Last weekend, over 100,000 people flocked Bicentennial Park in Downtown Miami for the twelfth annual Ultra Music Festival, which was completely sold out for the first time in history. It’s no wonder – the diverse line-up of over 200 international acts spanned the electronic music genre, with a few outliers like Passion Pit and Damian Marley & Nas. The line-up was stacked with dubstep heavyweights, including Rusko, Skream, Benga, Pendulum and Bassnectar, the first time the genre was represented.

One of the best things about Ultra (other than the music, of course) is the people watching, and this year did not disappoint. Aside from the standard-issue neon raver outfits, there were some outlandish group costumes, including a gorilla with a bunch of bananas and the Superfriends with their captured prisoner. On the second day, Deadmau5 gear dominated the scene, from matching outfits and mau5 heads to homemade t-shirts and tatoos.

This year’s Ultra was rife with collaborations – on Friday, David Guetta was joined by Lil Jon, LMFAO and the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am and apl.de.ap while Diddy made an appearance during Felix Da Housecat’s set. On Saturday, Benny Bennasi welcomed Kelis for a duet of their song “Spaceship”, Florence from Florence and the Machine joined Swedish House Mafia on stage, and Deadmau5 closed the festival with drummer Tommy Lee and vocalist Sofia Toufa.

Check out our Winter Music Conference Recap Page for photo galleries and our full coverage of WMC.

After moving around for most of the second day, we settled at the Bayfront Stage for a back-to-back trifecta of Boys Noize vs. Erol Alkan, Crookers, and the Bloody Beetroots.

We arrived just in time for “Waves”, Boys Noize and Erol Alkan’s first release as a duo, which they played in its entirety. Later, they took sample from the Boys Noize’s own remix of “My Moon My Man” by Feist and repackaged it into a completely different mix.

Crookers destroyed their set, drawing a tremendous audience that was ready to dance. They started with “We Love Animals”, the opening track from their debut album Tons of Friends, then proceeded to rework the song. The Italian duo rocked the crowd with remixes of “Milkshake” by Kelis, “Gimme Some More” by Busta Rhymes, “How Low” by Ludacris, and a superb rendition of their own “Cooler Couleur” by AC Slater. The audience went crazy when Crookers slowed things down with the intro of “Circle of Life” from The Lion King, then fashioned an electro beat using samples from the song. Towards the end, they remixed their breakthrough remix of Kid Cudi’s “Day n Night”.

The Bloody Beetroots was an act to see, but not for the faint-hearted. Their heavy electro-rock had the crowd going wild, fueled by the live instrumentals of Bobby Rifo on guitar, keyboard and vocals and Edward Grinch on drums, rounded out by Tommy Tea behind the decks. Steve Aoki joined the group on stage for an explosive finale.

CLICK HERE for more photos and coverage from the Winter Music Conference in Miami… we’ll be adding more coverage daily, so stay tuned.

The steamy oasis known as the Root Society Dome was great new addition to the Ultra landscape this year. The bio-dome structure was accented with palm trees and jungle gyms, which people wasted no time in climbing. Smoke and mood lighting completed the backdrop, making it perfect for when Bassnectar took over on Friday evening. He has a unique ability to borrow from a spectrum of genres and regurgitate them in his unmistakable style. Bassnectar’s set flowed seamlessly through dubstep and drum n bass beats, laced with the vocal stylings of Buju Banton and Pharoahe Monch.

CLICK HERE for more photos and coverage from the Winter Music Conference in Miami.

If you’re going to the Winter Music Conference in Miami this week, then you’re undoubtedly in the same head-throbbing situation as I am. With hundreds of parties to choose from, where do you begin?

Here’s a start: click through to check out my personal WMC itinerary — a (semi) realistic list of all of the parties and events I plan to attend throughout the week. And since modern science has yet to produce a human clone, the honorable mentions section includes all the parties I wish I could go to but can’t.

Here’s hoping that my headache is someone else’s headbanging good time…

LMFAO – “Shots” (Skeet Skeet’s Ignorant Dance Music Mix)

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Last week, the third and final phase of the Ultra Music Festival was posted, adding LMFAO and Sander Kleinenberg (among others) to the already massive line-up that includes Damian Marley and Nas, Passion Pit, Tiesto, A-Trak, Bassnectar, Crookers, The Bloody Beetroots, Major Lazer, and hundreds more.

This year will feature some special collaborations – Florence (from Florence and the Machine) will join Swedish House Mafia on the Ultra Main Stage on Saturday, and Kelis, whose sound as taken a turn towards electro, will team up with Benny Benassi for a few songs.

Four new arenas have been added to the festival grounds – the UMF Ibiza Tent, the UMF Brazil Tent, the Root Society Dome, and the Heineken Dome Experience – bringing the total to a staggering ten (yes, TEN) stages.

Another new addition to Ultra is Sonic Forest, an interactive installation by artist/composer Christopher Janney that will entice festival goers into a unique environment with aural and visual components. Sonic Forest is composed of eight-foot tall aluminum poles that trigger melodic and environmental sounds as people move through the “electronic trees”. Independent drummers will be present in the Forest during various parts of the installation. Sonic Forest has been featured at Bonnaroo, All Points West, and Coachella in the US, and various festivals around the world.

This is shaping up to be the best Ultra to date, and is certainly not to be missed if you’re going to be in Miami for the Winter Music Conference. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets, and be sure to check out The HiFi Cartel Guide to the Winter Music Conference for more events in Miami that week.

As usual, Diplo turned to Twitter to announce an April release for Lazers Never Die, the upcoming Major Lazer EP. “Sound of Siren”, which features M.I.A. and Busy Signal, is the first song off the EP and has already been making its way around the interwebs.

The EP will also feature collaborations with Buraka Som Sistema, Collie Buddz, Lindi Ortega, Kicks Like a Mule, Ms. Banks and Thom Yorke (which brings to mind another Diplo Tweet from a few weeks ago).

Major Lazer will embark on a “Lazers Never Die” tour this spring, which will include stops at Ultra (March 27), Hard NYC (April 3), and Coachella (April 17). Listen to “Sound of Siren” below, and click through for the full track listing.

Major Lazer featuring M.I.A. and Busy Signal – “Sound of Siren” (right click to download via Pitchfork)

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Last March, attendees from 80 countries flocked to Miami for the annual Winter Music Conference. The legendary five-day event , which goes from March 23-27, will host some of the best parties of the year, informative panels with world-renown DJs, and of course, Ultra Music Festival.

The initial line-up for the music festival, taking place once more at Bicentennial Park, already includes A-Trak, Major Lazer, Steve Aoki, the Bloody Beetroots, and Pretty Lights. The added presence of Rusko, Skream, Bassnectar and Crookers is just another indication of how prolific dubstep has become in the music scene. Tiesto, Carl Cox, Dirty South, Rabbit in the Moon, Infected Mushroom, Deadmau5 and Armin Van Buuren were on the bill last year and will make repeat appearance in 2010.

A ticket to Ultra is included with the purchase of the Winter Music Conference badge, which is $325 if you purchase by January 6. On it’s own, a two-day pass to the festival costs $139.50.

Click through to view the complete list of the initial acts set to perform at Ultra, along with the official festival trailer. If the line-up wasn’t enough to get you psyched, check out photos from Ultra 2009 with Santigold, The Ting Tings, Armin van Buuren and Prodigy.

Stay tuned for our complete coverage of WMC – we’ll be posting info about the week’s best parties, panels, concerts, and more…

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