Ultra returns to Bayfront Park for one more yr of EDM madness on March 24-26. Plenty of uncertainties abound this yr. Will Skrillex make an look after storming New York City with Four Tet and Fred Again? Will the Colonel return? Will we ever see acts like Snoop Dogg or the Cure play on the competition once more?
Whatever occurs, there’s some nice music coming to Miami. Here are New Times‘ picks for the perfect acts of the Ultra 2023 lineup.
Andy C
Junglists, this one’s for you. There is nobody on this checklist extra revered in their very own scene than Andy C, fairly probably essentially the most completed, celebrated title in drum and bass. Founder of the seminal label RAM Records, he pioneered the style as a part of the group Origin Unknown, whose observe “Valley of the Shadows” is taken into account probably the greatest of the Nineties. As a brand new technology of jungle and drum ‘n’ bass DJs like Tim Reaper and Sherelle acquire prominence, Andy C might be seen as an elder statesman of the scene. In 2018, he grew to become the primary drum ‘n’ bass artist to promote out London’s Wembley Stadium. Sunday, March 26, on the Worldwide Stage.
Carl Cox
If you have been to Ultra, we need not clarify who Carl Cox is and why you will see him DJ for the umpteenth time. The face of Resistance has often threatened to retire solely to get instantly again into the swing of issues with Ibiza residencies, stadium-headlining exhibits, and, in 2022, his first album in a decade, Electronic Generations. Few different DJs are as revered, hardworking, and constant as him. Saturday, March 25, and Sunday, March 26, on the Resistance Superstructure.
Deathpact
From Deadmau5 and Marshmello to Claptone and Sbtrkt, dance music is rife with riffs on the “masked DJ” persona pioneered by Daft Punk. Deathpact is the most recent and most intentionally mysterious musician to comply with this development. The black-hooded producer/DJ launched in 2018 with an AR recreation, a breadcrumb path of lockboxes and flash drives, and a “Deathcord” Discord server for followers to play alongside and unravel the thriller. It all culminated within the artist dropping their debut album, Split // Personality, in 2021. But the largest thriller — Deathpact’s secret identification — stays. Are they well-known? Are they only some man? They’re most likely just a few man, let’s be trustworthy. Saturday, March 25, on the Worldwide Stage.
Eric Prydz presents H0L0
Possibly the largest title in progressive home, a style identified for large names, Eric Prydz is bringing again his H0L0 present, a visible spectacle that makes use of a large, upscaled holographic projector of the type used on exhibits like ABBA Voyage and the notorious Tupac look at Coachella in 2012. Coachella, by the best way, is the one different place Prydz is taking H0L0 in 2023, and he is positively gonna be there, flesh and blood, on the DJ decks. Friday, March 24, on the Resistance Superstructure.
Kx5
Kx5 is Kaskade and Deadmau5. Enough mentioned. Well, we’ll say a bit extra anyway. EDM has seen loads of supergroups as of late, from Dog Blood (Skrillex and Boys Noize) to Jack Ü (Skrillex and Diplo) and Skrillex x Fred Again x Four Tet. (Look, Skrilly does this lots!) Now the mouse man and Killer Kas are getting in on the act, constructing on their 2008 hit “I Remember” and creating a brand new paradigm of big-room home magnificence. They’ve even teamed up with Sofi Tukker and Elderbrook on tracks. Sunday, March 26, on the Live Stage.
Maceo Plex B2B Michael Bibi
Among a handful of back-to-back units we’re retaining our eyes on is that this supermassive meetup between Maceo Plex and Michael Bibi. Plex is, in fact, an enormous title on the worldwide dance circuit, having been raised between Dallas and Miami and having minimize his enamel in a number of the hottest golf equipment right here and abroad. On the opposite hand, London-bred Bibi is new blood who made his Miami Music Week debut final yr and performed large units at Coachella and his personal Ibiza residency in 2022. Friday, March 24, on the Resistance Superstructure.
M.I.A.
One of the few precise “dwell” acts enjoying the Live Stage this yr, the “Paper Planes” rapper launched a brand new album, MATA, in 2022. Unfortunately, the principle factor most individuals heard from M.I.A. within the final yr was her massive mouth. Yes, she could also be an anti-vaxxer, however that solely will increase the probabilities of listening to her say one thing utterly insane on the competition. Ultra booked Azalea Banks just a few years in the past, and this yr, it additionally has Grimes. The competition is changing into one thing of a vacation spot for problematic femme faves. Maybe subsequent yr, they will get somebody really heinous, like J.Ok. Rowling. Or worse: Lydia Tár. Saturday, March 25, on the Live Stage.
Nicole Moudaber B2B Chris Liebling
Resistance, the festival-within-a-festival at Ultra, tends to be a lot much less EDM-inclined, giving home and techno followers a refuge from the drops, bass, and bluster additional out. Playing the intimate Cove area are two ferocious techno DJs that are not afraid to get in too deep: the Carl Cox-approved Nicole Moudaber and Frankfurt-based CLR label head Chris Liebling. Friday, March 24, on the Cove.
Rezz
Any common at Ultra is aware of Rezz, if not for her trademark hypno-glasses, then for her dedication to soiled, squelching, heavy, distorted beats and enjoying them as loudly as potential. She’ll be enjoying on the Live Stage this yr on Friday with a visible expertise assured to impress — or probably frighten — with a horror-movie aesthetic constructing on her most up-to-date launch, Nightmare on Rezz Street 2. Friday, March 24, on the Live Stage.
Swedish House Mafia
A Swedish House Mafia reunion at Ultra has been a continuously swirling rumor ever for the reason that group initially disbanded in 2013 on the peak of the EDM growth and their very own movie star — and at Ultra, no much less. The dream lastly got here true in 2018 when the group performed a shock closing set on the competition. There are not any surprises this time. The trio launched its debut album, Paradise Again, in 2022, and this yr’s look is a part of the tour behind it. Swedish House Mafia’s historical past is deeply intertwined with Ultra’s, so after they headline the principle stage on Sunday evening, you’d higher present up early for a great spot — all people and their father shall be there singing “Don’t You Worry Child.” Sunday, March 26, on the Main Stage.
Ultra Music Festival 2023. Friday, March 24, by Sunday, March 26, at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; ultramusicfestival.com. Tickets value $399.95 to $1,499.95.