The masterstroke that was Road to Ultra

MANILA, Philippines - Avid fans of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) flocked to the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds last Sept. 26, in attendance of the first-ever Road to Ultra Music Festival in the country, with partners Black Water and Ovation Productions. The two-stage spectacle featured headliner Skrillex, Fedde Le Grand, A-Trak, W&W, Vicetone, Zeds Dead, Mija and other local acts in a celebration of the genre.

Since the swift announcement of Road to Ultra Philippines a few months ago, party-goers have been hyped up for a taste of what was announced to be “the party of the year,” and they got more than they bargained for.

Gates opened as early as 3 p.m. and EDM fans began rushing through. While both stages were setting up, a number of interactive booths and concessionaires kept the crowd well-entertained. Local DJs took the main stage and started warming up the troops, with Ace Ramos accompanied by MC Paolo starting the sets, Tom Taus spinning along with an alternative drum act, and Justin Oh engaging Manila’s party set. The Smart stage included familiar names, among them Nix Damn P.

Newcomer and sole woman on the night’s deck, Mija brought in eclectic tunes as she stood on the turntable, coaxing everyone to make noise as flames arose from the front of the stage. Dynamic duo Vicetone gave their all and started out rehashing classic songs, all the while documenting the audience’s excitement with a GoPro camera. Another crowd favorite, A-Trak, reworked songs on today’s Top 100 list, paying homage to current greats Galantis and Calvin Harris with an infectious spin on Runaway and How Deep Is Your Love.

Followers of the EDM genre bow down to Fedde Le Grand as one of its pioneers, spearheading the field with tracks like Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit and Sparks.

Zeds Dead took to the main stage for almost an hour and a half, with their tracks combining aspects of dubstep, house music and drum and bass. All kinds of partyphiles showed up despite the heavy downpour and continued the non-stop dance party, supplied with refreshments from Miller Lite, Red Bull and Bacardi. Afterwards, W&W spun their magic for another 90 minutes, enticing the excited audience to jump and dance along.

Late into the night, anticipation built for the man of the hour, Skrillex, to appear. The lights went out as the “Voice of Ultra” Damien Pinto guided the crowd with assurance that the party was just about to start — and so it did when the stage exploded with bright lights and a pumped-up Skrillex took over the deck. He pulled out all of the stops, everything the crowd was and wasn’t expecting: From Beyoncé’s 7/11 to Diplo’s Boy Oh Boy to his very own tracks Scary Monsters, Nice Sprites and Bangarang.

The crowd was hungry for his energy and he fed them with a hefty dose of dance-worthy tunes. “I want you to take your cellphone out right now and turn on that light,” he encouraged. Just as the swarm complied, his Grammy-winning rendition of Benny Benassi’s Cinema blasted through the speakers and Mija joined him on deck. The track transitioned into Jack Ü’s Where R Ü Now, his final track of the night. A ton of confetti blasted as the track reached its bass drop and the two took one last photo with the raving crowd then Damien bid everyone good night.

Just like that, Ultra ended as it started, with a bang.

The Road to Ultra Philippines owed its success to the international and local acts, as well as the sponsors and partners, including Smart Communications, Miller Beer, Fox International Channels, Starworld, Channel V Philippines, Makati Shangri-La and Thrifty Car Rental.