to party, and each year, Bayfront Park hosts one of electronic dance music's biggest events -- the Ultra Music Festival.

In 2013, more than 300,000 electronic music fans packed the park, setting a city record.

One of the groups that regularly performs on the Ultra stage is Afrobeta, a duo with Cuban-American roots, deeply danceable grooves, sultry vocals, and one massive head of hair.

Cuci Amador and Tony Smurphio of Afrobeta meet us at the stylish B2 Hotel across the street from Bayfront Park -- ground zero for the party during Ultra.

Jacob: Who is Afrobeta?

Well, Afrobeta is the two of us, which is -- I'm the afro half -- Tony Smurphio -- and she's the beta [better] half.

Yeah.

They call me Cuci.

And I always say that we're kind of like a love child of Miami.

That's how I try to describe what we do.

I really feel like we're a good representation of what Miami music is all about.

It's folk-no.

Folk-no?

Which is a combination of folk music and techno.

Folk-no.

Folk-no.

Folk [f+++] yeah!

[ Both laughing ] ♪ 'Cause I got another life to lead ♪ ♪ I don't need another mouth to feed ♪ ♪ Please heed my plea to leave ♪ When a lot of people think of Miami, they think of Miami Beach and that area.

But here we are in downtown Miami.

What's happening here in downtown?

Beyond the 9:00-to-5:00 culture, we got all the clubs that stay open all night.

Especially downtown -- 24 hours.

Oh, yeah.

24-hour clubs.

Yeah.

The party doesn't start here till 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning.

They don't close!

It just keeps going.

I mean, while the rest of the country's waking up, going to church... [ Laughs ] ...people are just starting.

We brought a different kind of church.

Yeah, a different type of church.

♪♪ Jacob: Part of the EDM experience are the visuals, which explode from the stage with the same shock of energy as the music.

Tony and Cuci are eager to show us around Wynwood, a neighborhood just north of downtown and the epicenter of Miami's world-class visual-arts scene.

This is amazing.

I mean, there's art all over the streets here in Wynwood.

It's like a museum on the street.

Cuci: If you take a close look at some of these pieces, they're done by the most famous international artists, not just graffiti artists.

And it's just so vibrant and so inspiring to walk down the street and see all this fine art on the walls and completely accessible to the public.

It's magical.

Jacob: One of the highlights is Wynwood Walls, which showcases work by some of the world's top producers of street art.

It also has a stylish restaurant with a selection of tapas that's as colorful and creative as the artwork.

Founded in 2009, this living museum provides a formalized showcase space for the type of graffiti and street art that's become the hallmark of this burgeoning warehouse district.

♪♪ What makes Miami different from anywhere else in the world?

Tony: Well, it's in the United States, and it's kind of like the capital of Latin America.

Yeah.

It's not really the United States.

They should ask for your passport when you come into the city.

Tony and Cuci are part of a tight-knit community of local creatives, and the look of their live show is inspired by the thriving Miami art scene.

Industrial spaces are being reclaimed for artistic purposes, new museums and galleries are being built, and an influx of art buyers and enthusiasts at the famed Art Basel Miami Beach occurs every winter.

♪♪ ♪♪ Local musicians and artists often get together at the Performance Art Exchange, or PAX, a converted garage located under a freeway on the southern edge of downtown.

Tonight, Afrobeta are taking part in a show that honors an artist's collective known as Monkey Village.

They share the stage with an eclectic group of musicians that draw not only on electronic beats, but also Latin, Caribbean, funk, hip-hop, jazz, and more.

These are the diverse musical ingredients that give Miami's music scene its unique flavor.

♪ No one tells me what to do ♪ ♪ What, what?

♪ ♪ You want to play house and make babies ♪ ♪ Oh, you must be crazy ♪ ♪ What you thinking, baby?

♪ ♪ You want to play house and make babies ♪ ♪ Oh, you must be crazy ♪ ♪ What you thinking, baby, baby, baby?

♪ ♪♪ What you thinking, baby?

♪♪ A pioneering figure in the Miami music scene Is Andrew Yeomanson, AKA DJ Le Spam.

Spam was one of the first to blend Latin and Caribbean roots music with electronic beats, samples, and loops.

His house is overflowing with vintage vinyl and recording gear, and his massive collection of classic Latin, funk, and hip-hop records is a treasure trove of rare grooves.

Some of his favorites are from the 1970s -- a classic era of Miami music.

How does this Miami sound of the '70s connect with what you're doing now in your own work?

I got into sampling and making loops really early on in the '90s.

And so I was kind of really into the idea of making a groove using machines and then playing over the top of that.

This was something that I started doing just as an experiment, and I guess it's just been a series of happy accidents.

♪♪ Jacob: DJ Spam is a connoisseur of Cuban coffee -- a high-octane relative of espresso.

And while just about every corner store in Miami serves it, Spam insists on getting his Cuban coffee fix as close to the source as possible -- in Little Havana.

This is the place to come if you want an authentic taste of Cuba right here in Florida.

The streets of Little Havana echo with the infectious sounds of Cuban music, especially during the world-famous Calle Ocho Festival in March.

So what makes Cuban coffee different from espresso?

Well, it's basically an espresso with the sugar added already.

You know, it's a little sweet for some people's taste, but that's how everybody in Miami drinks coffee.

I don't think it's gonna be too sweet for my tastes.

I love sweet.

[ Laughs ] Spam: Probably two good scoops of sugar goes into one of these.

Jacob: Oh, this looks good.

And I see that little foam on the top.

So what we have here, this is a colada.

Mmm.

It's probably about the equivalent to a triple shot of espresso.

Most normal people would drink their colada in little shot cups like this, but I usually just drink the whole thing by myself.

[ Laughs ] But today we're gonna share.

This is a cortadito, which is about half espresso, half milk.

This right here is cafe con leche, which is a little bit more milk.

And probably still about a good double shot of espresso.

So that's the colada, the cortadito, and the cafe con leche.

Cheers.

Cheers.

First of many.

♪♪ Woman: [ Singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Jacob: Little Havana offers much more than a caffeine buzz.

It's the cultural and political hub of the Cuban community in South Florida.

Cubans began relocating en masse to Miami in the 1960s, bringing with them their coffee, their world-famous cigars, their love of dominos, and, most importantly to us, their music.

[ Drums beating ] Man: [ Vocalizing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Rumba, an intricate percussion and dance form with roots in Africa, displays the complex, interwoven rhythms that serve as the underpinning for most popular Cuban music.

[ Vocalizing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Man: [ Singing in Spanish ] Jacob: DJ Spam drinks a lot of café cubano because he's always up late, rocking the dance floor with his band, the Spam Allstars.

Man: [ Singing in Spanish ] Jacob: Their Thursday night residency at the Little Havana nightclub Hoy Como Ayer, which means "today like yesterday," has been the stuff of legend since it started in 2002.

Man: [ Singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Jacob: The Spam Allstars serve as a bridge between the Cuban culture of the past and the modern spirit of Miami, and most local bands credit them with helping build the foundation of the sound of the city today.

[ EDM music plays ] ♪♪ You'll need a good caffeine buzz to have the stamina for Miami's booming nightlife scene.

Downtown is overflowing with clubs presenting a wide range of music.

-Mm!

-Ha ha!

♪ What, what, what, what?

♪ Jacob: One of the newest venues and also looks like the oldest, Avenue D. Step inside and you're transported to another time -- the golden age of jazz.

♪ Emotion roller-coasting ♪ ♪ Dance for motion ♪ ♪ She's ego-tripping ♪ ♪ You're boasting, focus ♪ It looks like a speakeasy, which I imagine means that there's alcohol being served.

There is.

Do you have like a signature drink that you could show me?

Yeah.

We have a couple.

What's your favorite?

I think the cat's meow sidecar is pretty cool.

Enough talking.

Let's drink.

Man: That's the one.

Let's do it.

And enjoy the jazz.

Yes.

♪ Everyone wants to know where ♪ Jacob: Within the space of just a few blocks, you can dance to Latin beats, rock, funk, techno, and so much more.

It's a world of music that keeps you moving until dawn.

♪♪ North of downtown is the start of one of Miami's hidden treasures, Little Haiti.

This neighborhood is the first stop for most immigrants from the Caribbean nation of Haiti.

Here they can find many of the comforts of home -- familiar foods, colorful architecture, and of course their music -- an extremely important part of everyday Haitian life.

The Little Haiti Cultural Center is a hub for Haitian artists and a great place to see live music.

Every third Friday, the center hosts a free concert called "Big Night in Little Haiti."

Produced by the Rhythm Foundation, an organization that's presented top world music artists in South Florida for over 20 years, the event showcases some of the most exciting talents in the Haitian music scene.

Roberto Martino is the lead singer and guitar player for T-Vice, one of the best-known Haitian kompa bands, not just in Miami, but worldwide.

Roberto's father founded the original group, and his mother acts as the band's manager.

It started with my dad's band, which was Top-Vice.

Top-Vice.

Right.

And then he started the whole movement here in South Florida before us.

And we chose the name.

We said, "We're gonna call the band T-Vice."

T-Vice means small, so that means it's the smaller version of Top-Vice.

Okay.

Americans have the rock-and-roll sound.

Yeah.

We have that chorus, guitar sound that makes it unique, that makes kompa what it is.

Yeah.

♪♪ ♪ Haiti, Cheri!

♪ ♪♪ It's the type of music we're playing, even though sometimes it's new to the ears, but we always keep that groovy kompa, you know, that started way back before us.

Jacob: Haiti has a revered folk-painting tradition, and one of its most famous visual artists, Edouard Duval-Carrie, has a studio right next door.

He's pushing the limits of traditional art with surrealist irreverence.

That's amazing.

What's the medium?

Edouard: Glitter glue on metal.

Glitter glue on metal?

Yes.

Kids, when they show up here, say, "We want to be like him.

So you want to be an artist?"

"No, no.

We want to be playing with glitter glue!"

That's great.

I'm just picking up the whole package of Haitian culture and just taking it somewhere else, I hope.

Mixing it up.

Mixing it up and throw it down again.

...with new influences.

And that's what we are all doing as musicians.

Yeah.

That's right.

That's exactly right.

It's what you're doing in music.

It's what you're doing on this form.

What's your glitter glue?

[ Laughs ] The synthesizer?

My guitar.

The drum machine?

Maybe.

I don't know.

[ Laughs ] Once they've gotten their feet on the ground, many Haitians leave Little Haiti for other parts of South Florida.

And even though he doesn't live here anymore, Roberto feels at home in this neighborhood.

Roberto: It's typical, you know, of Haitian culture right here.

That's how we are.

It's like I feel like I'm in the streets of Haiti right now.

Jacob: Yeah.

I even hear Haitian music playing.

Yeah.

That was a T-Vice song.

That was a T-Vice song playing?

Yeah.

[ Laughs ] There's something here you've got to try.

[ Speaking Haitian creole ] Wow!

[ Conversing in Haitian creole ] It's called tablet.

It's peanuts combined with caramelized sugar -- like a cane sugar.

It's really good.

It's sweet.

A bit like pistach.

It's like Haitian peanut brittle.

Yeah.

Jacob: If more musicians were managed by their mothers, there'd probably be a lot fewer hotel rooms getting trashed.

-My mom.

-Yeah?

She wants us to pick up some Haitian food.

While you're in the neighborhood?

Okay.

Alright.

Mama's boy, huh?

[ Laughs ] Jacob: Leela's Restaurant is known for serving up authentic Haitian cuisine with a nod to health-conscious diners.

Still, fried pork is fried pork.

Roberto: This is the pork.

Jacob: Alright.

It's called griot, which is the most popular dish.

And then you eat it with the plantains and... Mmm!

Really tender, too.

Yeah.

We have to exercise a lot after we eat that.

[ Laughs ] How about dancing?

That's probably the best exercise.

Yeah?

And then let's make sure to bring what your mom asked for, you know?

Yes.

You don't want to go home empty-handed.

We'll get some stuff to go.

Alright.

We'll get some of the food to go for her.

You don't want to disappoint your mother.

No.

The boss -- the big boss.

♪♪ And one of the things that I love when we're walking through the streets here in Little Haiti is almost every shop has a big speaker out front.

It could be a barber shop, could be, you know, a supermarket.

They have a big speaker, and they're blasting Haitian music.

Music is very important to us Haitians.

It's a very big part of our lives.

You know, a lot of very poor people are from Haiti.

This is how they survive -- through music, you know?

And it gives them a sense of hope, 'cause it's how we go through the day.

♪♪ Jacob: Roberto has arranged for us to work off the meal with Rara Lakay, purveyors of authentic Haitian roots music.

Rara is performed in street processions for festivals and parades.

Though these horns are traditionally made from bamboo, Rara Lakay uses PVC pipes.

Again, all roots must grow and adapt.

♪♪ How did rara originate?

Okay, you know in the time of the colonies, the French colonies?

The Europeans, -- they have their Mardi Gras that they import to the islands.

So rara was a response to these people of Mardi Gras.

I see.

So the Colombians brought -- Even though they were serving the white guys, you know, wine and stuff like that, at night, they went and do their own carnival.

♪♪ ♪♪ Jacob: T-Vice's modern take on Haitian kompa music, a cousin to Caribbean styles like zouk and merengue, has garnered adoration from Haitian music fans worldwide.

Reaching a broad fan base has meant testing the limits of Haitian traditions, adding new flavors for a contemporary audience.

At the end of the day, it's got to make you move the people.

[ Singing in French ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Singing in French ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Jacob: One of the new generation of Miami Latin bands is Locos Por Juana, whose hard-Hitting mix of Colombian cumbia with reggae, funk, rock, and hip-hop's Latin-American cousin, reggaeton, has made them popular on festival stages across the U.S.

They meet us at the historic Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center.

I grew up in Miami, and I remember in elementary, they used to bring us -- the whole school -- and see a play here.

And you'd walk in and... For example, I always thought they was real stars, you know?

[ Laughs ] I'm still looking at the stars, like, "Are those real?

How do they do that?"

This ornately decorated movie house was built in 1926 and harkens back to the golden age of cinema.

Its lobby provides an opulent backdrop for Locos Por Juana to perform an unplugged version of their new song "Mueve, Mueve."

♪♪ [ Singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Ha -- "Music Voyager" ♪ I think Miami is an island attached to the United States.

We're Caribbean to the max, you know?

And I think our music reflects how happy we are living next to the water.

[ Singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ When you grow up in Colombia, you don't know too many people from other South American countries.

But when you grow up in Miami, you know Cubans, you know Jamaicans, you know everybody.

So Miami is really particular like that, you know?

There's not too many cities that we travel that we see it really mix the way it does here.

What's the one thing I have to eat here in Miami?

You got to try our Colombian hot dog right here in Miami.

Colombian hot dog?!

That's right.

That's like the last thing I was expecting you to say.

Oh, man!

You don't even know.

Right?

No, but you got to try.

You got to try.

I don't know.

What's in it?

That's what I'm worried about.

Jacob: Tonight, the band's remix project, Afro Kumbé Sound System, is playing a DJ set at Blackbird Ordinary, a music venue in the burgeoning downtown neighborhood of Brickell.

Next door is La Moon restaurant, home of the infamous Colombian hot dog.

Alright, well, what makes the hot dog here so good?

It's got different sauces, like cheese, a little potato.

Right?

And the love -- the love, too.

The love.

And love.

The corazón.

The corazón.

Oh, look at that.

It's one of those things that you don't feel like -- Oh, my God.

I didn't come prepared.

Do you have a shower where people can, like, shower after they eat?

Man: Tres, dos, uno!

Alright.

You ready?

Man: [ Rapping in Spanish ] ♪♪ On the nose, baby!

♪♪ ♪♪ Jacob: Afro Kumbé's mix of Latin flavors with DJ culture is the perfect symbol of today's Miami.

This is a city that wraps itself in spontaneous bursts of color and leaves the light on for those whose inspiration never sleeps.

Most of all, it's a living laboratory for the multiethnic cities of tomorrow.

Man: [ Singing in Spanish ] And while it might represent the future of our increasingly globalized world, Miami is just living for tonight.

♪♪ [ Singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪