Guarded optimism dominates at most varied Miami to date. (A&R).

The UK dance industry braved the baking sun and all-day parties of Miami last week for what was the most varied Winter Music Conference to date.

With more parties, more records, labels and genres than ever before, Miami was dominated by a guarded optimism from British and American industries.

The American dance scene has suffered significantly from the economic repercussions of September 11, which damaged club revenue, record sales, and the US majors' already lukewarm attitude to investment in dance music.

And President Bush's recent TV ad, arguing that the fight against drugs is now part of the war against terrorism, has been described by some as a mandate for an upsurge in the US authorities' tendency to close clubs and raves.

With around 600 parties in about a week, some felt Miami has become a victim of its own popularity. Jo Murray, of New York-based PR and marketing company Girlie Action, whose clients include Masters At Work and Felix Da Housecat, says, "Last year, the clubs couldn't handle the volume of industry people, so they stopped acknowledging guest lists. A lot of industry people were so scared of that happening again that they only went to the parties they already knew about." Pete Tong agrees, and says, "It's getting confusing for people who've not been here before."

This tough environment was viewed by some as one of the reasons for the absence of the biggest UK clubs -- apart from Cream, which ran a party alongside US club Spundae with a mostly American line-up. Giant Step ran two parties, and Ultrafest enjoyed another successful year, again attracting around 30,000 dance lovers and many major dance acts of all genres.

Danny Tenaglia's legendary 17-hour party at Space provided the usual road-block, with several DJs among those struggling to get in. The party also served as a launch event for Tenaglia's new mix album. Tenaglia had many offers for the release, but has gone with React, in conjunction with Leeds superclub Back to Basics. "We weren't offering the most money, but Danny just goes with what he feels happy with," said React's James Horrocks.