What you need to know from day three of Ultra Music Festival 2015

What you need to know from Day Three of Ultra Music Festival 2015

With Miami Music Week in full swing, the days leading up to Ultra Music Festival’s 17th edition were filled with nothing but anticipation for the three-day affair. With its unrelenting roster of talent, phenomenal production and thousands of international dance music revelers, the annual show is the staple outline for the beginning of this year’s festival season as well as the next 12 months of electronic music. This weekend’s occurrences – whether it be a surprise appearance on Ultra’s Main Stage or a jaw-dropping musical statement as per Avicii in 2013 – are moments that will resonate within the dance music community until 2016. Straight from Miami, here are the top five takeaway moments from the final day of Ultra Music Festival 2015.

Wondering what you missed the first two days? Find our coverage of day one and day two here.

Photos courtesy of Ultra Music Festival.

Milo & Otis rule the OWSLA stage

From the start of day three, the UMF Radio stage held a different energy than it did during previous festival days; with OWSLA branding and a bass-filled lineup, fans came out in force to one of the smallest stages to see exciting trap, hard house, and jungle terror acts. No act at the stage attracted as much attention and fanfare as Milo & Otis, the wonky trap duo made up of Killagraham and Nymz. Animated may be the best way to describe a Milo & Otis performance. The cool and collected Otis is offset by his rowdy and distinctively confident partner, Milo. Together, the duo create an elusive balance of pure unadulterated fun, ambitious musical dominance, and unteachable style. Milo & Otis simply continue to curate a good time for anyone that attends their show, and that’s really all they need. We definitely wouldn’t mind seeing the duo give away more cat shirts, though.

Photo courtesy of Menbar Photos

Krewella debut a soulful live performance

Krewella’s live performance met and exceeded their biggest fans’ expectations, while, frankly, shocking others. This reaction was to be expected though, as the duo took to the stage and finally embraced the style they’ve always been begging to show. With undertones of a punk-rock feel, the female duo brought more energy to the Live Stage than any other act, putting the extra “umph” into their performance that only a strong fan connection can produce. In fact, the emotional impact was so intense at times that tears could be seen throughout the audience — and even running down the faces of the performers. Regardless of your opinion of their music or beliefs regarding their talent, Krewella are here to stay.

Photo courtesy of Rukes.

Cashmere Cat invites Ariana Grande to the stage

One of the more unforeseen surprises at Ultra Music Festival was perhaps day three’s guest appearance of pop music’s most coveted singer, Ariana Grande. Though she and Cashmere Cat recently unveiled their collaboration, “Adore,” the thought of Grande serving as one of the festival’s special guests easily became buried beneath the speculation that Justin Bieber and Diplo would crash Skrillex’s main stage set. Nonetheless, the 21-year-old arrived to the grounds with a prosperous crew in tow. Entering the stage to perform “Adore” and “Be My Baby,” the highlight of her Ultra Music Festival debut was easily when she placed a pair of cat ears atop Cashmere Cat’s head before a spirited crowd.

Photo courtesy of Marta Xochilt Perez.

Kygo closes out the festival with tropical house

It isn’t often that a festival newcomer can claim one of the prized closing slots of Ultra Music Festival, but if anyone could this year, it was undoubtedly Kygo. Despite his conflicting set time against OWSLA giant Skrillex, the Norwegian talent drew a massive crowd to the festival’s live stage. Without hesitation, the crowd sang word for word alongside his familiar and favorite remixes like “Younger” and his take on Syn Cole’s “Miami 82.″ Though Kygo claimed only 10 minutes of Ultra’s live stream, the blossoming producer had plenty of new material to share for Miami fans — for now, the rest of the world will just have to wait patiently.

Photo courtesy of Olav Stubberud.

Skrillex and friends bid farewell to UMF 2015

The year of 2015 for Ultra Music Festival was the year of surprise guests. Between Usher joining Martin Garrix at his main stage slot and Ariana Grande’s grand entrance to perform alongside Cashmere Cat, the hype surrounding Skrillex’s set could not have been higher. The OWSLA commander began his Sunday headlining spot by transporting listeners back to 2010 when he first began his dubstep venture with the tracks that launched his legendary career. From his remix of “Cinema” to “Make It Bun Dem” to the ear-piercing “Devil’s Den,” the chaotic reception from the crowd proved that dubstep is in fact not dead. To close out the night, Skrillex unleashed many of the celebrity weapons in his arsenal with Kiesza, CL, Kai, P.Diddy, and Justin Bieber all joining Jack Ü on stage to wrap up the 17th edition of Ultra Music Festival.

Photo courtesy of aLIVE Coverage.