Ultra Korea 2015
Most Koreans are on their way to work as my friends and I embarked on a journey to Ultra. Carrying copious amounts of liquid fun on the public transport, we slowly start to hear the sound of that lovely bass. We approached the massive Olympic Stadium in Seoul and arrived at one of the biggest festivals in Asia, Ultra Korea.
There were around 100,000+ EDM lovers in attendance this year. Last year I attended UMF, and it was loads of fun. I wrote an article Ultra 2014, which is a great read to see how far EDM has gone in just one year. I was looking forward to Ultra for quite some time and was excited to see some of my favorite artists like Porter Robinson, Knife Party and Nicky Romero. Unfortunately, Nicky Romero and Alesso canceled their Ultra Korea performances due to health issues. Korea is currently facing a MERS “outbreak”, so this might have had some influence on two of the headliners dropping out, but we will never know. Luckily, the Australian DJ duo, Nervo, filled in for Alesso.
[divider]DAY ONE[/divider]
Ultra Korea is normally held on a Friday and Saturday, so the first day is usually pretty empty until people arrive after work. We got into the stadium around 2:30 PM and there were no lines to enter. Ultra’s organization last year was a mess and the set up was a lot more efficient this year. When we first arrived to Ultra, we hopped around to the Beach Stage, Underground stage and then to the Live Stage. It was great to see some up and coming DJs playing early on! There were some great artists performing all day, so we tried to catch as many different styles and genres before heading into the main stage. Moti was the first artist we saw on the main stage and he put on an amazing set. Skrillex followed DVBBS and both of their sets were different, but it was a great contrast. After Skrillex finished, we stayed to see the opening of Hardwell and then headed to see the Porter Robinson. Porter Robinson was the highlight of Day 1 and the weekend. Overall, it was a perfect day full of some extraordinary music and energetic crowds.
[divider]DAY TWO[/divider]
The second day is always a bit of a struggle and our group of friends went a bit too hard. Luckily, after a big meal we were back on our feet and ready to rage. We ended up entering the festival around 5:00 PM and the lines went fast. I think the attendance was a bit lower this year due to the MERS scare. In addition to that, the organization was about ten times better than last year. The check in process was streamlined and there was a ton of precautions for MERS (thermal cameras, hand sanitizer, etc.). Once we got into the festival, I could immediately tell that the number of festival-goers was a lot higher than the first day. Once we got into the stadium, we headed to the main stage and caught the end of Nervo’s set. The thing I like about Ultra Korea is how much room there is. The stadium is set up extremely well and creates a lot of room outside the main pit. This layout makes for a perfect environment, since you can easily move in and out to meet up with your group. Even though there is a lot a room, the atmosphere is still extremely energetic. The main stage and live stage are both really close together, so this makes it really easy to go back and forth between sets. We stayed at the main stage and Knife Party was by far the best act of day 2 in my opinion. After Knife Party, we caught a glimpse of Snoop Dogg’s set. We couldn’t pass up the chance too see old snoop a loop and his friend with the green hat. After Snoop was done we caught the opening of David Guetta and ended with Galantis on the live stage. The Swedish duo, Galantis recently put out a new album, Pharmacy, and it is really diverse! The album is a tad of a pop style, but classified as progressive house. Regardless of your music taste there is something for everyone at Ultra!
[divider]CONCLUSION[/divider]
Overall, the festival was a ton of fun and I can’t wait until my next summer festival! If you are looking for some tips for your next Ultra festival check out our Top 10 Tips for Ultra Music Festival. My top picks after attending Ultra festival were Porter Robinson, Knife Party, Galantis and Moti.