Every March, the homegrown festival Ultra delivers a packed bill with the latest and greatest DJs and producers churning out the best EDM, techno, house, dubstep, and everything in between. Whether you're a veteran or a baby-faced raver, here are 11 performers that should be on your must-see checklist for Ultra Music Festival 2024.
Amelie Lens
A longtime raver, globetrotter DJ, and new mother, Lens has been leading the charge for the anthem-styled techno revival. She'll easily stay the course at over 130-plus BPM with a smile. You'll be lucky to catch a 20-second break while Lens is in charge. Acid techno will corrode the speakers, vibrating your teeth from the relentless bass. To an extent, it sounds terrifying –– and maybe it is a bit overwhelming. But when Lens' music hits and your primal instinct is to stomp and dance, it's a small price to pay to hear fast warehouse-style techno in a festival setting. Friday, March 22, at Resistance Megastructure.Artbat
The Ukrainian duo finally makes its debut at Ultra after nearly a decade on the scene. And what a growth the two have had between pressing new music and traveling across the globe. You can expect to hear deep, tunneling melodic techno on the decks to take you far away from the downtown setting. The pair recently released its trance-like collaboration with Armin van Buuren (also on the lineup), "Take Off," and "In Your Arms" with Another Life. Techno is fast, but sometimes there's a spellbinding melodic moment when you least expect it — and this is where Artbat shines. Sunday, March 24, at Resistance Megastructure.
Calvin Harris
Few producers enjoyed success during the 2010s EDM boom like Calvin Harris. The Scottish producer saw his profile rise both in the dance music scene as well as the mainstream. It's been more than a decade since Harris appeared at Ultra (his last appearance was in 2013), and since then, he's worked and collaborated with some of the biggest names in pop, including Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Sam Smith, and Ellie Goulding. He even worked under the techno alias Love Regenerator, releasing some not-too-shabby tunes. So what the crowd can expect with a decade-long gap is anyone's guess, but expect the royal treatment from EDM's king. Sunday, March 24, at Ultra Main Stage.Chase & Status
The English duo is a relic of UK drum 'n' bass and dubstep that has long been thought to be just that — a relic with no connection to today's new music. But Chase & Status returns to Ultra after a lengthy absence to show the crowd that its sound never goes out of style. Throughout the years, the pair have tinkered on the decks during shows — constantly chopping, spinning, and going berserk — giving you the feeling that the drop is far away, but then it bear hugs you out of nowhere. Chase & Status recently released their first mixtape in nearly 20 years, 2 Ruff, Vol. 1, which will likely make its way into their set. Saturday, March 23, at Worldwide Stage.Excision
Remember the scene in Oppenheimer where the atomic bomb detonates in one lethal crescendo? If it were Excision's world, that would be an ambient interlude — a mere warmup with his downright cell-splitting dubstep that few eardrums can handle. (Please wear earplugs!) Excision has been a dubstep favorite for the last decade, and he is known for bringing a mind-blowing visual show to match his brutal soundtrack. At its root, the sound is simply bass, bass, bass, whomp, bass. It's an easy formula in our very complicated times. Saturday, March 23, at Ultra Main Stage.
Giorgia Angiuli
Admitting to not knowing your way around a CDJ is undoubtedly an automatic disqualification from playing Ultra. Sure, there are noteworthy exceptions, but most artists on the lineup are DJs through and through. Italy's Giorgia Angiuli, however, doesn't know how to spin, but she can keep a crowd with her techno and house live performances. Her shows include hardware like synths and drum machines. She also uses instruments that even your grandparents could recognize. If you closed your eyes, Angiuli's set would probably sound like a DJ, but what separates the knob-turner from Angiuli is her ability never to improvise as she progresses through her performance. Sunday, March 24, at Resistance Megastructure.Masterhand
The tire-screeching synths of post-2010 dubstep are synonymous with approaching Ultra's gates. Once inside the festival grounds, it's a sight to see ravers headbang rather than fist pump. This year, attendees have another act to mosh to via Svdden Death, Space Laces, and Eptic's newfangled trio, Masterhand. Expect the supergroup's sound to push bass, snare, and synths to its limits. It's a ripping good time multiplied by three. Friday, March 22, at Live Stage.Nina Kraviz
Siberian DJ/producer and former dentist can rebrand and modify her sound rather quickly, but her ability to produce raw energy and keep a crowd alive is patented through her years of experience. Whether via a USB or vinyl records, Kraviz can drop hard-bitten techno and psytrance or goofy and chunky ghetto house from Chicago's legendary DJ canon. You should expect to hear numerous track IDs and unreleased music from her label, Trip. She also peppers her sets with her own works, like the hypnotic, barebones track "Let's Do It" to her somber love ballad, "Tarde." Friday, March 22, at Resistance Megastructure.
Nora En Pure
Imagine swaying palm trees and warm sand, and you can get a feel of Nora En Pure's sound. The South African/Swiss DJ has stormed the world with her languid, tranquil, soul-searching house music. Not to say you should build a campfire and turn in for the night, quite the opposite, because when the Biscayne Bay's luscious water combines with Nora En Pure and her Purified record label stage takeover, it's a luscious affair perfect for dancing under the night sky. Sunday, March 24, at UMF Radio.Orbital
If the English duo's previous performance at III Points 2022 indicates how their return to Ultra will go after a decade-long hiatus, then you will surely be in good company with these legends. The Hartnoll brothers have an old-school rave spirit because they lived through it and carry the bruises from decades in the electronic music scene. Orbital is, of course, known for its classics like the opera-meets-electronic masterpiece "Belfast" or the euphoric "Halcyon and On and On," but the two are still perfecting their near-perfect live performances and continue to release new music, including the 22-track album Optical Delusion. The brothers look to the past but never turn their back on the future. Sunday, March 24, at Live Stage.
Peggy Gou
It seems like yesterday that Peggy Gou released the earworm "Starry Night." Four years and roughly 500 million Spotify streams later, dance music has found its new figurehead. Gou's music is of the shamelessly catchy, bubbly house music variety. Her BFF status with Miami business mogul Dave Grutman would make it seem like she's destined to play on the Main Stage, but, no, she's still under the Resistance banner –– and for good reason. When Gou spins, it sounds like she's uncovering old-school gems that only she knows about. She is well-regarded for dropping tracks by François K and Tan-Ru to Digital Excitation's drooling-rave anthem, "Pure Pleasure," and the speedy drum patterns from Germany's Skee Mask. Saturday, March 23, at Resistance Megastructure.Ultra Music Festival 2024. Friday, March 22, through Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; ultramusicfestival.com. Sold out.
