[An Incredible Lineup] Ultra Europe's 2019 Lineup Announced! Hopefully Japan Takes the Same Direction!?

With news such as venue changes, it feels as if a bit of a seismic shift is taking place at Ultra Music Festival.

As I am writing this, Ultra Korea (sometimes abbreviated “Urukori” in Japan, haha) has just finished, but I am more interested in Ultra Europe, taking place July 12–14, with a scale and lineup second only to Miami.

So this time, while looking toward Ultra Europe next month, I will discuss my hopes for Ultra Japan, where last-minute lineup announcements have become an annual tradition, with plenty of personal opinion.

Let's Look at the 2019 Ultra Europe Lineup

Here it is in this image.

Compare it with other Ultras (especially Asian ones): the headliners include Techno and Tech House acts popular by global standards.

This is always true. I have written it repeatedly, but it is still not recognized in Japan, so I will keep saying it: the hottest genres right now are Techno and Tech House!

Among party people who only go to festivals, even Carl Cox, who transcends the boundaries of Techno, Tech House, and Resistance, has little recognition.

EDM has already ended and the times are changing, so it is time to turn your attention to something new!

Incidentally, I genuinely overlooked the Swedish House Mafia logo—haha.

Their exposure and fans' reactions feel like turning the clock back to the early 2010s, so I cannot view it positively. Apparently they canceled on the day at Ultra Korea, but that is about what you would expect, haha.

Ultra Europe Might Not Have That Much Presence...

This is especially subjective, but I do not feel Ultra Europe has that strong a presence.

That is because if you want to go all in on EDM, Tomorrowland, held around the same time, has overwhelmingly more presence (although Tomorrowland too has leaned toward Techno and Tech House rather than EDM in recent years).

Conversely, if you want to go all in on Techno and Tech House, Awakenings and Hideout Festival, Elrow have overwhelmingly more presence.

I cannot really know without going, but at least if I lived in Europe around July and were choosing a festival, Ultra Europe would probably be my last priority.

Its lineup does not particularly feel like something I want to see specifically in Croatia...Marco Calora was in Ultra Europe's lineup last year too, but if you are in Europe, going to Music On at Amnisia (Ibiza) would be better.

As a festival gathering Europe's best elements with a different, urban character from Tomorrowland, it has considerable value—I do think that.

Above&Beyond and Jamie Jones as Headliners Show the Gap

The huge Progressive House (Trance) act Above&Beyond played Osaka's Sonicmania in 2017, and the huge Tech House act Jamie Jones played Contact Tokyo in 2018; both venues were nearly empty... Both are truly excellent, but that is Galapagos Japan's scene for you, haha.

Above&Beyond and Jamie Jones are huge in Europe, and their events ABGT and Paradise sell out and pack venues, yet in Asia the reaction is, “Who?”

If you are one of those saying “Who?”, take this opportunity to remember them, haha.

Reiwa Is No Longer the Era for Getting Excited over EDM! And What Is This Reunion Business?

Looking at Ultra Europe's lineup, let me conclude with my usual point.

I would not say it to their faces because they seem to enjoy themselves, but I also cannot endorse finding absolute value in reunion-like events for once-popular genres. That is because dance music and its scene derive great value from being new and youthful.

Thanks to the internet and digital devices, the globalization of our lifestyles is accelerating. Even though I think it may be difficult to achieve, I want Japan's scene and the global scene to be close to having no gap between them.

Japan is an advanced nation, so I want it to be at the world's cultural forefront too. In the dance music scene, the audience itself makes up a major part of the content, so audience curiosity is extremely important.

So I hope for a lineup that mirrors Ultra Europe's.

ULTRA JAPAN2019 Event Information

Even if there are not as many acts as Miami, I hope Ultra Japan 2019 will have a lineup reflecting the direction of Miami's scene.

Ultra Japan 2019 takes place Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15 at the special Odaiba ULTRA PARK venue.

All accurate information is on the official website below, so please check there.

Ticket Resale Sites for Those Seeking Cheaper Festival Tickets

For Ultra Japan, EDC JAPAN, and other popular festivals, ticket resale sites are an option if you want to buy cheaply.

I introduce recommended sites in the article below, so please use it as a reference.

[Ultra Japan, EDC JAPAN, and More] Three Ticket Trading Sites for “I Want to Go After All,” “I Can No Longer Go,” and “I Want to Go Cheaply” [Use at Your Own Risk] September 10, 2019

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