Ultra Music Festival will showcase an array of exclusive, never-before-seen debut performances during its 25th anniversary edition, taking place from Friday, March 28 – Sunday, March 30, 2025 at its longtime home of Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami.
Legendary DJ and producer Carl Cox will celebrate the festival’s milestone by presenting the world debut of his ‘Evolution‘ live show as the closing set of Ultra‘s inaugural ‘Carl Cox Invites‘ stage takeover.
As one of Ultra‘s most iconic figures, the British maestro has been a cornerstone of the festival since DJing at the event’s third edition back in 2001, shaping Ultra’s legacy with every performance.
In 2005, Ultra broke ground by inviting Cox to curate his very own stage, which started as a modest tent dubbed ‘Carl Cox & Friends.’ Over the last two decades, that humble tent has evolved into the world-famous RESISTANCE MegaStructure, helping to solidify Ultra Music Festival as the premier tastemakers for not only stadium-smashing, Main Stage superstars, but also for underground house and techno masters.
After captivating audiences with the first-ever Carl Cox Hybrid Live performance in a three-hour, headlining set at Ultra 2022 – and showcasing this mesmerizing concept for a second time at Ultra 2023 – the iconic artist will make his triumphant return to the RESISTANCE MegaStructure for the world debut of ‘Evolution,’ marking his first-ever fully live Ultra set.
A true testament to Cox‘s illustrious history at Ultra, ‘Evolution‘ promises to be an innovative, audiovisual spectacle for the ages that highlights the dance music juggernaut’s renowned technical mastery.
The groundbreaking ‘Evolution‘ live show will serve as the closing set of Ultra‘s inaugural ‘Carl Cox Invites‘ stage takeover, which will present a bevy of live performances from house and techno heavyweights at the RESISTANCE MegaStructure.
Although Cox has curated numerous stage takeovers at Ultra over the years, Ultra 2025 will host the festival’s first Carl Cox Invites stage takeover. Anchored by the debut of ‘Evolution,’ the Carl Cox Invites stage takeover will showcase a stellar lineup of underground talent, including previously-announced performers like Drumcode label boss Adam Beyer and techno pioneer Richie Hawtin.
A familiar name at the RESISTANCE MegaStructure, Hawtin will deliver his first live performance at Ultra 2025 with his revolutionary live show ‘DEX EFX X0X.’ Helmed within the immersive fluidity in digital manipulation that Hawtin’s DJ performances have become synonymous with, ‘DEX EFX X0X’ demonstrates equally the early foundations and future of DJing, representing an exciting evolutionary step in Hawtin’s lifelong commitment to the development of the electronic music scene.
The ‘Carl Cox Invites‘ takeover will also see techno trailblazer Dubfire present his live visual show, ‘EVOLV,’ bringing his debut solo album to life. Dubfire’s ‘EVOLV’ will transform the 11-track collection of propulsive dancefloor tech into an immersive, sci-fi-inspired experience, vaunting ‘EVOLV’ as the nocturnal soundtrack of the future.
The marathon stage takeover will include innovative live sets from modern techno shapeshifter Stephan Bodzin, melodic techno maestro Joris Voorn, and German DJ-musician-composer Marc Romboy, who will be making his Ultra debut. Cox will open his stage takeover with a special b2b set alongside his Awesome Soundwave label-mate Christopher Coe, setting the tone for an extraordinary showcase of underground music talent.
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Here’s what Carl Cox had to say:
“For the first time ever, I’ll be performing my new show ‘Evolution,’ which is a full live set, at Ultra Music in Miami this March! This means I’ll be playing my music live on stage, using a combination of hardware and software to create and manipulate sounds in real-time.
Unlike a DJ set with pre-recorded tracks, or my hybrid set that combines elements of live performance and DJing, I’ll be crafting and evolving the music live, adding an extra layer of spontaneity and energy to the performance.
This is something I’ve been planning for a long time, and I couldn’t be more excited to bring it to life. I promised you all something special in honor of their 25th anniversary, and this is it!”
