#umf

(Written by Miko Kubota-Nieves / Ka-Serbisyo Patrol #4 news reporter of Channel 8 News, and Station Manager & President of ONC Holdings)

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- The 26th edition of Ultra Music Festival (UMF) opened last weekend. The talk of Bayfront Park remains the high-octane back-to-back set between 'Martin Gerard Garrix' and 'Alessandro "Alesso" Renato Lindblad'. Although the duo delivered an excellent masterclass in progressive house, fans on the ground and over the livestream, there was a tense moment during the 2nd chorus when they transitioned to the 2016 electronic dance music (EDM) anthem "Lions in the Wild" Friday night (March 27th, 2026 -- Florida local time).

Martin Garrix became a leading name in EDM in his teens, rising to international fame. The Dutch DJ and producer burst onto the scene in 2013 with the global hit "Animals" and was the youngest music artist at 17 y/o to take the main stage of UMF. Garrix was a 3-time #1 DJ Mag in 2016, 2017, and 2018; and in 2016 also founded an indie music label "STMPD RCRDS", which the artists 'Julian Jordan' and 'Brooks' launched their careers. Alesso became a melodic house star with his 2012 breakthrough "Years" featuring 'Matthew Koma'. Known as an emotive dropper, as well as having collaborated with such pop heavy-hitters 'Calvin Harris' and 'Katy Perry', Alesso released his album Forever in 2015, where it immediately topped Dance/Electronic category on Billboard.

An impressive build-up was halted by an unexpected technical glitch shortly before 10pm on Day 1, which interrupted the track's iconic drop. It was noted by the audience that Garrix seemed quite anxious when he fine-tuned the decks to make the audio balanced at the Main Stage.

The overnight glitch occurred in their DJ equipment while operating in CDJ mode, during the first beat of the loop. As Garrix and Alesso played the said stage, people in that section had a slight slip that both DJs handled through humor. STMPD RCRDS and the event organizer of UMF have yet to issue a public apology at this time.

The experienced superstars, despite the hiccup, flowed and transitioned into an unscripted live set, which recharged the huge crowd. It was an unplanned, improvised experience with a headliner who prides himself on being precise, and as such, it showed that even on the biggest dance in the world, the music must go on.

EDITOR's NOTE from Miko: "Lions in the Wild" momentarily became "Lions in the Wi-Fi Dead Zone", because even EDM gods bow to the tech gods.

SCREENGRAB COURTESY: UMFTV via YT LIVE VIDEO & STMPD RCRDS

SOURCES: *https://x.com/ultra/status/2036179293613482253 *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Garrix *https://www.edmtunes.com/2025/11/alesso-martin-garrix-confirm-ultra-2026-b2b/ *https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/martin-garrix-makes-an-ultra-debut-on-social-50-chart-6039434/ *https://www.festivalling.com/track-releases/martin-garrix-presents-epic-new-anthem-lions-wild/ *https://www.local10.com/news/local/2026/03/28/ultra-music-festival-draws-thousands-to-downtown-miami-as-traffic-changes-take-effect/ and *https://youtu.be/vBvZaydcCzc?t=1683