Hardwell at Ultra 2012: Tiesto’s homeboy brings his A-game (update: video + liveset download)

by: Jesse Grushack Apr 1, 2012

If there’s any one trend we’ve noticed from Miami Music Week, it’s that avid EDM enthusiasts are embracing a harder sound than in the past. Luckily for us there was no shortage of artists who fit that bill — and Hardwell’s set at Ultra was just right. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see Zedd who owned the Main Stage before Hardwell took the stage at 3:20PM, but as soon as we arrived the entire space sprung to life.

Opening with “Spaceman,” the crowd quickly fell into the heavy bass as Hardwell kept throwing out bootlegs like “Promise Cobra” (Hardwell vs Skrillex & Nero) and PeaceTreaty vs. Empire Of The Sun vs. Jay-Z & Kanye West’s “Walking In Paris.” There really is something about hearing Hardwell on such massive speakers — his songs were designed for a stage like this.

Hardwell went back to the 90’s with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” which he dropped into Tristan Garner’s “Overdrive” and then rounded it out with “Cascade” by Tommy Trash. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’s “By The Way” got the crowd singing atop the beat of his collaboration with Tiesto, “Zero 76.” The Dada Life remix of “Who is Ready to Jump” was another hit as Hardwell used to keep the crowd engaged with the set. “Maximal Crazy” led into “Internet Friends” — which was accompanied by graphics reading “If you Don’t like Hardwell on Facebook, then you are going to die!” Wonder where he got the inspiration… Regardless, it was a great set from the Dutchman and you should give it a download if you haven’t heard it yet.

Full audio: Hardwell at Ultra Music Festival 2012