Festival Preview: ULTRA

Voted Best Music Event by the International Dance Music Awards for the past three years, ULTRA Music Festival in Miami, Florida reigns as the world’s ultimate Electronic Dance Music Festival. Created in 1999, ULTRA was originally an EDM-exclusive affair held on the sands of South Beach, but has over the years expanded both its dimensions and its focus. While remaining true to its musical core and its Miami location, today ULTRA is held in the city’s massive Bicentennial Park, and features all kinds of EDM subgenres (“house, trance, electro, indie-rock, dance rock, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, alternative, minimal, big beat, jamtronica and more,” according to their website) as well as many other crossover acts on its 16 stages.

This year, the lineup is a portrait of focused multiplicity. While starring a slew of internationally renowned DJs, including Tiësto, David Guetta, Deadmau5 and Armin Van Buuren, ULTRA 2010 also makes way for older acts such as Infected Mushroom and Groove Armada as well as more up-and-coming crossovers like Little Boots, Ghostland Observatory, and Passion Pit. Genres extend from jam bands (or rather, jamtronica) like the Disco Biscuits to reggae/rap/hip-hop acts such as Damian Marley & Nas (performing together!) and the Black-Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am.

As an EDM fanatic, I have already seen and loved a great many of these acts (Tiësto, Guetta, Van Buuren, Ghostland, Passion Pit, Above & Beyond, Paul Oakenfold and more) but with the exception of Passion Pit, most have performed individually, usually at clubs, so I’m interested to see how they’ll play out in a festival setting. Not to mention the fact that ULTRA will be a combination of my two favorite things in the world: electronic dance music and festivals.

So do a no-rain dance and join me, dear readers, or live vicariously through me as I head to Miami and embark on what will surely be a very exciting weekend!

By Hilary Cadigan

Full Review Coming Soon!