Uhntz, uhntz, uhntz, uhntz, uhntz. There are 50,000 people partying at Ultra Music Festival right now. And they hope it will never end. But there are probably many, many, many times that number of Miami residents (especially the Biscayne condo dwellers) who are at least a little eager for the…
He is EDM’s evil stepchild. Many hail Deadmau5 as “my fave DJ!” Some refer to the King Rat as the “Troll of Trolls.” Others whisper “asshole.” For years, Joel Zimmerman, the human who wears that famous rodent helmet for a living, has been cultivating a reputation (mainly via Twitter) as…
Those who rave presumably adhere to the values of PLUR: peace, love, unity, respect. While attending Ultra Music Festival, we wondered if the fans’ philosophical perspectives were broader than those four words. And also, had they, in their PLUR-verse, uncovered answers to existence’s most puzzling questions? Were they simply nihilists…
Ultra Music Festival is nothing if not gnarly. The beats are gnarly, the people are gnarly, the portable toilets are gnarly. It’s stank-face city, bro. But even more than the sight of no toilet paper, it’s those dirty beats — dutch, dub, or otherwise — that make us twist our…
Whoa! Bro! You got boobs! For the last couple of years at Ultra Music Festival, male ravers have rocked increasingly explicit, sometimes anatomically correct, and often innuendo-emblazoned tees, resulting in many LOLs and WTFs. Some are funny. Others are gross. And others still are straight-up creeeeeepy. We’ve carefully tracked the…
Once ridiculed as the hilariously embarrassing accessory of choice for fat American tourists, the fanny pack is now a practical piece of party gear for hot, young EDM fanatics. At music fests such as Miami’s Ultra, it has become a ubiquitous carry-all for scantily clad ravers with no pockets. Easy,…
Much like the actual weather in this era of global warming, the emotional climate at Ultra Music Festival’s live stage is wildly unpredictable. The fans might love it. They might hate it. It’s always tough to predict. But the fervor and size of the audience often mirrors the enthusiasm, though…
We all know the words to the song. But is Rihanna telling the truth? Is it really possible to find love in a hopeless place? Ultra Music Festival can sometimes seem to be as hopeless a place as any for finding a true connection. You’re lucky just to find toilet…
If you think rave culture is about the music or drugs, you’re so very wrong. Above all, it’s about the look. And at a rave: the freakier, the finer. Year after year, fans of EDM and friends of Molly help the culture evolve with their fashion choices at Miami’s Ultra…
Only 48 hours to go? Well, hell … It’s time to pack ten parties onto tonight’s plan. From the Deep Dish reunion at Ice Palace to Boys Noize and crew in Wynwood, Maceo Plex and Miami’s own Danny Daze at Trade, and inumerable other Winter Music Conference and Miami Music…
Avicii has canceled his Ultra Music Festival headlining set. Last night, the Swedish superstar also nixed a show as part of his Avicii Hotel takeover of the SLS before before being rushed to the hospital after he “got sick,” according to a member of his team. And now the fest’s…
Ravers are like snowflakes, right? Wrong. It’s actually not uncommon to find two (or twelve) who look (and sometimes behave) almost exactly alike. In fact, we here at Crossfade have spent a lot of time wandering around EDM fests in a state of perpetual déjà vu, encircled by thousands of…
Bummed about being without a set of $1,000 Ultra Music Festival tix? Just watch it at home for free via YouTube! All weekend, the fest will be broadcasting a choice selection of sets via youtube.com/UMFTV. So squeeze into a skimpy raver costume, rig up the flatscreen, crank up those home-theater…
No matter what you tell yourself, there is absolutely no way to catch every act that you want to see at Ultra Music Festival. Never mind the overlapping set times, just trying to traverse Bayfront Park is a daunting task once it’s crammed with 100,000 ravers. Our advice: Find a…
Steve Angello and Size Records’ #Decade RC Cola Plant, Wynwood, Miami Thursday, March 27, 2012 Size Records is ten years old. And for its tin anniversary, former Swedish House Mafia member and label boss Steve Angello did what any dance music powerhouse might do — throw a fuckin’ rager in…
Welcome to the Avicii Hotel! Of course, it seems as though the Swede himself is no longer enjoying accommodations at his own ultra-exclusive, luxurious lodging establishment. (He apparently checked out after canceling his show and rushing to the hospital last night.) But yesterday, before all that drama, we here at…
Good Times, Day Two With Skrillex, What So Not, Chance the Rapper, Zeds Dead, Amtrac, Jack Beats, Annie Mac, and others Wynwood, Miami Thursday, March 27, 2014 When Skrillex chatted with Crossfade earlier this week about his two-day Good Times block party, the Grammy-winning DJ said he “wanted to do…
Too much party. But that’s not a bad thing. Obviously. With only three days of Winter Music Conference and Miami Music Week left, we here at Crossfade wanna be certain that you’re living that club life to the max … Which means ten parties per night, vodka straight from the…
We were so stoked for Laidback Luke’s Kung Fu Takeover class. Ditto his Ultra 2014 set. But when an EDM star’s wife (especially if she’s DJ Gina Turner) goes into labor, he drops everything (even the drop) to speed home for the birth of his beautiful baby. Just a few…
There’s a nascent feeling among certain electronic dance music connoisseurs that DJs were better when they were anonymous. Since the rise of the brutal grinds of dubstep and the polished populism of electro-house, DJs are in the public eye more than ever. They adorn mainstream magazine covers, walk red carpets,…
Avicii has been rushed to the hospital. Tonight, the Swedish EDM superstar was scheduled to play the Ushuaia Ibiza stage at the SLS South Beach as part of his Avicii Hotel takeover. But as a member of his team tells Crossfade: “He did get sick this afternoon. His buddy Alesso…
We get it. You’re soo popular there’s no possible way you can crash every single Winter Music Conference and Miami Music Week party this year … Even if you weren’t invited to it. So you wouldn’t mind if we provided you EDM junkies with a tantalizing list of WMC and…
