Krewella breaks through hype at Ultra 2013: 5 tracks you need to know
Through the early hours of Saturday at Ultra Music Festival‘s second weekend, the buzz around all of Bayfront Park’s seven stages, concession stands, and even porta potty lines was for Krewella and their pending 5:45 Drop Zone appearance. The threesome has blown up over the past year and they would dawn upon their Ultra debut riding high among their recent boom in popularity. After delivering from the less-crowded Live Stage the previous week, Jahan, Yasmine, and Rain Man would finally have the outlet to shine and live up to their exceptions this particular Saturday.
The trio has come a long way since their Chicago roots — from the Windy City to the most cluttered arena at Ultra. Playing ahead of acts such as Zeds Dead, Bassnectar, and Borgore, Krewella didn’t just fill a time slot at Saturday’s dubstep showcase, they stole its spotlight. Fans that had been building with anticipation all morning only chirped about the performance even more after it left them stunned.
If you had spent your sunnier half of the day with the likes of Datsik, 12th Planet, and Kill The Noise, you’d appreciate the build of velocity that ranged from the earlier moments of their set to the more ferocious middle of it. While the Krewella girls are hard to keep away from the mic, they ease into the energy with their music. The earlier selection of GTA’s “Ai Novinha” provided festival intensity without yet pulling fans into the quicksand-like mixture of dub that would eventually take over.
GTA – Ai Novinha (Original Mix)
Krewella offers a refreshing presence for dubstep fans. It could be the pretty faces of the Yousaf sisters, their stage presence, or their ability to have a crowd jumping so often that they spend more time in the air than on the ground. Shouting at their crowd, roughly enough to be mistaken as violent, they made it clear that Candyland’s remix of their own “Can’t Control Myself” is one special track that puts gravity to the test.
Krewella – Can’t Control Myself (Candyland Remix)
In the midst of breaking through the early hype, the group turned to the best way to satisfy a crowd — brand new music. Krewella took to the microphone (one of the many times) and introduced their new track with Nicky Romero, an unexpected partner for a dubstep group, but a collaboration that proved simpatico with audience approval. It was only the second time this record had been played live only hours after its premiere, but “Save My Life” was received well for such a rare fusing of brands.
Nicky Romero ft. Krewella – Legacy (Save My Life)
They all knew she was talking about the track she was about to drop, but when a Krewella sister proclaims that she is “about to give it to you hard,” the male audience’s wishful thinking had them melting. Only cranking up the chaos through the middle (and heaviest portion) of their set, Krewella played friendly with festival fever and managed to incorporate a sing-a-long with the drop of their original “One Minute.”
Krewella – One Minute (Original Mix)
Tearing through their heavier selections of the day, including many of their own productions, Krewella noticeably steered the energy in another direction and gave their Drop Zone crowd a moment to breathe. Putting the apex behind them, the jumping and limb flailing cooled off for an ending better appreciated by ear. What better way to continue with melodic relief than to next drop their most popular record. With the conclusion of “Alive,” Krewella ended their set on a big room note and left fans with the inescapable lyrics to stir within their heads for the rest of the day.
Krewella – Alive (Original Mix)
Jahan, Yasmine, and Rain Man walked off the Ultra Worldwide stage and left the rest of the days’s dubstep up to their successors, only with an act that would be difficult to compete with. Hype in dance music has often ended with sudden crashes, critical backlash, or disappointment from fans. Krewella, however, broke through their buzz and did so where it matters most; Ultra Music Festival. If you became confused when a fellow festival-goer asked you about Krewella while you were dancing at the Carl Cox arena or was talking about how much they love those pretty punk-rock sisters in the middle of Deadmau5’s closing set, rest assured… the hype is real.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Catherine
Categories: Music