Yes, I'm not going to be very popular by saying this, but Day 1 of Ultra Music Festival sucked. Perhaps it was the nerve of organizers scheduling Santigold for a 5 p.m. performance slot (WTF?), or Bloc Party canceling, or perhaps LMFAO taking the stage during the Black Eyed Peas performance to cement what is certain to be their one-hit wonder status by singing "I'm in Miami, Bitch!" Everything was bad -- really bad!
Justin Namon Boys Noize being a little shy at Louis.
The only real highlight for me was seeing The Ting Tings perform. I couldn't get over how intense they were despite being only two people, and the crowd loved it as well.
Trust me, I tried to give the festival a chance, but to many things went wrong in my book. The fact that Para One, Surkin and LA Riots were relegated to the small, hidden Biscayne Stage is unforgivable in my book.
Also, Black Eyed Peas headline was wrong on so many levels, I couldn't even begin to list them here. All I could think of is why didn't Santigold, a much better ambassador of "mainstream" electronic music, snatch their time slot. Last thing I ever wanted to hear at Ultra was "My Humps."
Yet, despite a disastrous Day 1, I still have high hopes for Day 2 (Crystal Castles, Cut Copy and Simian Mobile Disco? Come on!).
I definitely decided it was time to leave by 8:30 to squeeze in the mandatory disco nap before heading out once again. By 1 a.m. I found myself at the Boys Noize Records party at Louis just as Boys Noize himself took over the decks. If you haven't accepted Boys Noize as your dance music savior, you are perhaps missing out on one of the most talented DJ/producers to come out of Germany. Ever since I caught him at multiple parties for WMC in 2007, I haven't been able to get enough of him. I mean the man produce perhaps one of my favorite remixes of all time -- Feist's "My Moon, My Man." He certainly didn't dissapoint at Louis. He had me jumping and dancing.
After that, I made my way back to the mainland in hopes of catch Erol Alkan's set at The Vagabond. I stopped first at White Room, which was hosting the Scion Radio Showcase. The place was packed, of course, because it was a free party. I caught a bit of Drop the Lime's set at 4 a.m., which was unbelievable, even though the crowds had died down considerably from when I had gotten there. The mass exodus might have been due to police showing up at the venue and ordering them to shut off the sound system in the outdoor area, which was unfortunately hosting a different DJ than the one playing in the main room.
Over at The Vagabond, I caught the last 15 minutes of Erol Alkan's set. He makes a point to knock listeners hard over the head with heavy beats and great buildups, and last night was no different. I was told Rye Rye's early live performance was great as well (more on that in other post). Other than that, it was fun talking to the candy ravers who had wandered into The Vagabond from Ultra with glowsticks still in hand.
