Ultra Miami: 10 facts you didn’t know about the music festival

With Ultra Miami fast approaching, below are ten facts which you may not have previously known about the world’s premier electronic music festival:

 

Its first edition in 1999 was on the beach

Long before the monstrous main stages and the second-to-none production, Ultra came from humble beginnings. The very first Ultra festival occurred on March 13, 1999, at Collins Park in Miami Beach with an estimated 10,000 fans in attendance. The headlining bill included artists such as LTJ Bukem, Paul van Dyk and Rabbit in the Moon; it would then move to Bayfront Park for the 2001 event. 

 

Ultra became a three-day festival for the first time in 2011

With substantial growth in the amount of attendees at Ultra over the years (from 10,000 in 1999 to approximately 40,000 in 2006), Ultra moved to become a two-day event in 2007. Its 2011 edition surpassed the 100,000 ticket-sale mark with an announcement of a three-day festival; this was also the very first time that Ultra sold out.

 

Its 2013 edition was one of the most influential electronic music events in history

This is by far the biggest of the Ultra Miami facts; the 2013 edition will go down in history as one of the most influential electronic music events. To celebrate its 15th year, Ultra became the world’s first electronic music festival to take place over two weekends. Whilst there are hundreds of moments that could be mentioned here, there are three in particular that will forever be what 2013 was remembered for, not just for Ultra, but for electronic dance music as a whole. One could argue that all three of these moments are the reasons why electronic music is as popular as it is today. 

The performance that Hardwell produced on the main stage will go down in history as one of the greatest main stage sets of all time. This set is the most viewed Ultra set on 1001Tracklists, with just shy of 600,000 views, and it’s also up there as one of the most viewed Ultra sets on YouTube, with 34 million views. He dropped his all-time classic records such as ‘Countdown’ with MAKJ, ‘Spaceman’ and ‘Zero 76’ with Tiësto, but the most memorable moment was when he brought out Dutch DJ and good friend Dyro to premiere their collaboration with Bright Lights, ‘Never Say Goodbye’. Hardwell performed a day-time slot the year before in 2012, and was rightfully upgraded to the sunset time slot for 2013. This performance not only put Hardwell on the map, but the world suddenly started to take notice of electronic dance music.

(Image credit: Rukes.com)

Swedish House Mafia’s ‘One Last Tour’ would come to a close on the last night of Ultra. The group announced mid-way through 2012 that the tour they were on, would be their last. The trio were the poster boys for electronic music in what was a golden era; their ‘Until Now’ compilation album and their live show were well ahead of their time. Fans all across the world couldn’t fully comprehend the reasoning behind their split, but for one last night (or so we thought), Swedish House Mafia only did Ultra Miami justice. 

(Image credit: Rukes.com)

Whilst it wasn’t well received initially, Avicii debuted his new style of music, which saw electronic music meet folk music. He premiered arguably his biggest ever hit, ‘Wake Me Up’ with Aloe Blacc, as well as playing many tracks off his first album ‘True’ such as ‘Dear Boy’, ‘Heart Upon My Sleeve’ and ‘You Make Me’. Many critics weren’t sold on the new direction that Avicii had taken, but it’s well and truly fair to say that Avicii had the last laugh. It may be nearly four years since his passing, but we definitely haven’t stopped listening to what he left behind. 

(Image credit: Rukes.com)

 

Martin Garrix became the youngest DJ to perform at the festival in 2014

After he blew up at 16 when he dropped ‘Animals’, Martin Garrix became the youngest DJ to grace the Ultra Miami main stage at just 17 years old. His 2014 set was one for the ages, dropping his monumental tracks such as ‘Turn Up The Speakers’ with Afrojack, ‘Proxy’ and ‘Wizard’ with Jay Hardway. The major scalp however, was bringing along Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike to play their then unreleased collaboration ‘Tremor’. Fast forward to 2016, Garrix also became the youngest DJ to headline Ultra Miami. We’re eagerly awaiting to see what he has planned for this year’s edition…

(Image credit: Rukes.com)

 

DJ Snake shared Dillon Francis’ phone number on the big screen

In one of the biggest trolls we’ve ever seen within electronic music, DJ Snake decided to include Dillon Francis’ phone number on the big screen during his 2015 main stage set. Snake invited Francis to the stage, so that they could play their collaboration ‘Get Low’. This was all good and well, until Francis’ phone number was etched onto the screen. His phone was subsequently flooded with calls and messages from fans. This troll did have a close second, however, when deadmau5 in 2014 played Martin Garrix’s ‘Animals’ to the tune of ‘Old McDonald Had A Farm’. 

(Image credit: Rukes.com)

 

Resistance debuted at the 2015 edition

In collaboration with Arcadia Spectacular, Ultra premiered a brand-new stage called Resistance. The stage, titled ‘Afterburner’, was a 360-degree spaceship-like stage that fulfilled the needs for the underground lovers of music, with techno and deep house DJs such as Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati and Sasha headlining the inaugural bill. Since then, the Resistance brand has taken off; it’s now a staple piece of any Ultra festival, as well as now hosting standalone events all around the world.

(Image credit: Ultra Music Festival [via Facebook])

 

Ultra Miami is where many artists debut new music

With Ultra Miami taking place in March, it’s the perfect time of the year for artists to debut all of the music they’ve been working on. If it’s not the official first play, it’s at least the first real exposure on the world stage. Some of the biggest tracks in electronic music have been premiered on the main stage at Ultra Miami, some including: ‘Jumper’ – Hardwell & W&W, ‘Turn Up The Speakers’ – Afrojack & Martin Garrix, ‘Let Me Feel’ – Nicky Romero & Vicetone, ‘Sweet Escape’ – Alesso, ‘Don’t Let Me Down (W&W Remix)’ – The Chainsmokers ft. Daya and ‘Blah Blah Blah’ – Armin van Buuren.

 

W&W premiered their NWYR alias in 2017

This fact ties into the previous one, but the biggest alias premiere in recent memory is that of W&W’s NWYR alias in 2017 on the ASOT stage. With their musical roots coming from trance, and their musical direction going in the way of progressive, big-room and electro house, the boys decided to dedicate an entire project to honour their past. Five years on, tracks such as ‘Freedom’, ‘Hydra’ and ‘Leviathan’ are still yet to see the light of day. Whilst their release schedule has been slim, NWYR have performed at some of the world’s biggest festivals including Tomorrowland, Transmission and various ASOT festivals around the world. 

(Image credit: RUDGR.com)

 

Colonel Sanders performed on the main stage in 2019

In what was a surprise to many, the frontman of KFC donned the main stage for a special performance in 2019. Whilst he was only up there for five minutes, many fans couldn’t comprehend why he’d clocked off early to make an appearance at Ultra. Either way, well done to you, KFC.

(Image credit: Rukes.com)

 

This year marks the first time Ultra Miami will host a hardstyle stage

For the last of the ten facts, Ultra Miami are hosting a hardstyle stage for the very first time. The stage host, Dirtyworkz, are celebrating their 15th anniversary in 2022. The line up, in order of appearance, is: Pulsatorz, Darksiderz, Lil Texas, Audiofreq, Darren Styles, Ben Nicky presents Xtreme, Sub Zero Project, Coone presents 15 Years of Dirtyworkz, Da Tweekaz and Gammer. 

(Image credit: Ultra Music Festival [via Facebook])

We hope you enjoyed these ten facts about Ultra Miami; for more information regarding this year’s edition of Ultra Music Festival Miami, please click here.

 

Image Credit: rukes.com