What you need to know from Day Three of Ultra Music Festival 2014
What you need to know from Day Three of Ultra Music Festival 2014
With 88 new acts and 200,000 people, it is hard to argue the power that Ultra Music Festival holds in today’s electronic music market. Serving as one of the United States’ top music festivals, UMF has attracted fans from around the world for a weekend of Americanized electro flavor in Miami each year. At the conclusion of March, dance music fans make their pilgrimage to Bayfront Park to see exactly what UMF has in store. We have seen many artists rise to the top of their game when facing the beautiful Miami weather and receptive crowd, and this year was no exception. Here are our top five moments from Ultra Music Festival Day Three.
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Jack U make their festival debut
Making their festival debut, Skrillex and Diplo took to the Main Stage under the Jack U moniker to unleash a stylistic set that clearly represented the tastes of both artists. Self-promotion was abound, with fresh Jack U “Flappy Bird”-inspired visuals and sounds and a Jack U vocal drop to boot. Debuting a load of unheard tracks, the OWSLA and Mad Decent label bosses took turns on the deck while the other artist served as a hype man. While Jack U was certainly active on the microphones, the crowd didn’t mind; it became evident nearly immediately that this set, and the Jack U project as a whole, can be wrapped up in one word: fun. Traveling outside their own respective catalogs, the electronic kings mixed in not only their partner’s recordings, but those from a wide variety of artists regardless of their genre placement. From YG to Toto and all the way back to early Skrillex and recent Diplo tunes, the performance was nothing short of exhilarating.
Chase & Status bring drum 'n' bass back to Bayfront
While the Live Stage had seen its fair share of crowds over the weekend, no artists brought the kind of energy that the British bass-music masterminds Chase & Status incorporated into their set. Along with MC Rage in the hype position, the DJ duo drew in the American audience with a taste of trap and dubstep before diving into an upbeat drum & bass set. The stage essentially divided the crowd in half; those that hoped to avoid the madness that is a Chase & Status show took to the grassy hill above the Live Stage, while chaos ensued in the pit. While many may insist that bass-centric music has run its course in the United States electronic music market, a large crowd turnout and sincere interest from fans and non-fans alike proved the contrary. Acts like Chase & Status are here to say.
Cirez D gets his Underground Stage fix
While holding a conflicting set time with Hardwell who would undoubtedly draw a massive crowd to the Main Stage, Cirez D kept his set intimate and low key at the remote location of the Underground Stage. The Space Ibiza-inspired design was perfect for a Cirez D performance; no lights illuminated Prydz, which is exactly how he rolls. Letting the music speak for itself, the minimalistic appeal of the entire experience along with the dark techno that dominated the two hours showed a drastically different side to Eric Prydz than that which was broadcast just a few days earlier on the Main Stage. With the support of the onlooking Pryda Friends family, Cirez D’s set dove deep, providing an emotional experience that can often be hard to locate at festivals like Ultra.
A State of Trance invades the Megastructure
While Carl Cox’s performances rocked the Mega Structure for two full days, it was time for him and his friends to make way for A State of Trance. With the 650th edition of the show making its tour run, it is no surprise that Armin van Buuren made a stop in Bayfront Park, bringing rare live acts and making the Megastructure a destination for trance addicts. “A festival within a festival,” many described it, and the stage-specific social media hashtag supported this viewpoint to the fullest extent. Following a performance from Markus Schulz and Ferry Corsten in form of the New World Punx outfit, Armin van Buuren took the stage as Gaia, the moniker that has brought the trance family such hits as “J’ai Envie De Toi” and “Aisha.” The once in a lifetime performance delivered trance tracks both old and new but never strayed into progressive, proving that though trends change, trance is here to stay.
Hardwell closes the UMF 2014 Main Stage
Ultra proves to be a new home for Hardwell as the Dutch talent received the privilege of closing out the festival’s Main Stage – an honor reserved for only the finest of big room talent. The world’s number one DJ gave dance fans a run for their money, with extravagant pyrotechnics and an incredible tracklist featuring new productions from the “Countdown” superstar. Rumored to have been prepping his set for up to three months prior to the festival’s closing day, Hardwell debuted many new tracks that are yet to be identified by either name or producer. After a big-room dominant set that included a brand new remix of Armin van Buuren’s “Ping Pong,” the superstar closed his set with a quickly rising sound: hardstyle. Just as Deadmau5 did the night prior, Hardwell was not afraid to step outside of the typical Main Stage boundaries and drop a set that challenged listeners’ tastes.