Every year during the last weekend in March, 150,000 music lovers from all over the world descend upon Miami for good beats, good vibes, and good times. After my amazing Ultra experience last year, I myself arrived in Miami with hopes higher than Lindsay Lohan at a Pink Floyd concert. For the first time in its thirteen year history, the electronic music festival was extended to an unprecedented three days. Also, for the first time, the festival stood independent of WMC, the Winter Music Conference. The sold-out festival boasted a record eight stages, featuring the top DJs from all over the globe, spanning every type of electronic and dance music, from trance, to techno, to dubstep and beyond.
Here’s how the festival went for me:
Day 1
On Friday, Day 1, we met at my friend from high school’s apartment, conveniently located only five blocks from Bicentennial Park, the picturesque site of UMF sitting right on Biscayne Bay. Some of my friends who were Ultra virgins, decked out in neon, sneakers, and fanny packs, felt self-conscious about their attire. But not for long: once we got on the line to enter, the pink fur boots, thong bikinis, and yarn hair extensions that greeted us made them feel tame in comparison. Once through security, the fun began.
Friday’s show officially began at 4pm. However we opted to show up slightly late and by the time we were in the park, it was almost 6:30. We headed right to the main stage just in time to catch the middle of legend Benny Benassi’s set. The crowd at the Main Stage was a sea of color and movement. I could tell my friends were slightly intimidated and we headed to the back where a dais gave us an overview of the action. The magic moment of Benassi’s set was when he played Skrillex’s dubstep remix of “Cinema” instead of his own. Standing on his turntable with his hands raised in exultation, the classic DJ gave a nod to the changing face of electronic music.
The next two hours were a literal blur. My group split to go to different places, only to find cell phone service was mediocre at best. Incoming and outgoing text messages and BBMs took twenty minutes to register, if they even went through at all, rendering meeting up impossible. The lines for the port-a-potties were horrendous. Lines for 5 dollar bottles of Zephyrhills water were even worse. Thankfully, we employed the buddy system and the electronic music gods were smiling at us; within ten minutes my buddy and I bumped into some friends from home and we were on our way to the Carl Cox tent to experience the madness that was Loco Dice. Metallic piñatas hung from the ceiling of the tent, while the music blared from a DJ station that looked like a rotating spaceship.
As the night went on, we moved from tent to tent, consulting our maps and schedules and checking our cell phone clocks. We held hands to maneuver our way through the crowds, traded Silly Bandz for glow sticks, and soon night had fallen. We caught a bit of Pendulum at the Main Stage before heading to the UMF Korea tent for Roger Sanchez and Martin Solveig. As per my request we caught a bit of the legendary Carl Cox in his eponymous tent before heading back to the Main Stage for Tiesto. He ended Day 1 in spectacular fashion. Sitting pretty on the shoulders of a good friend, the lights, pyrotechnics, bass-heavy sound, and energy of the audience overtook me. This feeling was why I skipped school and emptied my savings account. At midnight the music ceased and we left the park.
Day 2
Day 2 was considerably less crowded. Masquerade Motel, an event hosted by Swedish House Mafia on the
shores of South Beach pulled 15,000 fans from Ultra Music Festival. The temperatures were upwards of 90 degrees, yet dedicated DeadMau5 fans wore their “Mou5heads” throughout the day until his 10:30pm set, risking heatstroke and bad tan lines to honor their headlining hero.
Day 2 may as well have been called Afrojack Day. Not that I minded; I saw my favorite DJ a whopping three times. I caught him on the Main Stage, in the Carl Cox tent, and again when he did a surprise 15 minute set in between Armin van Buuren and Underworld. Not one to miss an opportunity to shine, Lady Gaga literally wrote her name in the clouds using airplanes during Afrojack’s Main Stage set.
My other highlights from Day 2 included the oversized white balloons Kaskade released on the crowd during his sing-along set and the incredible energy of Moby’s set at the Carl Cox tent. Fedde le Grand, Armin Van Buuren, Boys Noize, Steve Aoki, and Avicii all had incredible sets. The energy of the crowd never wavered.
At the end of the day, my group split. Half stayed to finish the day with Carl Cox at his tent. My half elected to head over to the Main Stage to see DeadMau5. The set was the lowlight of my Ultra experience. Joel Zimmerman had build ups to nothing and his progressive trance set lacked the movement to propel the show to a climactic ending. I left his set feeling cheated and underwhelmed. Still, Day 2 was a success and beyond amazing.
Day 3
After five days in Miami, by the time Sunday rolled around I was exhausted. I opted to spend the first half of the day on South Beach and arrived at Bicentennial Park at 5:30pm. I thought I’d arrive to see 150,000 tired people, but everyone still brought the same energy and punch of the first day. The Carl Cox tent became A State of Trance 500 Arena for the last day of the festival, boasting big names like Ferry Corsten and Armin Van Buuren. When I found any lulls in my day, it was definitely the go-to tent.
Erick Morillo’s set on the main stage was as exciting as any of the weekend. He had many guest vocalists join him on stage. But none as surprising as when Diddy himself came out in a cloud of smoke as Morillo spun the new Dirty South “Coming Home” remix. Everyone gasped in unison.
David Guetta spun his mainstream chart toppers to a packed crowd at the Main Stage. After he finished, a few of my friends said they were leaving on this high note; Chemical Brothers was the Main Stage finale and they would rather leave Ultra with the memory of Guetta. The rest of us headed to A State of Trance and caught the last hour of Sander van Doorn. And what an end to Ultra Music Festival it was. The tent was flooded with the true heart and soul of the festival. I had never experienced anything like that tent for the last hour. Sander played a progressive set from his spaceship-like booth that never let up. The lights were unreal. Every five minutes the tent would fill with cold, white smoke. It was like dancing in a cloud.
Finally, the plug was pulled and midnight had come faster than we had expected. We never wanted the night, or the weekend, to end. We walked towards the exit together, enjoying the energy and too exhausted to say much of anything. Instead of the usual barriers at the exit, the park seemed to extend into the city. Everyone flooded the streets of Downtown Miami and applauded for not only the festival, but for all of us that had made UMF the weekend it was (and survived!).
If you’re interested in getting into electronic music but don’t know where to begin, check out these songs on YouTube or iTunes!
Martin Solveig – Hello
Afrojack (ft Eva Simons) – Take Over Control
Rusko (ft. Amber Coffman) – Hold On
Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition (Axwell & Dirty South Remix)
Benny Benassi (ft. Gary Go)- Cinema
Swedish House Mafia – One (Your Name)