The 5 Best Sets From the 2013 Ultra Music Festival, Weekend 1

Electronic music artist deadmau5 finally made his return to Biscayne Park when he closed out Day 2 of the Ultra Music Festival. Taking the stage after Kaskade, deadmau5 opened his hour and a half set with "Superliminal," the opening track for his most recent LP release, insert album title here. The track's sinister sheen set the tone for what would be an epic display in showmanship, technical skill, and musical artistry. It's deadmau5's ability to create a full sensory experience both at home and on the main stage that exemplify his genius. The mau5 harnessed the crowd's eager attention and the electric ambiance to put together a true sonic journey fit for the setting. Sure he played massive anthems like "Ghost N Stuff" and "The Veldt," but he did not give those up right away, instead building towards these with tracks like "Cthulu Sleeps," "A City In Florida" and others before closing with opus, "Strobe."

While some DJs will produce tracks strictly to party (and there's certainly nothing wrong with that), and some musicians will make purely therapeutic and emotive music (again, nothing wrong with that), deadmau5 has cultivated a true mastery for blending the two approaches in a cohesive and unified artistic vision. deadmau5's set was the best of the weekend and it's just another step in cementing his legacy as one of the greatest of all-time.

Riotous. Throwback. Futuristic. Electric. Eclectic. Theres are just some of the words we can throw out to try and capture the scene and essence of Dogblood's 5PM Day 3 set. Combining the old-school acid sounds with Boys Noize's tekno and Skrillex's dubstep, Dogblood was alive from the very first track, The M Machine's remix of "Middle Finger." In only an hour set, the two EDM kings managed to show off their electric chemistry, manipulating the crowd with each and every move. It's amazing that a duo that has only two released songs was able to put on such a show and draw a crowd. Surely the names behind the duo are world stars, but something tells us that not even half the crowd knew what Dogblood actually was before seeing the two take the decks.

Dropping their own tunes, IDs and tracks from RL Grime, Hard Rock Sofa, Disclosure, and A$VP Rocky, Dogblood immediately proved they were a headlining act and that they'd never have to play a daytime set again. You best believe these two must go on tour this year (and something tells me they will!) and when they do, you have to be there. If there's one set I listen to from Weekend 1 over and over again, it'll without a doubt be this one.

Freeform electronic musician Bassnectar might not be the most accessible, but there's truly no one else who could command and destroy the main stage the way he did on Sunday evening. The outspoken producer has made his name with his tsunami sized tunes and honestly he's the only bass musician who could command the main stage the way he did. While Skrillex could have done so in a similar fashion (and he's the only one who comes even close), Skrillex would have done so in a way that would have employed more vocals and more popular edits (The Fresh Prince Theme is a favorite of his!), whereas Bassnectar played few of his biggest hits until the end and was primarily an instrumental affair.

For the first 45 minutes he ran through the tracks from his Divergent Spectrum album and rarely stepped away for more recognizable classics until the very end when he dropped his remixes of The Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and of course Ellie Goulding's "Lights." Yes he also dropped "Bass Head" (albeit, a VIP) and yes he did use an edit of Blur's "Song 2" (which is quickly becoming overused; Chuckie and Hardwell also use the track), but by and large the 'Nectar delivered a set that was void of jukebox material. Furthermore, being in the front of the crowd delivered a sensory experience different than any other act the whole weekend. "His bass just sounds and feels different" said the raver next to me as cut scenes from The Matrix and demonic images of Azealia Banks flashed across the scene. While many artists are used to only playing hour sets, Bassnectar has routinely played longer in his own shows and for him to deliver such a pulverizing bass in that short period of time only shows his talent. If you can't make it to weekend two, make sure to catch him on tour this spring.

It's been said that unlike other festivals, the Ultra Music Festival is best for musical discovery. With an array of stages and crowds, it's easy to wonder between them to find something that strikes your fancy. More often than not, ravers come away with a new found love and respect for the sounds of techno and that's because of Carl Cox. With a Funktion 1 sound system installed, Carl bounced away to his booming techno bombs. Clean sound, oscillating visuals and an amazing stage production (those honeycombs!), Cox did exactly what he has been known to do: put on a a DJing clinic and just rock the crowd into submission.

I won't pretend I am a techno aficionado or that I know all that much about it, but I can tell you that it didn't matter because at the stage, we all grooved hard together. Caressing the crowd with builds and drops and then more builds and drops, Carl Cox had the crowd in the palm of his hand. With the best sound in all of the festival, Cox provided the gateway for many ravers' taste growth and will continue to do so next weekend. Twice. Seriously, you need to catch this guy if you ever have the chance.

There's really no wonder why Above & Beyond's Group Therapy show is once again taking peak time slots. Playing a variety of hits and sleepers from their catalog, A&B provides an unusually therapeutic and raw show that few others are truly capable of delivering. Subtly be damned, A&B uses their lyrics and uplifting progressions to truly unite the crowd in a romantic and entrancing show. Just short of two years since their last LP release, tracks like "Sun & Moon" still have the entire crowd singing along and simultaneously sending shivers down our back. As Paavo eloquently messaged the crowd, "Remember it's all about those moments you'll never forget" and that's exactly what they delivered; a moment we'll never forget.