Each DJ in this year’s “Road to Ultra” line-up had something different to offer during the music and lights extravaganza held at the MOA Arena last Friday, September 15.
Early birds welcomed DEUCE (aka Patty Tiu) and Mark Marasigan, both of whom have cemented their reputation as two of the most followed DJs in the Manila’s hippest clubs. Dancing began well before dinner time as Patty opened the event and Mark kept the mood up with the sickest beats.
Dutch DJ Sam Feldt took over the stage next, drawing even more people closer to the stage. Sam’s mixes paid homage to old dance classics such as Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” and TLC’s “Creep.” They were intermittently infused with jazz music samples, the sound of a saxophone floating amidst the continuous surge of deep house music.
Rezz’s music, on the other hand, was arguably darker and almost hypnotic, setting a more relaxed atmosphere at the venue. It was easy to dance languidly during Rezz’s set, but one could also just get lost in her deep, steady mixes. Her eyes were concealed by LED light-adorned goggles but her music spoke volumes about her personal work.The Canadian female DJ played tracks from her album “Mass Manipulation.”
Energy levels picked up when Getter took over. His set was entertaining on many levels, with traces of hip-hop and dubstep setting up momentum at the beginning, sounding very old school. The samples were diverse, from Daft Punk’s “One More Time,” which was conveniently folded into his mixes, as well Rick Astley’s “Together Forever.”
He then segued into heavier tracks, pumping up more energy in anticipation for the last two sets.
Lights dimmed and the stage was silent for several minutes, in preparation for the festival headliner, Zedd. By this time, the floor of the MOA Arena—as well as the lower box section—was packed with eager festival goers.
Zedd rose to mainstream commercial success in 2013 with the single “Clarity,” from his debut album of the same title, featuring British singer-songwriter Foxes on vocals. “Stay the Night” featuring Paramore’s Hayley Williams was received with as much fervor, creating more excitement around Zedd’s reputation as an artist.
Zedd had been to the country twice; the last was in 2015 for his solo concert. On his third time to perform at the MOA Arena, the Russian-German DJ-producer was welcomed with exhilarated screams from loyal fans.
Zedd opened his set with a stripped version of “Beautiful Now,” a track from his 2015 album “True Colors.” It slowly segued to an uptempo remix of Hailee Steinfeld’s “Starving” and Fat Joe’s “All the Way Up.” All these happened within a span of six minutes, with Zedd shifting every after two stanzas of each song.
“Time of My Life” starts the next stream of mixes, elevating the dance mood to higher gear, but slivers down a bit with a remix of Magic’s “Rude.”
“You guys sing it!” – Zedd shouts to the audience, and people gladly obliged, thrusting their voices against the infectious electronic beats.
Two of Michael Jackson’s songs from the 1980s made it to Zedd’s mixes for the night, namely “Thriller” and “Billie Jean.” More ‘80s nostalgia crept through with Zedd’s “The Legend of Zelda” remix.
As expected, Zedd ran through his most successful and popular collaborations, such as “Stay the Night” with Hayley Williams; Alessia Cara’s “Stay,” which has been topping Billboard charts since it was released in February; and “Break Free,” a song by pop star Ariana Grande which was released in 2014.
The night wouldn’t have been complete without the one song that plugged Zedd’s music into the hearts of listeners, and cemented his name as a visionary EDM artist. The club remix of “Clarity” was played later into the set, right before it started winding down.
Zedd affirmed his love for the Manila crowd by saying, “Manila, thank you guys so, so much. I love coming back here so much you guys are the reason why I’m here all the time. For the last time I want to see your hands up in the air right now!”
The last to go on board, Hardwell, climbed on top of the DJ booth during his set. He held the Filipino flag, waving it as “Creatures in the Night” dominated the speakers, as if dedicating the song to Pinoy EDM fans who practically spent dusk till dawn, dancing the night away washed by the multi-colored lights at the festival.
