As ULTRA celebrates its 20th Anniversary, the RESISTANCE continues to thrive.
Named after the Depeche Mode album, Ultra, Ultra Music Festival began as a one day festival featuring Paul van Dyk, Rabbit in the Moon, Josh Wink, and DJ Baby Anne. Since then it has continued to grow, with last year nearly 165,000 people from over 60 countries attending the event. The festival was also streamed internationally by 14.1 million individuals across multiple platforms all over the world.
It may be overtaken by EDM these days, but the origins of ULTRA came purely from the underground rave scenes, capitalizing the international DJs who traveled to Miami for the Winter Music Conference. The scene was small, the family was tight, and it was all about the music. There was no need for lasers or fire or giant projections, it was two turntables on a stage, and a crowd who just wanted to dance. If you have 7 minutes to spare, check this awesome flashback video about the beginning of the festival:
With their 20th anniversary coming this March, ULTRA is continuing to celebrate their roots with an even greater RESISTANCE presence. Back in 2016, I wrote about the growth of the RESISTANCE stage as possible evidence of the change in the industry, a growing appreciation for the history of electronic music and the Underground sound that is still alive and thriving. Since then, the RESISTANCE brand has traveled around the world, with global events that represent the substance and quality of the Underground. Returning to Miami, RESISTANCE has become its own “Festival within a Festival” showcasing the music that comes from a place of quality, intimacy, connection, and pure love of the music.
About RESISTANCE 2018:
Having significantly upgraded and expanded its presence across Bayfront Park last year, RESISTANCE will once again dominate two colossal areas of ULTRA’s waterfront home, as it continues to grow into its own festival within a festival. In addition to welcoming back Arcadia Spectacular’s jaw-dropping ‘Spider’ for the third consecutive year, RESISTANCE’s global ambassador Carl Cox will again host the Megastructure on Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 to ring in the festival’s landmark twentieth birthday.
The ‘Spider’ will run across all three days of the event, headlined by heavyweights including Better Lost Than Stupid (Davide Squillace, Mattias Tanzmann & Martin Buttrich), Chris Liebing, Guti b2b wAFF, Hot Since 82, J.E.S.u.S (Jackmaster, Eats Everything, Skream and Seth Troxler), Nic Fanciulli, Patrick Topping & Special Guest, Sasha & John Digweed, Stephan Bodzin (live) and many more…
As expected The Megastructure will welcome back some of the biggest names in house and techno across the first two days of the festival, with headline sets form Carl Cox (on both days), Adam Beyer, Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati, Josh Wink, Nastia and a special b2b2b performance from Dubfire, Nicole Moudaber & Paco Osuna and a debut performance from Pan-Pot.
Once electronic music blew up to the masses and became a pop culture phenomenon, the tight knit, close community of DJs and fans would never be the same. But it’s a testament of the power of the underground electronic music sound: its quality, soul, and love, that it has been able to continue to thrive even after facing EDM’s industry overtaking. It’s the hope of many that those who came into electronic music because of EDM will realize what a wonderful, deep world awaits in the Underground. The RESISTANCE proves that this music will never die, and that after 20 years of ULTRA, it still remains a powerful representation of what once was and always will be.
