Dance Rebels Takes Ultra Music Festival 2016 – The Retrospective

Ultra – overall is one of the best experiences of my life, and an event that I believe everyone should experience. Not just to see some of the greatest DJs and producers perform, but because of the environment of the festival and the people as well. This weekend was really quite a spectacle, and here is how it went. Friday started perfectly, with Paris Blohm‘s full set. Playing at the Revealed UMF Radio Stage, he had the crowd going with his great mixes and choice of songs. There was not a moment when the energy was lost. I like Paris because I can always listen to his songs, I don’t need to be in a particular mood to hear his songs because they are so pretty. But at Ultra he mixed beauty with energy and it creates a great set that anyone can enjoy. He showcased his remix to Strangers originally by Seven Lions and Myon & Shane 54, and played his own songs a well, Demons being a high point for me. I couldn’t have asked for a best opening to what I now was sure was going to be an amazing weekend with so many talented people. After dinner it was onto Kaskade at the Main Stage, by now, night had fallen, and the lights brightened the sky like nothing I have ever seen before, and Kaskade took full advantage of this. The crowd went crazy for every drop, and the energy flowed throughout his whole set. His upbeat music mixed with some heavier drops made this quite the performance. After I saw a little bit of Armin Van Buuren at Main and his set was very nice and the lights were always moving, making sure the audience was either always paying attention or caught in a trance. Then it was on to Carl Cox, a legend at Ultra. This was a great show to see him put his music together like a master. At his own Carl Cox and Friends Stage, he is a great example of mixer and a great show for anyone to see. The stage made the performance as well; a tunnel with screens along all of the walls, you get so caught in the show you don’t even notice the screens from the ceiling lowering to right above the crowd. Just hearing him say his famous catch phrase, “oh yes, oh yes” made it so much more amazing cause your knew he was in this show and so was the crowd. That was was an experience I will never forget and hold with such high respect.

We managed to see the last half of Alison Wonderland. Let me say this, if there was one show I saw at Ultra where I really felt something inside, it was at the Worldwide Stage with Alison Wonderland. She not only put on a great show and mixed well, but she brought so much emotion to her set and you could not watch and listen without sharing that emotion. During her set, she called out to the crowd multiple times, bringing us into her music with her. When she started playing her song U Don’t Know, she told us that she wrote it about depression, saying that “it’s not embarrassing to feel down…ever,” which was powerful on her part and contributed to the emotion in her set. When she started playing her song U Don’t Know, she told us that she wrote it about depression, saying that “it’s not embarrassing to feel down…ever,” which was powerful on her part and contributed to the emotion in her set. This is a performance that will stick with me for a long time. To finish off the night we saw Martin Garrix close down the Main Stage. Everyone knew this was going to be a great end to the night. The fireworks were shooting out constantly, the lights flashing all the time, and the crowd letting out all of their remaining energy all made this a great show. Martin chose great songs to play tonight, mixing happiness, energy, beauty, and harder sound. His whole set was interesting and fantastic to listen to and the crowd never backed down, showing Martin that they were ready for whatever ride he would take them on. At one point, he asked for the crowd to bring out lighters and lights, and flames and phone flashlights rose above the crowd, revealing in the darkness, the army that gathered to see this spectacle. He also played many new songs in his set  that the crowd couldn’t have reacted better to. To finish off the night, he ended with his new single, Now That I’ve Found You, not everyone in the crowd knew it, but they waited, anxious to see how great of an end this would be. Then, everything exploded, the fireworks, the lights, the crowd, and the music roared through the night. I couldn’t have asked for a better first day of Ultra. This truly is an amazing experience but it was only just beginning.

Day 2, a longer day, but that wasn’t going to get in my way. The plan was to see Louis the Child first, but we arrived with time to catch Aryay finishing up his set at the OWSLA UMF Radio Stage. His beats had a lot of bass, which pleased the crowd, but my favorite part was his ending, where he played I Love Kanye from Life of Pablo, but in place of Kanye was a cut up vocal quickly saying Aryay, to which Aryay claimed Kanye gave him a shoutout. That was a great way to end. Now it was onto Louis The Child. I barely knew them coming into Ultra, but boy, their performance was something else. Right from the start their music was great, their mixing well done, but what really stuck me was how into the music they played they were.For those who don’t know, Louis The Child is a duo of a freshman in college and a senior in high school, who wasn’t even old enough to attend Ultra if he wanted to. This was their first time performing in Miami, and what a way to make an entrance other than Ultra. For those who don’t know, Louis The Child is a duo of a freshman in college and a senior in high school, who wasn’t even old enough to attend Ultra if he wanted to. This was their first time performing in Miami, and what a way to make an entrance other than Ultra. It was clear this was a big moment for them and they put everything into this opportunity. This is probably the performance I had the most fun at, just dancing and feeling the music so well. There first songs were pretty synthy and had nice melodies to them. But then they played Hide Away by Daya and added a drop from Prince’s FUNKNROLL and crowed “oood” in awe. They added in a mix of Ms. Jackson and played their song From Here which I loved. To end they played their most well known song, It’s Strange. The crowd went nuts for this and it was the perfect way to end. Afterword I, along with my friend, and a group of people waited for them at the fence of the stage and I told them how good they were and got a selfie with them. They were just fantastic and I can’t wait to see them again. Afterward we took a break near the Worldwide Stage and listened to Morten. The crowd was having a good time but we were already worn out from Louis the Child that we took this time to rest and hydrate. Morten did a good job mixing for the time we were there. After we saw a little bit of Icona Pop perform at the Live Stage, they did well and they sounds great singing as usual. Then it was into Stage 7. The previous day my friend saw Riggi & Piros there and said it was just the best time. Stage 7 is small and above the ground and you can stand about two feet from whoever is playing which is sick. Adam Trigger was playing and it was just a time for everyone to take there space and dance as much as they wanted. I was not as familiar with him but he played great remixes and the crowd was definitely having a good time.

After the good time at Stage 7 we went back to Main Stage to see Steve Angello. There is one word I can use to describe his set; explosive. The drops were hard and the bass was strong but that’s exactly what you wanted from Steve. The energy crossed over the crowd from the get go and song after song only increased it. The stage made use of flamethrowers which spat fire into the air, heat that you could feel from the back of the crowd already sweaty in the Miami heat, but man was it something to see. Steve made a throwback to Swedish House Mafia, playing Save the World and Don’t You Worry Child in his set, but with his own drops, as if that’s how he would have made them if he was in full control. Regardless they were fantastic. He gave a great performance and much of the crowd was holding Steve Angello flags showing their support. Next up was the great Tiësto himself. This opener was great because the set started with Secrets, and Vassy came out to sing the song live which made the crowd so pumped up. He brought on Oliver Heldens to perform there collaboration Wombass, He also brought 19 year old Mike Williams to show their brand new song as well. From what I saw, Tiësto was bringing it and the crowd was accepting it. Nero was up next at the Live Stage and of course you knew that they were going to be good. We were up front for them. They did a mix of DJing and live performance which was delightful to see. Night fell and their lights were every where. The crowd loved every bit of them and so did I. They performed Promises which was great and the everyone went crazy for it. They also performed Two Minds and Doomsday. I was very impressed with their performance.

Unfortunately we weren’t able to go the third day but we got a special surprise as compensation. The Prodigy, who was scheduled to reunite, was forced to cancel due to a member falling ill and being unable to travel. This was sad because we were really looking forward to them. But it turned out that Deadmau5, yes Dead Mow Cinco, was going to step in last minute for the second year in a row. Imagine that. But it turned out that Deadmau5, yes Dead Mow Cinco, was going to step in last minute for the second year in a row. Imagine that. This was the opportunity for me. We were in front, against the railing. And he started his set. Immediately it was amazing. He is such a talent but it wasn’t just the music that was getting me; it was the visuals as well. The the screen were shapes, morphing polygons, shifting mouse heads, and constantly changing colors. I can’t even count how many times I found myself standing still because I was so mesmerized by his show. He played classics such as Moar Ghosts n Stuff. He also played My Pet Coelacanth. There was a point when he was drink a beer and when he was finished he tossed the bottle in front of his table and unknowingly to him, it landed perfectly up. One of his last songs was Strobe which made me so happy to hear live. The lights went blue, and the visuals went blue and it was so beautiful and stunning. During the outro he walked in front of the stage and saw the bottle and freaked out and took a picture of it. It was very funny to see his reaction. His last song was relaxed and heavy and on the screen was a creature with a Deadmau5 head on it climbing over a bed with tentacle arms coming from it. It was the perfect ending to a truly mind blowing weekend. I’ve never experience something like Ultra and I know I’m going back someday.