As we approach Ultra Music Festival this year, we look back at past iterations and examine how much exactly the festival has changed. In 2001, techno and house were the main driving forces of dance music, along with hardstyle, trance and drum & bass. Also, the stages were much less visually appealing – simple light arrays and an emphasis on sound were prevalent at most events, as opposed to large LED boards or projection mapping that we’ve become so accustomed to today.
The fashion of attendees was also radically different than it is today, featuring a lot more “regular” clothing than skimpy outfits or absurd amounts of kandi, though those were still found in at least some capacity. (Also, JNCO pants.)
Check out a brief video of Edgar V at Ultra in 2001 at the Amphitheatre, and then check out Skrillex on the main stage in 2015. We can’t wait to see what 2016 is like.