Ultra South Africa 2023

After 3 years the Ultra Music Festival returned to South African shores to mesmerize and thrill local electronic dance community. Cape Town and Johannesburg were treated to some of the best in international and local artists over Friday and Saturday with an unconfirmed record crowd for the Johannesburg leg. While there were many despondent comments after the final line-up was released, with the lack of headliner acts for the main stage especially, the ones who were named did not disappoint!

Local acts such as Kyle Cassim, Gold Fish and Grammy award winning artist Zakes Bantwini got the masses going on the main stage before the international acts took over. Gold Fish who have toured the world with their mixture of electric and live sounds, signed with Armin van Buuren's record label Armada have been entertaining crowds world over, and their set in Johannesburg was nothing short of world class. 

Next up, that crazy Australian Fisher took to the stage with what can only be described as electric energetic performance that had the crowd jumping on their feet.  Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens got the groove on with his future house style deep melodic sounds before Swedish maestro Alesso played probably the best set of the night for me, kicking up classics like his remix of Pressure by Starkillers before ending his set with the iconic "If I loose myself Tonight" with One Republic which had the entire crowd singing in harmony. Ending the night on the mainstage was another Aussie, Timmy Trumpet. His hardstyle big room music took the crowd over 150 bpm as it was a rather raucous end to the night. 

Resistance stage as always did not disappoint with Dane DJ Kolsch and Adam Bayer sending the crowds into pure ecstasy with their sets. I was a bit disappointed with the lighting and stage design for Resistance as I felt it was cut down a lot compared to the 2020 show. Being in an indoor venue there was so much more that could have been done in terms of lighting. Overall though, Ultra SA 2023 proved to be one for the record books with massive crowds, excellent organization and plenty of stalls for beverages, food and top up kiosks for the cashless wristbands. I'm glad to hear that the festival will be back next year on the weekend of March 1st, with shows confirmed for Cape Town and Johannesburg. 

One sad thing to come out from the festival was the passing of Costa Titch who sadly passed away after collapsing on the Smirnoff Stage midset. Condolences go out to his family, friends and fans. 

ULTRA SA 2023 - Final Line Up

The final countdown to Ultra South Africa 2023 has officially begun! In just over four weeks, on 10 and 11 March in Cape Town and Johannesburg, the iconic Ultra stages will be set up, the Ultra Angels warmed up and choreographed, and the biggest names in dance music brought together for the continent’s biggest electronic music festival, Ultra South Africa! 

Recently added to the already stellar Main Stage lineup is returning future house superstar, Oliver Heldens, homegrown heroes Goldfish, and very recent Grammy winner and additional homegrown legend, Zakes Bantwini!  

They will join none other than global icon Alesso, Australian firecracker, Fisher and of course, the dynamic Timmy Trumpet for the first time on SA soil. Local heroes set to wow the fans are Sun-El Musician, Kyle Cassim, Timo ODV, Max Hurrell and New Hero. 

Moving over to the Resistance Stage you’ll find some of the world’s finest underground house and techno artists including legendary DJs Adam Beyer, Joris Voorn and Kölsch. Joining them will be none other than Desiree, Hyenah, Djeff, Floyd Lavine, Jamiie, Abby Nurock, Natasa, Fogshow b2b Karoo, Talia Zaken and Siphe Tebeka. 

The Smirnoff Storm Room is a brand new highlight of Ultra SA showcasing the hottest AmaPiano and urban culture stalwarts featuring the likes of Focalistic, DBN Gogo, Uncle Waffles, Msaki (Electronic Set), Musa Keys, TwoBunnies, DJ Buhle, Mat Elle, Lisa Stofella, DJ Lag, Kooldrinks, Costa Titch and Lelowwhatsgood.  The Smirnoff Storm Room will debut as a stage at Ultra South Africa Music Festival, before becoming a touring event property for the brand.

Staying in the City of Gold, the Clubhouse Stage is also a new feature at Ultra SA which is designed to bring budding club culture into a festival environment, creating a space for artists to play all shades of club music, including house, afro house, tech, bass and everything in between... This stage will feature a lineup designed for dancing that includes Cinimin, Vimo, Das Kapital, Aidin Caye, Karyendasoul, Lemon & Herb, FKA Mash, Jevan Binder, Jordan Arts, Blanka Mazimela, Roz, and Sons of Denis b2b with Tristian. 

So… Are U ready for a festival experience of a lifetime? 

Book your tickets to Ultra South Africa, happening in Cape Town and Johannesburg this March, now before they sell out.

CAPE TOWN | 10 MARCH | HOLLYWOODBETS KENILWORTH RACECOURSE | CONFIRMED LINE-UP

MAIN STAGE:

Alesso, Goldfish, Fisher, Karyendasoul, Max Hurrell, New Hero, Oliver Heldens, Timmy Trumpet, Timo ODV and Zakes Bantwini.

RESISTANCE:

Adam Beyer, Desiree, Floyd Lavine, Fogshow b2b Karoo, Hyenah, Joris Voorn, Kolsch, Talia Zaken, and Siphe Tebeka. 

JOHANNESBURG | 11 MARCH | EXPO CENTRE, NASREC | CONFIRMED LINE-UP

MAIN STAGE:

Alesso, Goldfish, Fisher, Karyendasoul, Kyle Cassim, Oliver Heldens, Sun-El Musician, Timmy Trumpet, Timo ODV and Zakes Bantwini.

RESISTANCE:

Abby Nurock, Adam Beyer, Djeff, Floyd Lavine, Hyenah, Jamiie, Joris Voorn, and Kolsch.

SMIRNOFF STORM ROOM:

Costa Titch, DBN GOGO, DJ Buhle, DJ Lag, Focalistic, Kooldrink, Lisa Stofella, Lelowwhatsgood, Mat Elle, Musa Keys, TwoBunnies, and Uncle Waffles. 

CLUBHOUSE STAGE: 

Aidin Caye, Blanka Mazimela, Cinimin, Das Kapital, Jevan Binder, Jordan Arts, Karyendasoul, Fka Mash, Lemon & Herb, Roz, Son of Denis b2b Tristian, and Vimo.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS TODAY

Have you booked your tickets to Ultra South Africa 2023? With only a few weeks left, make sure you get your hands on tickets today! Click here to book. 

Monday Choon: Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford - Thing Called Love (Oliver Heldens​ Remix)

Most of us who streamed ABGT400 last year was sad that it was not the ABGT event we learned to love over the years but the effort made by Jono, Pavo, Tony and team to ensure the fans still got to party with them was excellent. One particular track during the Above & Beyond set got many peoples attention, it was a remix of their hit track "Thing Called Love" featuring Richard Bedford, what we didn't know at the time was the person responsible for this remix. The track was released on the 9th of this month and surprise, surprise, it was none other than House DJ and Producer, Oliver Heldens! Wait what? A house music DJ remixing a trance track? Doesn't make any sense and what is even more baffling is how perfect it is? Oliver, maybe you should dabble in some trance music because if this is anything to go by, we're missing out on some potential crackers!

Monday Choon -Ultra Countdown: Tiesto, Oliver Heldens - The Right Song

It's finally the week we've all been waiting for, Ultra South Africa 2016 week! This Friday see's the 3rd installment of the coutries premier electronic dance music festival taking place over 3 days in Johannesburg and Cape Town. This weeks is our last of the headliner artist feature and we've saved the best for last, Tiesto! What more can we say about the Dutch DJ legend? He's done it all in his career as a DJ, playing to sell out crowds and now having residency in Las Vegas, he is undoubtly still one of the world's greatest and he's gracing Ultra SA for the second time. Catch him playing his extended set on Saturday in Joburg and Sunday in Cape Town. 

His latest single done with Oliver Heldens "Wombass" has been doing well on the charts since it's release late last year, and this year it was re-released featuring the vocals of Natalie La Rose with a change in name, and the song now called "The Right Song".  It's going to be on his set list for this weekend and is a banger of note, so this one is to get you ready and in the mood for the biggest Ultra South Africa we've seen yet!

                   

As always, follow the offical Ultra South Africa social media streams for the latest news regarding the festival.

Twtter: @ultrasa

Facebook: Ultra South Africa

Instagram: ultrasouthafrica

Website: www.ultrasouthafrica.com

Youtube: UMF TV

Monday Choon: HI-LO - Renegade Mastah

 

Who is HI-LO? When the first track of his "Crank it up" was released in June this year, it drew quite a following as it was a great track but no one had heard of this guy before. Turns out HI-LO is an alias used by an already big up and coming name in the dance music genre and with it, he decided to launch his new record label "Heldeep" on which he will release all his music. Well, the question you must be asking still, is who is he? He is none other that Dutch Deep house genius Oliver Heldens! This kid can do no wrong it seems, his HI-LO alias is to produce high bass, fast paced Deep House music. This week's track is HI-LO's new one, "Renegade Mastah", it may sound familiar to you as it was used in the UMF Miami Aftermovie. It's a great track and quite a catchy one, and you got to give it up to Oliver, many of the new young EDM producers on the scene tend to head down the high techo sounds but he's sticking to what he loves and doing great with it, hopefully we'll see him again next year at Ultra South Africa. 

                    

Monday Choon: Tiesto & Oliver Heldens - Wombass

It was always going to happen, it was more of a matter of when rather than if, Oliver Heldens is fast becoming one of the more sort out DJ's  in the world and his style of music with deep house and techno is a breath of fresh air compared to the more standard EDM we've been used to over the years. Hence when I heard Tiesto was colaborating with him for a song, I couldn't wait to hear it. It made its debut at the Amsterdam Music Festival where Tijs and Oliver played it for the first time and saw Oliver teach Tiesto how to shuffle. The track was officially launched on Friday last week and expect it to go number one on beatport pretty soon. 

                      

Monday Choon: Oliver Heldens & Shaun Frank - Shades Of Grey (Ft. Delaney Jane)

Dutch deephouse DJ Oliver Heldens is carrying on his trend of producing big hits, this time around he's teamed up with Canada's Shaun Frank and Delaney Jane on the vocals. Shades of Grey may sound familiar to some as it featured on the Ultra Miami Aftermovie which we featured last week. It's a mellow track with a great beat and tempo, the vocals are just fused into the mix to make it that extra special. It's been playlisted on some of the local radio stations of last week and sure to be a track for the summer. 

                     

Relive Ultra 2015

It's been almost a week since Ultra South Africa came and knocked us off our feet and into the air in a a frenzy of song and dance. Bigger, better and more louder than 2014, this years event sure did not disappoint. Cape Town kicked off proceedings with an Ultra exclusive event hosted by Uber which saw a select few who have the Uber app and were quick on the button, go on a sunset party cruise with Goldfish, Oliver Heldens and Martin Garrix. Seeing videos and pictures from the cruise made everyone who wasn't there extremely jealous but we had the next two days to party with those legends and thousands of others. 

Cape Town's show saw an increase in numbers since last year and everyone was blown away from the performances but since I and the many others were going for the Joburg leg, we had to wait one more day to experience the greatness that is Ultra South Africa. Gates opened 11am sharp, with scores of people starting to trickle in, many already having attended pre-ultra parties and were psyched to start the celebrations. With 3 stages and endless amounts of talent ranging from local to top listed internal DJ's, it was bound to be an incredible day no matter what form of electronic music you fancied. 

The UMF Radio stage seemed to be place to be for early goers as the area was packed to catch the on stage DJ's but as the hours went by and the numbers came pouring in by the thousands, the place filled up. Whether you were in General, VIP, VVIP or back stage like some of us, the vibe and energy was amazing to experience. On the main stage Rodger Goode, Goldfish, FeU and Mark Stent warmed the crowd up with their mixtures of local electronic, house and tribal music until the first headliner hit the stage. 

Oliver Heldens, the youngster from the Netherlands came onto raptures from the crowd, having never played in SA before, Ultra SA Jhb leg was his second time and the ovation he received was well deserved. Following him saw Canadian dance music duo brothers Chris and Alex Andre, better known as DVBBS (pronounced dubz) come on, the live interaction between them and the crowd was something to behold with many rating them as their favourites from the day. 

As the sun began to set and the air began to cool, the entertainment started to heat up with a repeat from last year taking to the decks. Martin Garrix has been sensational over the past few years in the EDM scene, producing hit after hit and climbing up the DJ Mag list as well as beatport lists, it no wonder why many who have been in the industry for a while now hold him in such high regard. The kid is a talent and he proved again, with another mind blowing set, coupled with pyro's and laser lights. He sent the crowd into a frenzy when he played his latest hit featuring Moti, "Virus". 

With the sun completely gone and the crowd amped, it was time for the number DJ in the world to make his mark on the number 1 dance music festival on the continent. Hardwell who last toured the country back in Decemeber 2012 was back with a bang. With plenty of new work and some crowd favourite oldies, it was exceptional set for the guy who's ranked above them all in the world for two years in a row now. Having seen the best in the business, you would think it would be hard to top that but step in the legend of Trance, the one, the only, Armin van Buuren. 

Fresh from his ASOT700 world tour, Armin just went to prove that no matter what number he's ranked, he is still one of the best in the world. With his uplifting beats, 3D electronic show and his new stage trick where he controls the lights with the movements of his hands, left the crowd spell bound. He played most of his new work and towards the end brought out some classics that have been re-worked, most notably his mashup of Exploration of Space by Cosmic Gate and Andrew Rayel's remix of Insomia by Faithless. It's probably one of the best sets I've heard from Armin, to see him on stage, in his element, doing what he does best to please us, his fans was unreal. 

Feet aching, back breaking from walking around the whole day from the media tent to the various stages, we had to muster up energy for one final act on the mainstage but while Axwell and Ingrosso took time for their stage setup, some of us made our way down tot he Electric Music Stage to catch the opening 30 minutes of Gorgon City, many felt they deserved their own time slot on main stage but can see why the organisers decided to let them close off things on that side of the park, With hits such as "Real", "here for you" and many adoring SA fans, there was quite a crowd to see them play. 

With the stage finally ready and the voice of Ultra Damian Pinto ready to introduce them, it was time for the lass stage act of the night. Axwell and Ingrosso have joined forces again after the break of up Swedish House Mafia, whether they'll go onto the same success as they did when Steve Angello was still part of the group remains to be seen but they are heading in the right direction. Their set, although consisting a lot from their SHM days was phenomenal and for me having missed the SHM tour, sort of made up for it. Axwell, true to his nature grabbed the mic and got the crowd going, it was a great way to close off what has been an amazing 14 hours of music ecstasy. The crowd begged for more after their set seemed to have ended and they responded with probably their greatest SHM hit, "Dont you worry child" , an amazing fireworks display to end off saw the thousands that made their way to Nasrec that day leave with a massive smile on their face knowing that they were part of something special and already at the back of their mind, planning next years visit. 

Big thanks to Electric Music, AmpliconPR, Ultra South Africa and SMG Rocks for making this trip for me possible. See you guys next year for Ultra SA 2016!

Monday Choon: Zeds Dead & Oliver Heldens - You Know

With just about 11 days to go until the countries biggest dance festival, things are really heating up leading to Ultra 2015 with the first countdown party taking place yesterday at Shimmy Beach. Today's featured international artist is none other than Oliver Heldens, many don't know about the young Dutch sensation so today we thought we'd give you some insight into the 20 year old. Having signed up with Spinnin' Records in 2013, the Rotterdam born Deep House DJ caught the attention of Tiesto with his single "Gecko" and was later signed onto the Dutch Legend's label Musical Freedom. He entered the 2014 DJ Mag Top 100 list at number 34 and has his own weekly podcast show called "Heldeep". Today's featured track see's him partner up with Zeds Dead for their new track "You Know", the track officially releases today and will be available for purchase on beatport. Be sure to catch Oliver Spin this and many of his other hit deep house tracks on the main stage at Ultra South Africa 2015!

Twitter: @UltraSA

Facebook: Ultra South Africa

Website: www.ultrasouthafrica.com
February 13th, Cape Town
February 14th, Johnnesburg
For tickets and pacakages, check the office website: http://www.ultrasouthafrica.com/tickets

PLEASE NOTE: VIP Tickets for Johannesburg are now SOLD OUT