Ultra 13 hit Miami this year for three bass-thumping days (March 25 – 27). We found everyone from deadheads to electroheads who came out to experience what is arguably the world’s biggest electronic music festival.
Day 1 Highlights
Day one saw acts like CSS, Erasure, Carl Cox, Duran Duran, Pendulum, Tiesto and more take the stage to perform in front of a sold-out crowd of 50,000 people. It would have been impossible to catch all the acts each day, but we got to enjoy a lot of great ones.
Pendulum: There is a lot to be said about a Pendulum live set. First thing that comes to mind is HOLY SHIT! These guys know how to perform. The energy, the visuals, the stage presence is all there and definitely worth checking out. Right before they dropped “The Island Pt. 1,” singer Rob Swire announced, “This track was made specifically for nights like this one.” As the majority of the crowd sang along and danced almost in unison to this monster track, it was clear what Swire had meant.
Martin Solveig: This was Martin’s first time at Ultra, so it was very appropriate for him to start his set by saying hello with his massive single “Hello,” which features Martina Sorbara of Dragonette. Not only did the whole UMF Korea/Tower of Ultra sing along but also it seemed like every single DJ was dropping this track. It was surely an anthem of Ultra 13. Oddly enough Martin transitioned from “Hello” to another such anthem, “Warp,” by Steve Aoki and the Bloody Beatroots, which I heard multiple times each day at the festival. Martin also dropped “Bigger than Hip-hop,” “Sweet Disposition,” and “We Can’t Stop Rocking You” which is a mash up of Queen and Red Hot Chili Peppers. It may have been his first Ultra but he’ll definitely be back!
Carl Cox: When Ultra names a whole stage after you, you must be doing something right. Not sure what else they can do for Carl Cox except maybe name him mayor of Ultra. This world famous British DJ comes through every year and has never disappointed. A true legend in electronic music, Cox always keeps the fans dancing and seems to always have a smile on his face. At almost 50 years of age, he is still going strong and is always worth checking out.
Random thoughts on Day 1: I’m not sure what was up with the crowd but headliners Duran Duran and Erasure did not seem to get the full love they deserved. These two groups that are legendary in the electronic music world seemed to play to a rather small main-stage crowd. Perhaps many of the kiddies at Ultra are too young to know who these guys are, or perhaps people would rather just see DJs. Nonetheless it was kind of disappointing to see these guys not get the respect they deserve. Also Benny Benassi who is most famous for his electro track “Satisfaction” dropped some bass-heavy dubstep. The crowd was caught a little off-guard but definitely appreciated the effort to switch things up.
Royksopp: I only caught the end of their set, but it sounded great. This Norwegian duo goes all out. Live show, costumes, lights and heavy sound.
Day 2 Highlights:
The one thing you will always run into at major festivals is schedule conflicts. This year there weren’t too many that I struggled with, but there were a few. Mainly, Moby being on the same time as Skream and Benga. Also, Rusko played the same time as Cut Copy and Underworld. When that happens, you have two options: 1. Pick your favorite of the two/three and enjoy the set or 2. Catch a little of all sets and hope it doesn’t take you too long to get from one stage to the next.
Some of the other performers of day 2 included, Nero, Simian Mobile Disco, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki and Afrojack.
Moby: Hands down my favorite set of Ultra. When you see Moby you should always take note if it is a live set or a DJ set. Live sets consist of more of his radio tracks and feature Moby singing. A DJ set is more for the hardcore bass heads. Moby goes hard. I personally prefer the DJ set and thankfully that is what Moby brought for Ultra. I was lucky enough to interview him before the set, and his knowledge and appreciation of music is through the roof. Grab a handful of Moby albums from various years and you’ll be amazed at what a wide range of sound this man has. Also, he was wearing a Minor Threat shirt, which says a lot. Moby went hard, dropping tracks like “Ghetto Blaster” and “My Feelings for You” as well as about 30 others. Moby may have been around for a while but he still brings it. He even got on the top of the UFO-shaped stage to pump up the crowd and show his love.
Netsky: It amazes me how many young DJs are making a name for themselves right now. Netsky is no exception. Not even 25 years old and he is huge. Having a live MC definitely amped up his set and it seemed perfect that as a bunch of people started to smoke up, Netsky dropped some Bob Marley to end his set. Very fast paced and fun set.
Netsky – Iron Heart by TeeRaze
Avicii: Talk about young, Tim Berg aka Avicii is only 21 years of age and is already make a huge splash on the electro scene. Believe or it not there was a time when Avicii would play a club and be kicked out after his set, due to the fact he was under age. If you haven’t heard Avicii, he’s produced some beautiful/feel good music that’s worth a listen. Songs like “ID” and “Penguin” hint that he has had a classical music upbringing and tracks like “My Feelings for You” or “Swede Dreams” let you know that he knows how to party. Avicii not only makes great music — he is a good guy. I met him backstage on Friday. He is very down to earth and not at all big-headed from his new-found fame. (See our interview with Avicii and NYC set coverage here.)
Steve Aoki: This guy brings it every time, period. He always has a ton of energy and keeps the crowd going, whether he is playing a mid-afternoon set in the scorching sun or playing a night set to a packed crowd. It is a rare moment when he is standing still, even when he is changing tracks. His high energy was evident when he dropped his track with Laidback Luke and Lil Jon called “Turbulence” and sprayed the crowd with champagne, which has become a standard at a Steve Aoki show.
Random Thoughts on Day 2: Afrojack. Not sure why he was booked to play the Carl Cox tent and then set to play the main stage immediately after. Nonetheless, he seemed to be having a good time dropping Daft Punk, David Guetta, Pitbull and a lot of his own tracks. I was kind of surprised and disappointed to hear him play a lot of the same songs at his second set! Perhaps he doubted the crowd’s mobility.
Also, what was up with people breaking mixers? First Steve Aoki messed his mixer up, then Netsky, and then Skream and Benga had issues with theirs. We know you want to go hard, but take it easy on the equipment!
Day 3 Highlights
Three days at a loud and hot festival really test one’s endurance but we are always up for the challenge when it comes to good music.
Day 3 brought Glitch Mob, MSTRKRFT, Fake Blood, Skrillex, Laidback Luke and others, with the Chemical Brothers closing Ultra 2011 on the main stage.
Skrillex: Again, the young guns are taking over. Skrillex who left the post hardcore/emo band From First to Last to do his own thing definitely made a splash at Ultra. Not only did he host the Live Stage on Sat but he got to play two separate days. Skrillex’s music is very hard to describe is not exactly dubstep or drum and bass or even electro I guess you can call it Skrillex music. Nonetheless his set on Sunday had the biggest crowd of the weekend at the Tower of Ultra. Which was perfect as he dropped some of his new tracks.
The Glitch Mob: Always a fun trio to see live these guys rarely disappoint. I wasn’t exactly sure what to think since their newest album “Drink the Sea” seems to be a different sound than they are known for. But it’s Ultra and I had to check them out. High up on the tower stage made it impossible for the crowd to see their new live mixing devices. The trio dropped a nice mix of hip-hop vocals and beats to glitchy wobbly sounds.
Wolfgang Gartner: The main stage is a tough spot to play middle of the day in Miami. It is early and there is no protection from the heat. And trust me the heat was brutal. Wolfgang was able to keep the crowd moving despite the heat dropping tracks like “Space Junk” and his latest single “Illimerica.”
Laidback Luke: Recently Luke has been huge. He recently dropped an Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1 which could easily be the Essential Mix of the year. His track “Turbulence” with Steve Aoki and Lil John has been getting massive play at clubs and by other DJs around the world. This was surprisingly Luke’s first time on the main stage at Ultra. He too was unfortunately plagued by the brutal Miami sun but like Wolfgang he made the most of it. Dropping an interesting rework of Ceelo’s “Fuck You” and got the whole crowd jumping with a mix of “Kill in The Name of” by Rage Against the Machine. Over all a very fun and high energy set.
MSTRKRFT: Last year these guys didn’t even get a spot at Ultra, this year they had a prime spot on the Live Stage on closing night. Nonetheless these guys were incredible. Definitely my second favorite set overall. The Canadian duo shared a bottle of Jack and probably a carton of cigarettes during their set. They definitely came to party and I think this was one of the few sets I said screw it I am enjoying myself and not worrying about coverage. They kept the crowd entertained by teasing tracks off their new CD, but always following with the tracks that have made them huge. I, like the rest of the crowd went absolutely nuts when they dropped “Fist of God.”
Chemical Brothers: I have seen The Chemical Brothers a bunch of times before their performance this year at Ultra and every time I had been let down. Whether it was their sound issues at Ultra or their sound issues and overly mellow set at Electic Zoo, I had not been impressed in the past. They always put on a great light show, but that isn’t enough especially if you are closing a festival. Thankfully, this year at Ultra, they totally blew me away. Things started of slowly but then the dropping of a massive light chandelier (if you could even call it) kept my interest. The suspense hit a high and exploded when hey dropped “Horse Power” and the crowd went nuts. From that point on it was madness. They dropped great tracks along with visuals including; “Swoon”, “Hey Boy, Hey Girl” and ended the set with an epic rendition of “Block Rockin’ Beats”
Overall Ultra 13 was awesome. Of course there were some artists who were present in Miami who I would loved to have seen on the stage, but I am not going to get into politics. (There was a big split this year between WMC and Ultra, whose dates used to overlap, but that doesn’t mean we all didn’t have a great time.) And I am already looking into hotels for next year, as the festival has already announced its 2012 dates: March 23, 24, and 25. Tickets go on sale soon.
The top five acts, overall, in my opinion. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
1. Moby
2. Pendulum
3. Avicii
4. Netsky
5. MSTRKRFT
Anthems (or most played songs) at Ultra 2011.
1. Hello (Martin Solveig ft Dragonette)
2. Warp (Bloody Beetroots ft Steve Aoki)
3. The Island Pt. 1 (Pendulum)
4. Turbulence (Laidback Luke, Steve Aoki and Lil Jon)
5. Heartbreaker (MSTRKRFT ft. John Legend)
6. Cinema (Benny Benassi)
