Dancing Astronaut’s Soundtrack to Ultra Music Festival 2017Rudgr Aerial

Dancing Astronaut’s Soundtrack to Ultra Music Festival 2017

Dancing Astronaut's Soundtrack to Ultra Music Festival 2016

The dust has finally settled once more from the madness of Miami’s legendary Ultra Music Festival. UMF 2017 saw, among many other things, the epic return of Justice’s live show to the US, the expansion of the Resistance into a two-stage extravaganza, and by far the biggest performance of DJ Snake’s career.

To chronicle the three-day supra-festival, we’ve selected ten tracks which constitute our Soundtrack to Ultra 2017, chosen either for their ubiquity throughout the festival or their impact in a single moment. Though certainly not the only epic songs from the weekend, each of these 10 songs played an important role in the festival’s iteration.

Words by Will McCarthy; Selections by Alexandra Blair and Will McCarthy.

Soundtrack to Ultra 2017 mix by Willco.

Featured Image by EDM Kevin

Galantis - No Money

Christian Karlsson and Linus Elköw’s music as Galantis is practically built for festival main-stages. Though their vocal-heavy dance-pop hit “No Money” was released a full year ago, its prevalence at Ultra 2017 proved that the track remains a fresh festival inclusion even today. “No Money” was a fixture at Ultra’s Mainstage, appearing in sets from Afrojack, Sam Feldt, and, of course, Galantis themselves.

Photo by Rukes

Diplo & Autoerotique - Waist Time

Diplo’s collaboration with Autoerotique, “Waist Time,” has earned its status as one of the most broadly-appealing bass house tracks to be released thus far in 2017.  The party-centric tune holds clear festival viability in its energetic bass-lines and pitched-down vocal samples. Though Diplo opted not to play “Waist Time” in his closing set with Major Lazer last Saturday, the track stood out as a heavy selection throughout the sets of several melodically-inclined performers, including Alesso and Galantis.

Photo by aLive Coverage

Justice - Alakazam !

On Sunday, March 26, Justice closed out Ultra’s live stage for the weekend. The heralded set marked the duo’s first US live performance since releasing WOMAN, and their first set at the festival in 5 years. Justice celebrated their highly-anticipated return to Miami with a show that delved into all chronological points of their illustrious canon. “ALAKAZAM !” stood alongside “Safe and Sound” and “Heavy Metal” as one of only three songs from WOMAN to be played at their Ultra performance. Occurring near the end of the set, the first chance for US audiences to see a live rendition of the electrifying track in person marked one of the festival’s most stirring moments.

Photo by Tessa Paisan






Joyryde - Hot Drum

JOYRYDE enjoyed one of the most resounding ascensions in bass music last year – to the point that we named him one of our Artists to Watch in 2017. The producer experienced a pivotal moment in his career when he released “HOT DRUM” in September 2016. Though the tribalistic bass house song had amassed substantial popularity long prior to Ultra 2017, “HOT DRUM” received exceptional exposure last weekend, appearing in Mainstage sets from David Guetta, DJ Snake, and Tchami.

Photo by Tessa Paisan

REZZ - Edge

Following a breakout year in 2016, REZZ proffered her first-ever Ultra Music Festival set at the Worldwide Stage in the 5 PM slot on Sunday. In a set that ran the gamut between, deadmau5, Linkin Park, and even Jon Hopkins, the chance to hear REZZ’s original music in the esteemed setting for the first time shone as the most exciting aspect of her set. The lachrymose synthesis and deafening bass of “Edge” stood out as a highlight of her sets both at the Worldwide Stage last weekend.

Photo by Tessa Paisan

Travis Scott - Goosebumps (Ft. Kendrick Lamar

Though breaking away from the electronic genre, it would be impossible to properly chronicle the musical selections of Ultra 2017 without giving a nod to Travis Scott’s Kendrick Lamar-assisted hit, “Goosebumps.” The recognizable vocal hook appeared throughout an eclectic selection of sets from the likes of Afrojack, Getter, Martin Solveig, Jauz, and Quintino. Regardless of the stage or implementation of “Goosebumps” into a set, its integration worked every time.

Photo by aLive Coverage

 


Dj Snake & Moksi - Pigalle

Ultra 2017 marked the performative highlight of DJ Snake’s career. Not only did the producer receive the highly-coveted Sunday closing slot at the Mainstage, but the entirety of his Pardon My French collective – Tchami, Mercer, and Malaa – earned sets on the festival’s lineup. “Pigalle” was only one of the songs from DJ Snake’s 2016 Encore debut album to receive heavy representation throughout the weekend, but perhaps the most ubiquitous and impactful. The French DJ’s Moksi collaboration appeared in his own set, as well as sets from Tchami, Steve Aoki, Boombox Cartel, and Party Favor.

Photo by Rukes





Boombox Cartel - Jefe

Boombox Cartel have experienced a meteoric rise in the trap and bass music communities in the past several years. This year, the still-burgeoning duo received the honor of closing out the UMF Radio stage on Friday night. “Jefe,” Boombox Cartel’s first single of 2017, stood out not only as a highlight of their own set, but as a peak moment for sets from an array of other artists throughout the weekend, including Mija, Jauz, GTA, Bro Safari, and Slander.

Photo by Rukes

Tiësto & Jauz - Infected

Last summer, Tiësto debuted, “Infected,” onstage at EDC with Jauz, foreshadowing the veteran producer’s adoption of bass music and marking the younger artist’s rise into the mainstream consciousness. “Infected” has deservedly become one of the most popular tracks of both artists’ catalogues from the past year, so it comes as no surprise that both Tiësto and Jauz chose include it into their Ultra sets this year, with the latter utilizing the track as his opener.

Photo by Tessa Paisan





Migos - Bad & Boujee

Migos‘ “Bad & Boujee” has inarguably staked a claim as one of the biggest songs of the past year. Unsurprisingly, the group’s hit collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert and Metro Boomin was practically ubiquitous at this year’s Ultra Music Festival. Appearing in sets from Getter, Afrojack, Jauz, Boombox Cartel, Joyryde, and Slander throughout the weekend, “Bad & Boujee” never failed to set crowds’ energies ablaze. Indeed, for many attendees, the highlight of the weekend came when ZHU proffered his remix of the track during his Friday set at the Live Stage. 

Photo by Rudgr

Soundtrack to Ultra 2017 - Mixed by Willco

Tracklist:

1. REZZ – Edge; 2. JOYRYDE – HOTDRUM; 3. Diplo & Autoerotique – Waist Time; 4. Migos – Bad & Boujee (Original & ZHU Remix); 5. Travis Scott – Goosebumps (Feat. Kendrick Lamar); 6. Justice – ALAKAZAM ! ; 7. Galantis – No Money; 8. Tiësto & JAUZ – Infected; 9. DJ Snake & Moksi – Pigalle; 10. Boombox Cartel – Jefe

Photo by aLive Coverage

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