Ultra Music Festival 2017: 11 Mainstage Must Sees
Ultra Music Festival 2017: Ten Main Stage Must Sees
The Mainstage at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival is one of the most prestigious platforms to which any DJ can aspire to play. Many of commercial dance music’s biggest moments have occurred on the LED-monolith – in a single weekend in 2013 alone, the Mainstage hosted Swedish House Mafia’s final performance and Avicii’s dance-country hybrid debut.
In 2017, it’s reasonable to assume that the Mainstage will likely play host to further historic moments. Here are 11 sets that we recommend making sure to attend.
Tchami
Parisian heavyweight Tchami is poised to make his return to this year’s Ultra Music Festival with the conclusion of his “Prophecy” tour, which touched down in over 20 cities across North America. Highly revered as a pioneer of the future house genre, the Confessions label boss has earned his spot on our list of “must see” artists, having released a new single entitled “Adieu” which was well-received by his fans despite steering away from his signature attributes as a producer. Those who have seen Tchami live can attest to his ability to perform as a technically sound DJ with sets defined by their captivating bass lines.
– Matt Sia
Tchami will play the Mainstage on Friday at 6:25 PM.
Above & Beyond
Above & Beyond may have had one of Ultra Music Festival’s most magical moments back in 2014 when the South Florida skies brought in torrential rain, forcing the English trio to shift their CDJs backwards and continue their set backstage under cover. While it was certainly a memorable set for those in the crowd, hopefully the Miami weather will cooperate in 2017 and allow the Anjuna founders to complete their hour-long set from start to finish. Known for their expertly balanced sets of trance and progressive house, long-time fans may find themselves flocking to the main stage for the first time all weekend on Saturday night.
-Austin Evenson
Above & Beyond will play the Mainstage on Saturday at 8:50 PM.
Martin Garrix
Having just secured a new residency inside Hï Ibiza, Martin Garrix continues to lead the pack with his latest hit “Scared to be Lonely (Feat. Dua Lipa),” which has accumulated over 147 million streams on Spotify alone. No stranger to the Mainstage, Martijn Garritsen has announced that he will be take on supporting duties for Justin Bieber on select dates of his “Purpose” tour, cementing his status as one of the most commercially viable DJs in 2017.
– Matt Sia
Martin Garrix will play the Mainstage on Friday at 9:55 PM.
Major Lazer
A lot has happened since Major Lazer last brought the party to Ultra Musical Festival. In 2013, the mega-trio took Bayfront Park’s Live Stage with their enormous, inflatable orbs and debuted cuts from their then-unreleased sophomore album, Free The Universe. With multiple international hits now under their belt and a festival resume not many dance acts could rival, Diplo, Walshy Fire, and Jillionaire take on the prestigious honor of closing out the Main Stage on Friday night this year. Mainstage squatters should be ready for a dancehall circus of twerking stage dancers, gargantuan flags waving, and an hour of festival-directed trap cuts.
– Austin Evenson
Major Lazer will close out the Mainstage on Friday at 11 PM.
Tiësto
Tiësto has yet to step down as one of the most active figures in the dance music community, having recently been named the most travelled artist in history along Paul Van Dyk, beating out the likes of Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. The iconic artist continues to persevere as a bridge between the older generation of dance music and today’s newcomers, as is evinced by collaborations such as his unreleased track with Slushii on the way. With an extensive catalogue at his disposal, there’s no telling what kind of set we can expect from Tiësto at Ultra. Regardless, it’ll be a good one.
– Matt Sia
Tiësto will play the Mainstage on Saturday at 7:15 PM.
Martin Solveig
French fan favorite Martin Solveig will take the Mainstage late Saturday afternoon to deliver his signature, sun drenched sound. The producer will come in hot off an endless stream of international tour dates and the end of his summer long “My House” residency at Pacha Ibiza. If these endeavors serve as any indication, fans can look for Solveig to spin his most heavily favored tracks, both old and new. While Solveig’s high energy sets are can’t miss happenings anywhere, his infectious tracks are sure to sound better under the Miami sun at Bayfront Park.
– Alexandra Blair
Martin Solveig will play the Mainstage on Saturday at 4:00 PM.
DJ Snake
It’s widely known that the final slot on Sunday night at Ultra Music Festival in Miami is the most coveted set time a commercial act can play at the festival. From Swedish House Mafia’s final show in 2013 to Pendulum’s triumphant reunion last year, the final set on Sunday is always highly-anticipated, and DJ Snake has earned the honor of concluding this year’s three day event. In 2016, the Parisian hitmaker released his debut album and conquered radio airwaves with his first-ever Billboard Hot 100 #1 thanks to his Justin Bieber-assisted hit “Let Me Love You.” While his most successful releases are more mainstream-friendly, fans may also want to bring their earplugs as DJ Snake’s sets are notoriously on the heavier side.
– Austin Evenson
DJ Snake will close out the Mainstage on Sunday at 10 PM.
David Guetta
Not many artists can say they will return to Miami next week for their 11th Ultra Music Festival, but French veteran David Guetta can stake this claim. The seasoned DJ/producer certainly now holds a different sonic identity than the first time he took the Ultra Mainstage. With a new album in the works and an extensive catalog of dance-pop hits to his name, Guetta’s set will surely consist of a mixture of both classics like “Love Is Gone” and “Titanium” as well as more recent radio-friendly sing-a-longs like “Bang My Head” and “Hey Mama.”
– Austin Evenson
David Guetta will play the Mainstage on Sunday at 8:55 PM.
Photo via Neil Lupin/Getty Images
Frank Walker
One of the Mainstage’s most mysterious inclusions comes with Frank Walker, a relatively unknown producer who’s in line to become one of electronic music’s next household names. Walker’s debut EP, 24, is set to be released as he takes the stage Saturday afternoon. The young producer is already receiving hype and support from some of the industry’s biggest tastemakers and shares his management with Kygo. If that weren’t enough, he’s already slated for a host of high profile sets through North America and Europe in the coming year.
– Alexandra Blair
Frank Walker will play the Mainstage on Saturday at 1:50 PM.
Sam Feldt
Anyone familiar with Sam Feldt’s Coachella debut last year will understand his appearance on this list of can’t-miss artists. The much-lauded sunset performance saw Feldt deliver tropical influenced deep house to a packed tent, which should translate interestingly to the larger landscape he’s about to occupy on Saturday afternoon. Since Coachella, the multi talented producer has expanded the live elements of his performance and unleashed a spate of killer tracks which make his Ultra Mainstage set a festival requirement this year.
– Alexandra Blair
Sam Feldt will play the Mainstage on Saturday at 2:55 PM.
Galantis
Since bursting onto the scene in 2014, Galantis have been sprinting towards superstardom. Their infectious brand of EDM has made their music a main-stage staple and their appearance at Ultra will be no exception. The dance music veterans have leaned into the pop music model, using their energetic sets to pump out subversive tracks masquerading as feel good anthems. Their Ultra Mainstage performance will bookmark a banner year that included more than a few stellar releases.
– Alexandra Blair
Galantis will play the Mainstage on Sunday at 5:40 PM.