iEDM's Ultra Music Festival & Miami Music Week 2023 Review

Connor Phillips | April 05, 2023

Often recognized as the best week for live electronic music each year, Miami Music Week has earned that title for good reason. This year, they doubled down on their efforts to deliver the most immersive and thrilling experience to date. There were over 100 individual EDM-centric events, boasting diverse lineups, dazzling visual displays, and illustrious venues. And as usual, the crown jewel of MMW 2023 was a spectacular weekend at Ultra Music Festival.

Check out iEDM's Ultra Music Festival And Miami Music Week 2023 Review below.

While there was an array of shows earlier in the week, one of the standouts was a networking mixer organized by EDM.com. Industry professionals from across the music industry came together on Tuesday of MMW to form valuable connections that will help expand the influence of EDM going forward. The networking event also had house DJs performing, a Tiki-styled bar, and plenty of food options to fuel the body for everyone's hectic MMW schedule.

On Thursday, Factory Town hosted two of the biggest house-focused party promoters in the world: elrow and Music On. Around 12:30 AM, Vintage Culture and Nic Fanciulli went b2b to cultivate some mesmerizing grooves. Then, back at the elrow stage, MK b2b Sonny Fodera was a nonstop set of infectious dance hits. Given the Rowlympic Games theme, a cast of costumed characters did everything you can imagine on stage, from juggling glowing balls to waving around ancient torches.

Arguably the most hyped performance of the night (or morning) was Lee Foss b2b Mau P at the elrow stage. In typical elrow fashion, blow-up bananas, palm trees, and various eccentric balloons rained down from the sky in the midst of a confetti cloud. Some of the other hot acts from the night had to be ethnic house duo Bedouin, minimal guru Priku, and a closing set from Chelina Manuhutu and Bastian Bux.

Running on little to no sleep, Friday was an action-packed day of pool parties and Ultra. With the sun beating down, the Nautilus by Arlo hotel featured an Insomniac takeover. Among the house legends was returning b2b from CID and Westend, and a historic Matroda b2b Noizu.

As the sun set, many party goers beelined it to Bayfront Park to catch the Ultra Day 1 headlining sets. Eric Prydz's HOLO experience at the RESISTANCE stage transports attendees to another dimension. His seamless blend of techno and breathtaking 3D visuals made for an optimal combo. After, a herd of bassheads migrated to Rezz at the Live Stage. It came as no surprise that her grimey one-of-a-kind experimental bass put the entire crowd in a trance. For bass music lovers, the next move was Deadbeats vs Cyclops Records at MANA Warehouse. Ran by top-tier event brand, BLNK CNVS, the venue has loads of space to moshpit and headbang freely, while HE$H b2b Versa threw down a barrage of bass. Closing out the label takeover were Zeds Dead and Subtronics who shocked ravers with their electrifying remixes and IDs.

Diving into Saturday, the majority of Ultra ticket holders got there early to explore the festival ground. Seven unique stages brought in renowned artists from every corner and genre on the planet. On one hand, Camelphat dropped a passionate sunset performance at the RESISTANCE dome. On the other, ISOxo and Deathpact had intense visuals and ground-shaking bangers at the Worldwide Stage. Making its audience's jaws drop to the floor, Black Tiger Sex Machine debuted their Portals show at the Live Stage. Wearing their iconic robotic tiger masks, BTSM took us on a psychedelic journey with their piercing lasers and celestial visuals. Then, people packed themselves into RESISTANCE to see Carl Cox's extended hybrid set, a staple of Ultra.

Wrapping up the weekend, Ultra Day 3 encompassed a myriad of musical phenoms. William Black had the Live Stage jumping up and down to his euphoric blend of melodic dubstep and future bass. This was proceeded by entrancing house heaters from Oliver Heldens b2b Tchami at the Main Stage. The two house wizards provoked the crowd to break out in shuffling to their sing-a-long flips of dance classics. Rounding out Sunday was a hypnotic set from Tale Of Us and a colossal first-time b2b of SVDDEN DEATH and Jauz. The amount of headlining sets to finish the weekend with was almost overwhelming, from Kx5 to Ganja White Night to Walker & Royce.

Based on the Ultra buzz from the crowd, favorite acts of the weekend were Malaa, Carl Cox, Grimes, M.I.A., SVDDEN DEATH b2b Jauz, Marshmello, Dom Dolla b2b Vintage Culture, and Alesso, to name a few. Long-time raver but first time Ultra attendee, Synardia Peoples, had this to share about her experience at Ultra:

"The stages were unique and had a very cool structural dynamic compared to other festivals. Pricing for food and drinks was definitely reasonable, I had a delicious arepa (Columbian grilled cheese) on Saturday. My favorite performance of the weekend was Deathpact at the Worldwide Stage. I have never seen him before, and hearing his style of music live was extraordinary. That stage in general had sensational visuals and truly symbolized PLUR to me."

Synardia was joined by tens of thousands of fellow EDM fanatics who had the time of their lives at this year's Ultra and Miami Music Week.

Photos courtesy of Ultra & ALIVE COVERAGE