Kshmr's Ultra brilliant

[AS PUBLISHED IN MALAY MAIL]

Kshmr's Ultra brilliance

By Jordan Barnes

KSHMR dropped several new tracks in a stunning star set down at Ultra Singapore.

Over 50,000 partygoers turned up for the weekend festival where the Los Angeles-based producer was standout performer among a host of world class DJs.

The rave ran in conjunction with Ultra Korea at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium, witnessed by a further 120,000.

It was a record number and a first for a two multi-day festivals to run concurrently in separate Asian countries.

Malaysia was represented in Korea by house duo Goldfish and Blink while electronic artiste Sam Rui and Kuala Lumpur’s Johnny Vicious entertained the Lion City.

But it was far from smooth sailing at Marina Bay Sands, which overlooked the Singapore crowd at Bayfront Avenue in its second year.

Heavy downpours hampered Day One which turned into something of a damp squib.

Thousands fled the main area as rain turned the vicinity into a mudbath in the evening before the event had really got going.

A dwindled bunch of diehards stuck it out to catch Hardwell, who did little to lift spirits with an uninspiring set.

His tracklist offered little surprise bar a remix of golden oldie Spaceman as he flaunted his trademark sound in familiar hits.

Best hyping efforts did nothing for the DJ ranked world’s No. 1 in 2013 and 2014, a period where Hardwell’s evidently stuck.

Legendary Tiesto followed as headline act to close the opening day.

He too lacked certain firepower that once saw him revered as a pioneer and great, summed up by unenthusiastic grimace and rare interaction with the crowd.

Only when Hardwell joined onstage did it give fans a fleeting moment to remember.

But for two Dutch maestros, a sound that lacked any real techno and hardcore that younger, up-and-coming peers are introducing, made for poor showing.

Sunday came and thankfully the sun was out in more ways than one.

The bill was bursting with talent presenting a problem of where to head the top talent.

Early doors it was destination Main Stage for Don Diablo, an icon of the scene with a progressive house back catalogue spanning decades.

His warm-up was timed right for Nicky Romero to follow, whose efforts were only matched by Steve Aoki in thrilling back-to-back sets.

Aoki, enjoying a return to the region after a two-year absence, was back to his maniacal best.

Enthusiasm took the form of cake-throwing antics once again which was embraced with equal passion by the audience.

A festival favourite, Aoki’s latest single Just Hold On with Louis Tomlinson located party mode in Singapore and the place let loose.

Thunderous classic Turbulence sent a sea of admirers into overdrive.

Overlapping was Kshmr plonked at the back of the venue’s Live Stage.

The listing begged the question why the critically-acclaimed virtuoso was reduced to a lesser enclosure.

“He plays one of the top slots at Tomorrowland but here he can’t even make the Main Stage?” quizzed Geoffrey Yeoh.

Tan Yiren, 23, added, of the weekend as whole: “We were expecting that kind of hard style that he brings.”

Though a tight-knit environment made for “special” viewing, as fangirl Clarissa Ng, 23, noted.

The group of friends agreed Kshmr topped the majority of the weekend’s acts.

Obviously.

It took less than two minutes before his set exploded with highly regarded genius and flair, musically and visually.

The melody-maker’s Indian influence and instruments, courtesy of his grandparent’s heritage, provides a sound unmatched by his contemporaries.

“His sound doesn’t drop. It just goes up and up and up. He doesn’t even need to make effort to hype the crowd,” said Adalia Loy Ding Hui, 21.

Big house and trap sounds took ravers on a Kshmr journey, a spellbinding experience that sets him apart from his contemporaries.

New music was dropped thick and fast with the enchanting single Strange Lands leading the race as the hottest sound to land.

Coincidentally Tiesto collaboration Harder and Power featuring Hardwell also featured, but the best was saved for Tsunami, played with full orchestra.

Kshmr’s taken the string arrangement from all around the world, making for one of the most unforeseen sights at a dance music festival.

Only he could pull it off.

It was suggested that the orchestra was the reason he dubiously played Live Stage.

Undoubtedly, though the enigmatic showman stole the spectacle in jaw-dropping fashion.

Ultra Singapore marked improvement on last year’s debut where organisers were hampered with complaints of long queues and lack of refreshments.

This year was smoother fare, even if the line-up dipped in quality.

The festival is entitled to its status as one of Southeast Asia’s biggest under the Ultra brand.

But it is some way off to matching the standards of Ultra’s Miami home.