Ultra Music Festival 2023: What Does ‘Underground Even Mean Anymore?

Ultra Music Festival 2023: What Does ‘Underground Even Mean Anymore?

In his name, "underground" music "is something to report". You have to go there, go a little off the beaten track and try something that looks a little risky. So it seems to go completely against the 'stream', and is very easy to find because it tops the charts, is played on the radio (often ad nauseam) and requires very little searching. Next to that

The class struggle between "mainstream" and "underground" dance music fans has been going on for more than a decade since EDM entered the mainstream consciousness, and many "serious" mainstreams have remained fascinated. This era cemented the idea that those who "do research" are one step ahead of the "uneducated" masses, as underground people gain a certain prestige by customizing playlists, while traditional music fans take what they want. given

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In today's wider conversation in the American electronic music industry, "underground" is often defined as house and deep house, techno and tech house; "Mainstream" sometimes consists of EDM, crossover dance-pop songs, and maybe heavy American dubstep.

But after attending Ultra Music Festival 2023 at Miami's Bayfront Park this past weekend (March 24-26) and navigating the long lines surrounding Miami Music Week, Sound says "Underground" is just as popular, if not more, than his chart. - Analogue filling.

So what are we talking about now when we talk about underground music and the culture that surrounds it?

Really, how does the "Underground" rank when house/tech heroes Maceo Blix and Michael Pepe draw close to 10,000 people to an indoor theater the size of a small hangar, only a five-minute walk away? Where is Zedd, the most famous rapper in the world? (Ice Spice's cameo on Ultra's main stage with Zedd on Saturday night has drawn hate from EDM fans online, despite his massive popularity and the fact that his 2021 track "No Clarity" was a live sample from a star producer.)

There is a story that lives on in dance music. It's all about rocking the rave scene with an EDM song and going to some festivals with your friends, most of whom wander around the main stage to listen to popular favorites. A few years later, as they continue to attend dance festivals, they begin to explore the side scenes, discovering house and techno. They soon traded in their margarita bras for black tank tops and sunglasses, and have now become "serious dance music fans".

This narrative has been reinforced by many industry players, whether it's a promoter looking to book more European shows in the US or a blogger on Twitter reminding everyone that "we all started on the main stage" and certainly feels good about live. experience of some people. But it's an oversimplification of the exact demographics that can be exploited for profit. Of course, we all understand that people are actually more refined than "bass bro" or "black techno shirt".

There are many other people who are drawn to dance music through other avenues of inquiry, and some people jump on the dance and pop bandwagon entirely. Driving home from Ultra's Sunday night, my friend shared some intimate details about the life of Italian house and DJ Joseph Capriati, but he'd never even heard the name Illenium, and only the latter artist has a Hot 100 song.

Where does my friend fit into the grand scheme of things? In fact, the very Ultra Music Festival next to Marshmello is just a few feet away from a guy in a Deorro T-shirt playing the techno track Mind Against. We may all have slightly different tastes, but we're all dancing on the same field.

Yes, there is something exciting about being a part of "Undercover." There's a sense of exclusivity, like you're special here, even though tech house has become a dominant genre in the scene, which was almost inevitable on the weekends, no matter what stage we were on. The strange "Underground" look is the basis of the super "Resistance" concept. The label debuted at the festival in 2015, the same year as Major Lazer's Lean On Record and DJ Snake and Martin Garrix's collaboration with Usher, two entities that marked the peak of EDM radio saturation in the US.

In 2015 Tale of Us, with an initial line-up that included Sasha and Jamie Jones and the Martinez Brothers, the idea was that house and techno DJs would somehow "support" the desire to make mainstream pop, and those who approached the scene. Great neighborhood and they are doing something nice. They weren't, but it's hard to argue that what happened on that huge stage in front of a massive crowd was somehow more exclusive than what happened in Bayfront Park. It's hard to argue now.

There may not be much overlap between people who want to see the art department and people who want to see Armin van Buuren, but both of these categories spend hundreds of dollars on tickets, airfare, hotels, and more. services One of the most expensive tourist weeks in Miami. Both shows are very popular. Otherwise, you wouldn't book Ultra for them.

Endurance protectors are not only very popular, but the Ultra brand is highly regarded. For example, Ultra's Resistance headquarters at the new M2 Mega Club in South Beach. Following on from Ibiza's current and much-loved Ultra Resistance residency, it opens this week with performances from House and Techno stars Carl Cox, Sasha and John Digweed, Salardo, Anfisa Letiaga, Charlotte de Witt and other Resistance headliners. Brand

De Witte, a Belgian DJ producer known for his dark and brutal techno, also made his debut on the Ultra mainstage on Friday night. The set was set like a bang, and Ultra host Damian Pinto invited the audience to show De Witte the same love as any other major stage show, as if the talented and famous international DJ was on the big stage. at the festival, even if no one heard.

Was this the first time a "serious" techno DJ played the Ultra main stage? Perhaps, but Deadmau5 played here and is no stranger to the genre. Hardwell's big comeback last year was dark and controversial, highlighting the style's popularity and power with audiences around the world. Acting like De Wit's performance is a wild surprise is a bit disingenuous and a bit bloated for the general public.

The global glamor of dance has taken so much that it has started to affect artists. A friend of the producer, who did not play at Ultra this year but came to the festival to support his friends, spoke of the disappearance of "middle-class DJs" - a phenomenon similar to the current economic crisis, which has reduced their power. a true American middle class.

He said some artists have to choose between Ultra, EDC Vegas and similar paid and seemingly "generic" concerts, or take the "more dignified" to play a lot of "culturally rich" venues. lower price . It's a decision that gets more complicated in the scene as corporate interests dominate, and how much money artists make or how many people they make over the quality of their art in one way or another. But the idea is dangerous, both in terms of how it can limit creativity and in terms of the well-being of artists who withhold financial returns for fear of losing credibility.

After all, this week's Ultra and Miami Music Week proved that "underground" house and techno were already very popular in the US, and so were many major EDM scenes during the boom days. If you need more proof, check out the 5,000-capacity mini-festivals that took place every night at Miami's Factory City last week, with the sold-out Afterlife show featuring Tale of Us. in four days

But at the end of the day, if you really love music, "pop" doesn't have to be a dirty word. Tastes change and evolve over time on both a micro and macro scale, but it would be a mistake to think that the type of music you like says a lot about your worth or intelligence as a person. (M83, for example, played Ultra in 2012 and recently faced backlash from DJs on Twitter for saying they regretted their EDM popularity because of the publicity the scene brought them.)

Last weekend was a good one with live guitarist Kayzo standing in the cage as fire erupted from every corner of the Ultra Live stage. It was cool to see a huge group of 3D kriya fighters busting through the crowd at Eric Prydz's amazing Megastructure concert. It's great to see Swedish House Mafia perform at Fred's once again. Seeing Tiësto pull drums and bass out of nowhere was badass, and hearing Carl Cox create a live remix of Daft Punk's "Da Funk" was awesome.

As the genre continues to merge, "underground" music draws large crowds, and the mainstream scene becomes more experimental, it's hard to argue that there are many (or any) real "rules" in dance music. But - from the main stage to the Resistance stage to wherever the main events intersect, beyond the underground and music moments - much of what happened at Ultra 2023 got people dancing. It remains without a doubt the best proof of what is good.

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Ultra Music Festival Warm Up Mix 2023 💥 | Big Room, Big Room Techno, Hardstyle | RTP#024

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