There is EDM and then there is electronic dance music. What’s the difference? The former has been co-opted by the U.S. media to describe any electronic music that’s popular these days — from Swedish House Mafia to David Guetta to Skrillex — with little, if any, distinction between acts. But…
Flume is an Australian kid signed to Mom + Pop Records who’s been lighting up the sales charts with his chilled-out electronica. This week, he’s in town for Hard Miami, a show at Bardot, and a few days off before a North American tour. Here’s what he has to say…
If, homie, you’re sweating the possibility that Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.’s recent Rasta conversion (and Snoop Lion name change) might mean that he’s no longer a gangsta… Check that shit at the Ultra Music Festival gates. Because Snoop might love Jah, feel like “Bob Marley reincarnated,” and prefer ganja to…
What’s the one place on Earth so magical that you can see titties, butt cheeks, and creepy man-horses, all while wearing the contents of a sixth-grade girl’s friendship bracelet box? That’s right! Ultra Music Festival, the land to which people from all over the world travel to show off their…
The status quo, namely the prudish American population’s stance on public nudity, has never favored the exhibitionist. At Ultra Music Festival, however, the status quo is tossed out the beat-freaking window, along with its attendees’ sense of shame. And while it may seem that the men were wearing the least…
As the name suggests, it’s quite a melting pot of international artists at the Foreign Exchange party. Among other countries, there’s Mexico, represented by Balcazar & Sordo, Venezuela by Fur Coat, Spain by El_Txef_A, and Italy by Lula Circus. But the artist who’s scoring the most frequent-flier miles on his…
As we rode an eerily empty Metromover towards Government Center last night, the unlikely quiet allowed for some deep reflection. After all, we’d seen and heard a lot of weird shit over the weekend. There were tons of nearly naked raver bros and an actual naked dude, 75 leprechauns, six…
At $299.95 before taxes, a three-day general admission pass to Ultra Music Festival is an absolute bargain if you’re using papi’s credit card. And when you consider the fact that UMF introduced free Wi-Fi this year (presumably to make it easier to FaceTime from the fest), how could you not…
Ever get caught in the midst of a 150,000-person uhntz orgy while a plushie penis presses against your thigh and a redheaded, dreadlocked killer clown leers at the action with a menacing, dagger-toothed grin splattered across his face? Well, then you’ve probably never been to Ultra Music Festival. Make the…
Diplo is undeniably a superstar now. He is well known beyond the confines of EDM. He is producing music for pop stars. And he’s got a face that brands want to use to hawk products. So, as expected, his side project, Major Lazer, is changing with him. And plenty has…
All we know is that in 2013 Daft Punk has promised the world a new album. It will be their first studio since 2005’s Human After All — a superb experiment in robotic mass consumerism. And after having a TV commercial pop-up during Saturday Night Live earlier this month and…
Let’s get fucking weird. Indeed, that’s among the Beat Freak Generation’s fave mottos. But sometimes shit can get so weird that you end up praying face-down in a public park, slapping your own ass, and bounding around to a sweet beat while the cops slowly encircle your nude uhntz-uhntz-ing self…
It began Friday afternoon, just as the happy-hour crowd realized that something was different about its typical Metrorail commute. En route to downtown Miami, kandi kids in furry boots, nipple pasties, and CamelBak packs had overtaken the train. Ultra Music Festival was officially underway, but the sideshow had only just…
If the colorful and magical land of Ultra Music Festival sits at the end of the rainbow, then perhaps the music is the gold, and the ravers? They’re leprechauns. At least they were yesterday when the fest coincided with the second most costumey of holidays. And if you’ve ever wondered…
In Ultra land, even the gnomes get stoned. And all the EDM princesses slap a UMF tramp stamp just above their ass cracks. It’s a beautiful place full of PLUR people. Honestly, we’ve never been to a 150,000-person music festival where the raver robots, Super Marios, bad bitches, unicorn bros,…
Gay, straight, bi, or simply rolling face, if you’re a man with abs like Jesus and just enough fabric to cover your genitals, there’s nothing wrong with sporting a little male camel in Miami this weekend. It’s Ultra Music Festival, baby! And the Gym, Tan, Molly fraternal order of male…
Every year, Ultra Music Festival slashes through the fabric of space-time and opens up a portal into an alternate dimension. Night is brighter than day. Silence is the loudest noise you hear. And bass is the only currency that matters. Here is some of the weird shit we saw on…
Damn, Ultra Music Festival is a mad house. Everywhere you look, it’s neon titties, the bottom half of an ass, or some kind of sexy rabbit hoppin’ around with a lollipop in her cheek. Last year, we introduced “The Seven Ravers You Meet at Ultra Music Festival.” But this time,…
On day one of Ultra Music Festival 2013, the main-stage DJ surprisingly played Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “By the Way.” It’s not one of the Cali crew’s early songs, but it’s a hit that came out when about 60 percent of the crowd (now dancing in tutus, “Show Me Your…
Will Ultra Music Festival 2013 descend into chaos? Probably not. The UMF peeps run a very tight operation. The kids have got access to lots of free water and wi-fi. There are cops all over the streets. And the vibe is almost universally pleasant. But there have been bad omens:…
There’s so much bass and lasers pumping through downtown Miami, it might break off the mainland and becom a new, free-floating island. That’s thanks to the millions upon millions of dollars that have gone into insuring that Ultra Music Festival 2013 is the most aggressively technological production in the history…
Ultra Music Festival is a weird and wonderful place, where strange and spectacular creatures roam free and freaky — humping, fist-pumping, and just generally upending the natural order of shit. Take this human banana. A total anomaly of evolution. He’s about 100 times bigger than the average banana. He speaks…
