At 18 years of age, Ultra has matured into a well-oiled festival, running smoothly from the porta-potty to the Main Stage. Yesterday, the third and final day of
Pendulum
There's just no real instruments in dance music. Like, would it kill these guys to use a guitar? When's the last time you've heard that one? It's a common complaint launched at EDM and dance music by those suspicious of the genre. Well, the next time you hear someone say that, show them Pendulum's live set from the Main Stage of Ultra last night. Closing out the festival — and ending a four-year split — Pendulum played one of the most unconventional yet wonderful sets Ultra's Main Stage has seen in years. Last year's festival finale ended with a flurry of pop-star appearances: Bieber and Diddy both danced around to the delight of thousands. This year, the only special guest brought out was Deadmau5 to perform a rendition of “Ghosts ’n’ Stuff.” But even without any big surprises, Pendulum's set did not disappoint. It was a refreshing demonstration of what dance music was, still is, and hopefully can become again. — by Ryan Pfeffer
Peaches
You don’t need a packed amphitheater to put on a remarkable show. Peaches proved that during her 3 p.m. set at Ultra’s Live Stage. The
Purity Ring
If we had to choose one word to articulate Purity Ring's live experience, it would have to be "consistent." Having seen them at the Fillmore Miami Beach last September and again Sunday night as they closed out Ultra’s
Rabbit in the Moon
What in the hell was that, Rabbit in the Moon? Nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared Miami for what was, hands down, one of the best sets of Ultra 2016. What vocalist Bunny and producer David
Galantis
Miike Snow might have played to a half-empty amphitheater on Friday, but when Christian Karlsson (AKA Bloodshy) took over the Main Stage with Linus Eklöw (AKA Style of Eye), an endless sea of bodies that stretched to Biscayne Boulevard jumped along with every beat. As Galantis, this is the duo’s second Ultra appearance, and it looked like the crowd hadn’t gotten enough the last time around. Their sets are unapologetically EDM, filled with sugary-sweet pop. From reworkings of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” and the White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” to original material like “Peanut Butter Jelly,” their set was frenetic and filled with nonstop crowd pleasers. “We are Galantis, and we are going to celebrate dance music, house music,” they yelled from atop the stage before debuting a new track, “No Money.” Like anything that touches Swedish hands, it was EDM pop perfection with a chorus made for singing along at festivals like Ultra. I’m not personally a fan of the direction popular dance music is headed these days, but every now and then you just want something that goes down easy, and in that regard, Galantis delivers, and it does it better than most. Everything in moderation. — by Jose D. Duran
Duke Dumont
Keeping consistent with the whole ’90s-are-back theme at Ultra 2016, Duke Dumont delivered a set filled with touches of ’90s handbag and acid house. In some ways, it’s depressing, because while the Ultra Worldwide stage was packed with an endless sea of revelers, I’m betting few know — or care — about house music's origins beyond its current EDM form. Dumont seems very much aware of its beginnings as he is able to repackage it with a modern twist. (