5 Essential Sets from Ultra Music Festival 2015

by JP Hadley · Published April 1, 2015 · Updated April 1, 2015

Alright, we know we’re a few days late, but here’s some Ultra Music Festival coverage. There was no shortage of brand-new music, nor was there a lack of controversy.

Thanks to deadmau5, and the Internet, we found out that Krewella and Hardwell only look like they were faking their sets by using either unplugged or turned off equipment. Krewella took to Twitter to prove their CDJ/DJM setup was indeed connected to Traktor by USB, and Hardwell proved all four of his CDJs were turned on as well.

Thx 4 watchin our stream @deadmau5! before u tweet maybe u should zoom in & see the USBs plugged in2 the CDJs/mixer:) pic.twitter.com/QeGILU6MgJ

— KREWELLA (@Krewella) March 29, 2015

Hardwell’s response

Now that we got through the controversy, let’s talk about our five favorite livesets from the festival:

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[tab title=”#5. Tiësto”]Even though the accusations were flying over his alleged pre-recorded set, Tiësto silenced the haters by dropping a fresh crop of new tracks and even having a technical slip-up during his set to show off that he was in fact mixing live.

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[tab title=”4. W&W”]This set from W&W has gone under the radar a little bit, but must be highlighted because of the energy and diversity of tracks involved. Yes, it’s a lot of big-room and a lot of heavy kicks, but its hard to deny that it doesn’t get you moving. Plus, the infusion of hardstyle towards the end is always a pleasant surprise.

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[tab title=”3. Hardwell”]Even if last year was a bit of a down year for Hardwell, his 2015 set picks up where 2013 left off, and proved why he claimed the #1 spot in the DJ Mag Top 100. With the CDJ controversy aside, his mixing is pretty solid, his track choice fits the crowd perfectly, and his selection of new tunes makes this set hard to top.

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[tab title=”2. Nicky Romero”]With the perfect balance between old and new, Nicky Romero showed off both his personal flair as a great technical DJ, but also the depth of his record label’s upcoming catalog throughout his sets. Tons of new music, and great melodies highlight his 60 minutes on the stage.

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[tab title=”1. Jack Ü (Skrillex & Diplo)”]So, this set was only supposed to be Skrillex. That lasted about two songs, before fellow Jack Ü partner Diplo joined the madness. It then became guest galore featuring P. Diddy and Justin Bieber among others on the mainstage as they closed out the festival.