Reasons to wake up early for Ultra Weekend One
With the prospect of a long day ahead, festivals can be tempting times for ticket holders to stay in bed a little bit longer. You’re missing the opening acts, but hey, at least you’ll have energy for the end of the night, right? Wrong. Showing up early to festivals has led me to some of my favorite sets of all time. Lines are shorter, stages aren’t as crowded, and you have the opportunity to catch some of the most promising talent of the day. Artists opening festival stages feel a lot of pressure and tend to deliver far beyond expectations. With Weekend One of Ultra fast approaching, start planning your first sets of the day.
Watch araabMUZIK tear it up on an MPC at the Live Stage on Friday.
One part hip hop producer and one part insanely talented live DJ, araabMUZIK has risen to prominence both for his studio talents with Diplomat Records and Dipset and his knack for real time beat-making and firing off drum patterns at a breakneck pace on his MPC 2500. His set will pull samples from electro, trap, hip hop, and even trance and his technical skills will literally make your jaw drop.
Uto Karem’s carefree techno is a proper way to start your day at the Carl Cox & Friends Arena on Saturday.
Uto Karem‘s live sets burst with a certain kind of addictive dance energy fitting for an early afternoon in downtown Miami. He’s got high powered bass lines, whirling rhythms, and nonstop groove in his techno toolbox and if that’s not convincing enough, Umek and Toolroom like working with him too.
Exploring the clicks and pops of bass music: kick off Sunday with French Fries.
Since crowned Breakthrough Artist of WMC 2010, the very young French Fries has continued along his path towards doing bass music a bit differently. He’s released music on ClekClekBoom and Mad Decent, but in the last year or so has spent much more time with the dirtybird crew. He’s generously remixed Justin Martin and Skrillex and done some futuristic stuff on his Space Alarm EP from late 2012. His set will surely pound the stage’s subs, make you dance erratically, and leave an inquisitive look written all over your face. Catch him on the Ultra Worldwide Stage right before Adventure Club.
Ease into your final day at UMF with Classixx’s sticky sweet tropi-disco.
Classixx consists of two Angelenos, Tyler Blake and Michael Davis, that have been tearing up the indie dance scene on the West Coast (and beyond) for a number of years now. The duo have been leaking tracks from their first full-length artist album over the last couple of months and their sound is just as crisp and catchy as always. They are opening on the Main Stage on Sunday, and a DJ set from these two could include anything from their top-notch originals to their remixes for Phoenix, Passion Pit, YACHT, Mayer Hawthorne, or Major Lazer. Grab a beer, grab your friends, and relax in the shade for this one.
Polish off Sunday with exemplary UK bass and garage from Kidnap Kid.
You like Disclosure, you like Rudimental, you even have heard a few Bondax and Gorgon City tracks — don’t miss Kidnap Kid. Although this young DJ is playing elsewhere in Miami for multiple nights during Miami Music Week, his sound is well-suited for daytime raving. Kidnap Kid’s debut release “Vehl” was crowned the “Best Electronic Song of 2012” by US iTunes charts and pretty much everything he touches sounds just as fresh. He’s warming up the Live Stage on Sunday and won’t disappoint your 2 step impulses.
Categories: Music