Processed Beats: Ultra Rocks Asia with a Radio-Friendly Groove Nce a Modest Beach Party in Miami, the Uber-Hip Ultra Timing for Everything to Come Together
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Lifestyle FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 Japanese in costumes react as they attend the Japan Ultra Music Festival at Odaiba Ultra Park Photo shows electronic music show during the Japan Ultra Music Festival at Odaiba Ultra Park in Tokyo. — AFP photos in Tokyo. Processed beats: Ultra rocks Asia with a radio-friendly groove nce a modest beach party in Miami, the uber-hip Ultra timing for everything to come together. It was just like the perfect told AFP. “They need each other: like the bright side needs the Music Festival has bold plans to further expand the global storm.” A powerful typhoon failed to dampen spirits at last week- dark side to keep going. “Commercial EDM is a great introduction Ojuggernaut after another year of empire building. end’s Ultra Japan, where over 70 acts, including chart-topping for young kids to get into dance music, since the underground While techno-heads accuse Ultra of helping to ‘commercialize’ headliners Hardwell, Tiesto and Deadmau5, rocked enormous music styles never play on the radio.” Outside in the rain, the electronic dance music, or EDM, in recent years, 120,000 rain- crowds with throbbing electronic beats over three days in Tokyo. heaving mass of fresh-faced Japanese ‘Ultra-nauts’ blowing whis- soaked revelers appeared to heartily disagree after being A less radio-friendly ‘Resistance’ tent featured top house and tles and pumping their fists-many in outlandish fancy dress-just whipped into a frenzy in Tokyo this past weekend. “There’s a techno artists such as Dubfire and Art Department-the yin to the wanted to party. place for all genres of electronic music,” co-founder Russell cheesier yang on offer on the main stage, where it was often hard “You get a pretty young crowd at a festival, so I’ll have a look Faibisch told AFP. “A festival is all about having different genres. to work out where one track ended and the next began. in the first 15 minutes of my set to see what’s what,” said “In the last few years, EDM has worked on the main stage for Japanese techno king Ken Ishii. “They might not know much the masses but underground music always has and always will ‘Dig below the surface’ about techno, but it’s a genre with a long history and is one of have its place. “Everything feeds off each other.” A glittery haven “In society, there’s the commercial end of the spectrum, and the core pillars of dance music. It’s never going to just fall off a for hardcore EDM junkies, Ultra’s mega-rave has pitched up in 19 then there’s the alternative,” said Dubfire, addressing the issue of cliff.” Dubfire admits he has evolved with the changing dance far-flung locations: including Argentina, Brazil and Chile in South processed electronica. “The same can be said of the electronic scene. “I’m an old-school artist playing a new-school sound,” he America, and across the Atlantic in Spain and Croatia. Farther music scene. There are a lot of people who, once they dig below said, offering an insight into the potential rewards of becoming east, Ultra has extended its reach in Asia from Seoul to Tokyo, the surface of EDM, they find there is music there that is more a DJ. “These days if you want to have a career in electronic Taipei, Singapore, Bali, Bangkok and Hong Kong-with organizers interesting.” British techno heavyweight Carl Cox has been the music, you don’t have to battle your parents anymore. They set to announce “major additional expansion plans” for next year. driving force behind Ultra’s underground stage production, while understand what’s at stake-they understand you can make a “We’ve always had a master-plan,” said Faibisch, who staged organizers will launch stand-alone ‘Resistance’ events in South very successful career out of it.” — AFP the first edition of Ultra in 1999. “During the mid to late nineties in America next month. South Beach the club scene was really thriving. “There were a lot “When something’s happening in the underground, it affects of great clubs like Liquid and Shadow Lounge so it was the right the mainstream and the other way round,” Dutch artist Hardwell Dutch DJ Hardwell performs during the Japan Ultra Music Festival at Odaiba Ultra Park in Japanese women wearing American Indian outfit gesture as they attend the Japan Ultra Tokyo. Music Festival at Odaiba Ultra Park..