Ultra Music Festival 2016: Surprises, Reunions And A Triple Dose Of deadmau5

Ultra Music Festival 2016 is now behind us and after taking a week off to recover and reminisce, we're ready to bring you all of our coverage from the event! We've already posted multiple photo galleries from both the fest itself and several Miami Music Week parties, as well as numerous interviews, but now it's time for our comprehensive review. This year, we're doing things a little different. On the ground covering the festival for us were Matt Joseph, John Cameron and Emily Hall, and in the following article, they'll each give you their opinion on what they thought about the 2016 edition of what many say is dance music's most important event of the year. So, without further ado, read on for the We Got This Covered team's thoughts on Ultra Music Festival 2016! Matt Joseph Three performances from deadmau5 in two days. Reunions between beloved acts like Pendulum and Rabbit In The Moon. Special guest appearance from DJ Khaled. Artists showing up in the middle of other artists' sets for no apparent reason. A drool-worthy list of talent lining the bill for all three days. Yes, it could only be Ultra Music Festival, returning to Miami's Bayfront Park once again to officially kick off festival season. A weekend full of surprises, historic moments, reunions and overall good vibes, the organizers once again put on an applause-worthy event that while not perfect, provided those in attendance with lots of talk about and even more to remember. Going into the festival, several artists built a considerable amount of buzz in regards to their sets, and one of them was Martin Garrix. After blowing just about everyone away with his stunning performance at Ultra last year, expectations were high for the Dutch DJ to deliver, and deliver he did. Bringing with him no less than 10 new tracks, Garrix claimed his title as youngest person to ever close out the Ultra main stage and in the process, put on a spectacle for thousands of fans who came to witness the historic moment. Sporting a fresh and funky new direction, the producer dropped tons of new music that bounced around multiple genres. From trap to electro and even a bit of future bass, Garrix showed us that he had no intentions of staying pigeonholed in the big room sphere and once again, delivered an excellent set. Main stage aside, though, and one of the other most talked about acts going into the festival, and coming out of it, was deadmau5. Originally scheduled to only appear once, Joel found himself making three appearances throughout the weekend. He played his scheduled set on the A State of Trance stage, in which he got up to his usual antics and trolled the crowd with a moderate amount of metal music, and he also ended up filling in for The Prodigy on the Live Stage (which was more of a techno set, and probably the better of the two). Then, he made a surprise guest appearance on Main Stage to perform "Ghosts N Stuff" with Pendulum, which sent the crowd into a frenzy, and rightfully so. And speaking of Pendulum, their much anticipated reunion was nothing short of legendary. As those who were there can attest to, seeing them back on stage again together was an incredible moment for dance music fans and one that won't be forgotten any time soon. Everything from their music to the production during the set was near perfect, marking a triumphant return for one of the industry's best acts. Of course, Ultra Music Festival had a lot more to offer as well. The UMF Radio stage was particularly strong this year, especially on Saturday when OWSLA took over (big props to Mija for absolutely crushing her set), and the Resistance stage received a pretty epic and substantial design upgrade to match its unstoppable lineup of talent this year. Unfortunately, I was only able to make it over to the Megastructure on day 3, when Armin's A State of Trance took over. Despite the logistics of that area still being an absolute nightmare, you can't deny that the artists who played there were well worth venturing into the crowd for. While deadmau5's set was perhaps the most-anticipated of the day on the ASOT stage, it was Eric Prydz who impressed me most. The legendary producer threw down a flawless mix of music that stood out quite clearly as one of the weekend's definite highlights. Another stage worth mentioning is the Worldwide stage, which is probably where most of my time was spent. On Day 2 and 3 especially I found myself wandering over there more often than I thought I would and what I saw did not disappoint in the slightest. KSHMR's closing set on Saturday was absolute fire, while Marshmello's performance on Sunday was completely insane and one of my favorite sets all festival. The Chainsmokers, meanwhile, delivered an exciting and eclectic array of music that included some of their older remixes, which the true fans got a kick out of. Jauz, Robin Schulz and Malaa were also all highlights on the Worldwide stage throughout the weekend, but another one of my favorite sets came from Alison Wonderland. The Aussie DJ displayed an incredible sense of energy, emotion and passion as she mixed through another wildly impressive set that further cemented her status as one of the most exciting artists in electronic dance music at the moment. Moving away from the music for a minute, and it needs to be said that Ultra still has several areas that need a lot of improvement. For one, as was the case last year, absolutely no one who worked there seemed to be on the same page. You'd ask the same question to several different staff and get a different answer from each one. That is, if you were even able to get an answer. Many of the staff seemed to have no idea what was going on and usually couldn't provide very much information no matter what you asked them. Logistics were also a nightmare, once again. I do think that Bayfront Park is a suitable, if slightly too small venue for the festival, but it just felt way too busy and congested, which made the overall experience a bit less enjoyable. Trying to get from one stage to another, especially during the night, was a daunting task, and for some artists, certain stages descended into absolute bedlam. I'm totally fine with big crowds, wild parties and limited personal space, but at some points, it was really just too much (*cough* A State of Trance stage for deadmau5 *cough*). Another thing I wasn't a huge fan of was seeing artists popping into other artists sets for no apparent reason. Not to name any names, but a few instances of this happening just felt gimmick-y and pointless. I get it if the two artists have a song together that they're going to perform, but sometimes an artist would just walk on stage during another artist's set, jump around for a minute or two with them and then walk off. I suppose the crowd gets a kick out of it, but it just takes away from the performance and personally, I could have done without it. But again, I'm probably in the minority on that one. At the end of the day, Ultra Music Festival is, without a doubt, one of the most important events of the year for electronic dance music artists. It's where they all go to premiere new music, put themselves on the map, create historic moments and show off their talents on a global scale. Nothing has changed in that regard with the 2016 edition of the festival. And while many may point to the fact that the organizers still aren't doing much to innovate or keep the event feeling fresh year after year, their formula does work. And you know what they say: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. John Cameron On March 18th-20th, hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Bayfront Park in downtown Miami to usher in the beginning of the 2016 festival season by attending the 18th edition of Ultra Music Festival. While the massive boasted a lineup sure to pique the interest of any informed electronic music fan, the execution of the festival itself would suggest that it’s been surpassed by other industry-leading festivals throughout the North American market. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when it was that Ultra became just another festival. As promoters the world over continue to come up with methods to present their events’ attendees with an experience that can never be duplicated, the organizers of Ultra seem content to stick to the same tired-out formula: stock a half dozen stages with famous DJs for three days. Even the production values seem to have suffered to some degree. In all its LED-paneled grandeur, Ultra’s once epoch-making main stage, which this year featured performances from the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Hardwell and Martin Garrix, didn’t come close to competing with those of festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival or TomorrowWorld. The Arcadia Spider of the Resistance Stage was perhaps the most spirited addition to this year’s edition of the festival. The three-story structure built to resemble a robotic spider played host to underground house and techno artists like Hot Since 82, John Digweed and Art Department, providing a safe haven for those intimately familiar with dance music’s more sophisticated side. The Worldwide Stage, meanwhile, featured an awning-like arc that extended over the heads the audience members in front of the DJ booth, and the 7-UP-sponsored Stage 7 shared a raised platform with various vendors and a handful of charger mounts. The Live Stage used Bayfront Park’s existing auditorium structure at its disposal, and the smallest stage, Oasis, was built into a small storefront. Finally, in the far corner of the park was a stage which was hosted by Carl Cox and Friends for the first two days of the event, and A State of Trance (ASOT) on the last. What Ultra Music Festival lacked in regards to production elements and a personalized experience, however, it made up for with A-list talent. On Friday, Julian Jordan and Blasterjaxx warmed up the decks on the Main Stage for Dash Berlin before Kygo played a typically skillful set full of new music from his upcoming album. Jauz took the the Worldwide stage shortly thereafter, playing tracks like his breakout single, “Feel The Volume,” and his Ephwurd collaboration, “Rock The Party” - although his set was unfortunately not a great deal different from the ones he’s been playing on the Friendzy Tour. Around the same time, Loco Dice brought his dark and brooding brand of techno to the Carl Cox and Friends stage - that is, before Cox himself took the stage while the lighting techs finally broke out the lasers. On the Resistance stage, Hot Since 82 did the same for John Digweed before Jamie Jones closed the night out - while on the Main Stage, DJ Snake unleashed his relentless brand of bass music before Martin Garrix used his set as a platform to debut 10 new tracks. On Saturday, the Carl Cox and Friends stage opened with a long back-to-back set between Cristian Varela and Jon Rundell before Nicole Moudaber took over. During the second half of her set, OWSLA export Mija showcased her bass music chops at the UMF Radio stage while Thomas Jack played a bit of a topsy-turvy set at the Live Stage. The latest DJ/producer to adopt the slow reveal gimmick, Malaa, played afterwards at the Worldwide stage - followed by Don Diablo, who, despite his mediocre recent releases, actually played a very solid set of music. To the dismay of a small portion of fans (whom were undoubtedly outweighed by the majority in attendance), The Prodigy would not be able to perform their closing set at the Live Stage and progressive house mastermind deadmau5 would take the time slot instead. While he was already scheduled for a slot on the ASOT stage the following day, his impromptu performance gave him an opportunity to play the kind of music he’s been feeling more lately - and apparently, the ‘mau5 has been big on dark, introspective techno. However, it would be the third and final day of Ultra Music Festival that set the tone for what this year’s festival season will probably have in store. After artists like Fedde Le Grand, Black Coffee and Markus Schulz performed on the massive’s various stages, an unheard-of influx of attendees swarmed to the ASOT stage for deadmau5’ set. As he previously hinted, the Canadian DJ/producer opened his set with a Slayer track, making a mockery of his highly anticipated performance right off the bat. While his set featured the cerebral, intelligently arranged sort of progressive house that has become the deadmau5 calling card, technical difficulties about midway through (which he blamed squarely on Pioneer) halted the sound for a length of time before he got his hardware back up and running. Then, there was the close. After playing one of the experimental tracks from his Project Entropy stage show, deadmau5 got on the microphone and addressed the audience: Thank you for coming out, everybody. Thank you ASOT. I mean, a paycheck’s a paycheck, right? And at that, the controversial producer cued his final track, “Ace of Spades” by Motörhead - which might as well have been a giant middle finger to the festival’s organizers as well as the audience. It’s hard to know how to take deadmau5’ larger-than-life gesture; at this point in his career, you can’t help but feel that trolling has become such a major part of his persona that it’s a special treat to find yourself on the receiving end during a live performance. Nonetheless, you can’t get around the fact that he casually disrespected his fans. When it’s all said and done, doing so loses him respect points. Luckily, an artist who holds themselves to the utmost standard of professionalism and artistic integrity followed him on the same stage: None other than Eric Prydz. The Swedish progressive house virtuoso delivered one of his transcendental live sets, drawing tens of thousands to the ASOT stage in the process. Elsewhere, after live dubstep band Destroid experienced some technical difficulties of their own on the Live Stage, they were followed by the reunion of one of electronic music’s most celebrated relics. Rabbit in the Moon (RITM) played their reunion set on the Live Stage - one which, as they told us in an interview the day before, consisted of 80% new music. In addition to their sublime fusion of breakbeat and techno, their otherworldly stage show set them above the rest as the best set of the weekend for anyone who was lucky enough to catch it. Between Cirque Du Soleil-style performers and visceral stunts like Bunny leaping into the audience and shouting, “Take me as your sacrifice,” RITM’s reunion set was easily the most memorable of the entire festival - which says a lot, given their competition. Shortly afterwards, Gareth McGrillen and Rob Swire of Knife Party were met on the Main Stage by the members of Pendulum for the group’s own reunion. The drum and bass band may not have put as much into their reunion as RITM did, but considering their history it definitely made for a fitting way to close out the weekend. If you regard this year’s edition of Ultra Music Festival as an indicator of what’s to follow now that festival season is underway, it appears as obvious as ever that a tectonic shift is taking place in the world of electronic music. Fans are tiring of the status quo, and their search for music of substance takes them to strange, new places - owing in no small part to the commentary of disenfranchised tastemakers. Ultra Music Festival may have peaked some years prior, but it nonetheless remains a rite of passage for electronic music fans on a global scale. Emily Hall They say the third time's the charm, right? Every year, I am one of the hundreds of thousands to make my way to Miami for one of the biggest weeks of the year in electronic dance music. While the weeklong function serves as the ultimate pre-game to Ultra Music Festival, the actual festival always takes the cake for me, providing fantastic performances and some of my favorite stage production set ups. With UMF 2016 being my third year in Miami, I can honestly say it was definitely the best outing for the fest that I've experienced. While there's always room for improvement in certain areas such as crowd control and logistics, Ultra, for the most part, has got it down in terms of curating one of dance music’s best festivals. Right off the bat, it was safe to say that deadmau5’s A State of Trance set was going to be one of the most sought after sets of the entire the three day event; however, actually experiencing the crowd mania that accompanied it was far worse than I could have ever imagined. Honestly, I’m not even sure if the Megastructure that played host to the ASOT stage could’ve been more packed. What I thought was thinking ahead and arriving to the stage halfway into Markus Schulz’s set, actually proved to be way too late with far-fetched hopes of securing a spot under the Megastructure. Although I was able to squeeze my way through to a decent spot, largely due to my expansive crowd weaving skills, the elbowroom was far too minimal for my liking and the crowd leaked out past the roof of the Megastructure into the open area where festivalgoers were constantly walking through. While a trance set from deadmau5 was definitely worth the hassle of fighting my way into one of the busiest and most packed crowds I've ever seen, the ASOT stage was definitely not prepared to house the incredible amount of people who came to watch Joel perform. I also can’t say that I liked how The Chainsmokers performed at Ultra Worldwide, as that stage may have been equally if not more packed than ASOT during the nighttime sets. It was nearly impossible to cut through the street alongside Worldwide once The Chainsmokers took the stage; the crowd spilled out all over the street, not to mention the hill on the other side of the stage looked like a sea of ravers all smashing into each other. The Chainsmokers are definitely at a point in their career where they can successfully wrangle the Main Stage, where more space sanctions for a rowdier crowd – especially when they opened by teasing their beloved track “Roses” and took an unexpected turn into a trap-induced beat where the entire crowd broke out into aggressive dance, making it even harder to slide through the masses. To be fair, though, Ultra definitely felt more packed as a whole throughout all three days. Switching stages consistently felt like I was traveling miles while moving at the pace of a snail and getting out of the festival at the end of each night seemed more difficult due to the upgrade in security fencing. All that being said, however, given that Bayfront Park is a smaller venue for a large-scale electronic music festival such as Ultra, the arrangement of the stages certainly worked out well and culminated in very little sound pollution overall, which is always a good thing. Putting aside the logistics issues, which in all honestly, most festivals still deal with, Ultra put on a pretty impressive show this year. From the talent playing the event to the production and some truly special moments, there was a fair amount to like about 2016's edition of Ultra Music Festival.' Coming back for its second year in a row, Resistance received the biggest upgrade out of all the stages with the introduction of Arcadia Spider. Taking a glance at the set times revealed a mysterious “Arcadia landing show,” with only a few sketch concepts and Resistance trailer to divulge any details about the return of Ultra’s newest stage addition. If you happened to make it to one of the aforementioned landing shows though, you were undoubtedly satisfied with the pyrotechnic-enhanced display. Despite a powerful load of closing sets on Sunday evening, Resistance achieved a perfect equilibrium between a good-sized crowd of tech-house fanatics and still enough space to shuffle your heart out. While the closing slot times on Sunday boasted huge names ranging from Pendulum to Purity Ring to the conclusion of ASOT with Armin van Buuren, Resistance truly brought it home with The Martinez Brothers and Seth Troxler. Possibly the most underrated stage within Ultra Music Festival, however, rests in a tucked away sector of Bayfront Park, securely located in the middle of Ultra with only one way in and one way out. The UMF Radio stage enjoys an incomparable outlook of the beautiful bay to the left with a clear view of a portion of the Miami skyline to the right. Due to the deep and concealed whereabouts of this stage, the crowd is typically a faction of festival attendees who know exactly what music they are looking to hear. Skrillex’s imprint OWSLA made the UMF Radio stage its home on Saturday night with performances from Valentino Khan, Louis The Child, and a closing set from a myriad of OWSLA all-stars. However, the two acts that stood out the most were AC Slater b2b Chris Lorenzo and Getter. Night Bass founder AC Slater went behind the decks with Chris Lorenzo, providing a much needed playful day time set with the deepest of house music. With what was probably the most merch I’ve ever seen thrown out at a stage ever, OWSLA rung in true diehards who were already drenched in fresh label gear, as well as recognizable designs from Getter’s new clothing line Trippy Burger. Getter himself also threw down a tasteful set with tunes fluctuating from his older dubstep material to a couple songs off his new EP Radical Dude! There was also a special appearance from Nick Colletti, to which the entire crowd yelled “suh dude.” It goes without saying that the single artist who rocked Ultra the hardest though was deadmau5, with a momentous two sets and a surprise appearance on the Main Stage with Pendulum performing “Ghosts N’ Stuff” for the festival finale. When word broke out that The Prodigy would no longer be playing the second day of the festival, rumors and predictions circulated the festival grounds as to who would be the replacement act. It was only a matter of time though until festival organizers announced that deadmau5 would be substituting for The Prodigy at the Live Stage. Although it was disappointing to not be seeing The Prodigy, Joel came through with an assorted impromptu set in which he played out some of his classic throwback electro-progressive tracks – including a very sentimental “Strobe” session that hit everyone at the pavilion with the feels big time. Cool toned visuals that illustrated jellyfish and quintessential glitching mau5 graphics proved that Joel's team was very much on point despite the last minute nature of the set. From here on out, it only got more entertaining as the DJ placed his mau5 head on and walked around stage. Eventually, he grabbed the mic and closed out his Live Stage set in absolute elegance: “My name is deadmau5 as you know. Perhaps you’ve heard of me, I’m kind of a big deal on the Internet. If anyone else cancels Ultra, I’m your guy.” Then, Zimmerman carried on only to drop the mic and step down from the stage, with the crowd begging for an encore. Without a doubt, deadmau5 finished off the second day strong, leaving the Live Stage crowd both thoroughly impressed and speechless as we all slowly exited the festival with one final day to go. Despite Bayfront Park feeling more overcrowded than recent years, the downtown spot has become one of my favorite festival venues out there. As a large-scale music festival located in the heart of downtown Miami, the organizers really know what they’re doing in order to create the most optimal experience for those in attendance. Every year, Ultra Music Festival is the perfect wrap up for such an action-packed week. The event holds a special place in my heart for being both my first and favorite electronic dance music festival in the world, and that certainly hasn't changed after this year.