Trance to Trap: Acts you can’t ignore at Ultra Weekend TwoTrance To Trap

Trance to Trap: Acts you can’t ignore at Ultra Weekend Two

Hundreds of DJs, seven stages, two weekends. Where do you start? Who do you see and who do you skip? Dancing Astronaut has you covered. We’ve filled you in on the acts you can’t ignore for Weekend One, spearheaded by dubstep and deep house-heavy rosters. The second weekend, however, sees another two genres at the forefront along with some of the biggest names in popular dance music. From the whopping trance offerings to the invigorating trap overture, to the best in progressive and electro, here are the stages you can’t ignore at Ultra Weekend Two.

Armin van Buuren and ASOT 600 make full stage take over

A State of Trance 600 is sweeping the globe and stopping in Miami along the journey. Setting up shop on Sunday of Weekend Two at Ultra Music Festival, Armin establishes his day as the must-attend for trance fans. Tritonal will open the ceremonies and from there on out, the Mega Structure becomes a playground where superstars meet fans and fans meet their ultimate dreams. W&W will light up the stage early in the afternoon with progressive trance in the vein of “The Code,” which has become one of the hottest tracks of the winter. With one heavyweight after another, there will be no shortage of premiere artists at Camp Armin — from Cosmic Gate and ATB to Dash Berlin and Markus Schulz to Ferry Corsten and Paul van Dyk.

If you only make it to the ASOT stage for one set on Sunday, have it be for Above & Beyond.

The trio didn’t join the conglomerate at Ultra Music Festival in 2012 — they hosted their own Group Therapy event, a festival of its own with supporting acts like Arty, Mat Zo, and Andrew Bayer. But this year the trance gods unite and somehow, someway, Above & Beyond will squeeze their Group Therapy followers in A State Of Trance’s arena for admirers of both legions to flourish.

Trance? Check. Move on to Ultra Worldwide.

Time to explore seven stages of dance music with hundreds of artists to choose from. With so much to do in so little time, where else should you venture off to? Afrojack and Kaskade are unanimous festival favorites, but you can’t overlook the talent on the Ultra Worldwide stage. Wolfgang Gartner is slated to go up against SHM as the closing act, but not before Tommy Trash showcases his endless supply of original productions and contagious remixes. On the same stage, there’s Fedde Le Grand, who has become an icon for music festivals and Porter Robinson, who still sits high off the success of “Language.” Neither should be missed.

Of all the A-listers stationed at Ultra Worldwide, don’t overlook Hardwell or Zedd.

The next generation of dance music all-stars is led by Hardwell and Zedd. Hardwell looks to bring his festival stage attitude — big room crashes and Dutch progressive house — to Ultra Worldwide along with a slew of brand new material and future releases from his Revealed imprint. The trail of Zedd’s Clarity can be traced all the way to Ultra this year and the multi-talented producer will bring forth his trademarked complextro selections and spontaneous drops for a mid-afternoon appearance.

Trap earns its own stage after rapid growth as a genre.

2013, a year that will be saturated with the up-and-coming genre known as trap. Heavy beats, hip-hop drops, and dub-meets-electro stylings has made trap the premiere sound of partying over the last few months, warranting the Trapped Stage at Ultra in 2013. Manned by Dillon Francis, poster boy for moombah, trap, and all wild sounds in between, the Trapped Stage will be supported by the respected Flosstradamus and “Harlem Shake” innovator, Baauer. Even the opening acts bring something fresh to a genre that is still in the process of earning stripes; gLAdiator and Carnage prepare to heat the arena for the dedicated fans who woke up early for a dose of trap.

If you only make it to the Trapped Stage for one set on Saturday, make sure it’s for Flosstradamus.

The duo affiliated with A-Trak, Diplo, and their respective Fool’s Gold and Mad Decent labels prepares to burn down an Ultra crowd ahead of the stage’s headliner, Dillon Francis. Before heading to the Main Stage for the return of Deadmau5, let Flosstradamus shake you up and hit you hard with their recent release B⚠NNED 2.

Trap? Check. Move on to the Main Stage.

The Main Stage is perhaps the most difficult to navigate as it comes with acts that stop by your city throughout the year, acts that you’ve seen several times, and acts that simply can’t be missed at Ultra. Swedish House Mafia’s final set is a given, so who do you turn to next? For starters, the return of Eric Prydz feels like a lifetime ago since he has dominated every aspect of dance music since touching down on American soil, but his return to Ultra Music Festival will be one of the greater sets of both weekends. Avicii returns with headliner status and a newfound attitude will put on a performance for the books.

Of all the A-listers stationed at the Main Stage, don’t overlook Fatboy Slim or Sander van Doorn:

In the shadows of only a few higher demanded DJs, Fatboy Slim and Sander van Doorn would be the marquee names at most of the world’s festivals. Tested and proven, Fatboy and Sander have the trained ability to deliver where it counts at stages of such caliber. Expect the unexpected, prepare for thrill, and don’t miss either act during Weekend Two.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Categories: