The thrill of Miami and South Beach were just as we left it last year. Some who’d been in town since the beginning of Weekend 1 of the Ultra Music Festival were already feeling the effects of their party insomnia pattern. As a refresher on this Tuesday arrival the recommendation is Oh! Mexico on Espanola Way. Menu item musts are the (best) guacamole (ever) and any meal that comes with their smoky charra beans.
Kyau & Albert hosted a meet-and-greet in Miami Beach on a houseboat called, of course, Living The Dream. Euphonic’s own Marc Marberg was also on hand charming fans, popping champagne, and exemplifying the DJ life talking of hopping over to his upcoming gig at Mute at Lima in Washington, DC and then returning to Miami by the week’s end to round out his weekend. Fans cherished the engaging conversation, the music provided by Ronski Speed’s Euphonic Sessions and the beautiful sunset over the Miami Beach sky on the boat’s open deck.
Across town the day wrapped with the sounds of W&W at Mansion who closed their set with a hit still fresh on everyone’s lips (literally,) Zedd’s latest heart-wrenching beauty “Clarity,” the crowd crooning and swooning to every word. Cosmic Gate’s Stefan “Bossi” Bossems was mingling in VIP and capturing the crowd mayhem on his iPhone while Morgan Page dished out John Dahlback’s “Embrace Me,” and his own “The Longest Road” and “Fight For You.”
The $15 bottle of Heineken charge (ouch) was offset when Morgan Page announced, “Give it up for Mord Fustang.” The electro-house producer and DJ from Estonia delivered with the energy and enthusiasm of a true showstopper and EDM fans should keep him securely on their continue-to-watch list. As I stood in the balcony, watching the aerial performers, the jagged font “Mord Fustang” prominently displayed on the massive venue screens, the fog, the movement of the crowd and feeling the building intensity I simply thought, “Oh this is getting good. This is getting really, really good.” The crowd frenzied to tracks like Martin Solveig’s “Spend The Night Out” and the new track “Anaconda” by Wolfgang Gartner and it seems many fans came to Mansion specifically for Mord Fustang and left that night with pure euphoria.
Trekking back to the hotel at 4am down Washington Boulevard it’s refreshing to still be able to nab a hearty pizza slice as a “midnight snack” before getting a good night’s rest of 3-4 hours and enthusiastically doing all over the next day.
Images by Kathy Vitkus
