321go!

"Do the D.A.N.C.E. Wave your arms Stick to the B.E.A.T. Follow the rhythm Just easy as A.B.C. It's simple Do the DANCE Move your body Do the DANCE Dance to your heart's content."

Stationed behind the stage, Ray heard the distinct, childlike vocals originating from the hit retro-disco single "D.A.N.C.E." by the French electronic music duo Justice. Last year, this song ranked fourth on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best songs of the year; the lyrics referenced many of Michael Jackson's tracks, serving as a tribute to him.

Today at the UMF venue, Justice had remixed the song. As the second interlude began, it deviated from the original, with a retro disco-style bassline pulsing with rhythm.

Ray circled to the edge of the stage and saw a dense crowd of spectators gathered before it. Such a sea of people had only ever appeared in the music video for "Tremor," and it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

It wasn't just Ray; even Deadmau5's expression was significantly sterner than usual. Performing after a hit single by Justice carried a heavy burden of pressure. The song had peaked at number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart and reached number ten on the Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart in the US.

While tenth might seem modest, the Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart is actually compiled based on playlists from nightclubs across the US. The person with the most number-one hits on this chart is Madonna, followed by Janet Jackson, and surprisingly, Mariah Carey—clearly, this was not a chart designed exclusively for electronic music. This served as side evidence that reaching tenth place with "D.A.N.C.E." was quite a significant achievement.

Ray returned from the edge of the stage. He was wearing the same red suit as Deadmau5, paired with a white shirt, red tie, and red gloves. Deadmau5's headpiece had been completely transformed into a plush toy, merely painted red on the surface to match his previous look.

As Justice finished their set, staff members led Ray and Deadmau5 onto the stage.

As an outdoor music festival, the organization was certainly not as tight as a televised concert, and there was a several-minute gap for temporary setup while changing guests.

Standing on stage, Ray immediately saw a large portion of the audience turning to leave.

With the sun setting, the ticket holders who had been watching performances all afternoon were famished. They prepared to take this opportunity to eat and rest before returning at night to watch the main stage performance by Tiesto, which was the real highlight.

Beyond the main stage, four other stages were hosting performances in different areas at this very moment. These included the stage for house music pioneer and renowned British DJ Carl Cox, who had brought his personal "Carl Cox & Friends" stage to UMF this year, and the Rabbit Hole Stage, headlined by the American group Rabbits on the Moon, which focused on experimental, psychedelic trance music. There was also the "Amnesia Ibiza Arena"—Amnesia being one of the most famous and historic clubs on Ibiza—with the festival inviting the club's own team to bring an authentic Ibiza experience to the attendees. Finally, there was the "Dance Rock Stage," a venue dedicated to the rhythm-heavy Techno style.

In short, this year's Ultra Music Festival provided the audience with a wide variety of choices.

After some people left, about a few thousand remained at the main stage. Ray and Deadmau5 gave the staff an "OK" gesture, and the pre-recorded audio began to play. Deadmau5, wearing his helmet to hide his face, would not use a microphone to interact with the audience, as that would ruin the mystery of his hidden identity.

"Hi everyone, I'm Deadmau5. I'm very happy to be at UMF. As you can see, my appearance has changed a bit. A few days ago, before a show, three dangerous sex offenders broke into my room. It was Dr. Ray, who is here with me, who successfully subdued them, making potential victims safe once again. Unfortunately, some equipment was damaged during Ray's struggle with them. But I think it was worth it, don't you?"

The crowd responded with intense cheers. As spectators, knowing the cause and effect, they clearly didn't care whether Deadmau5 was wearing an exquisite custom prop or a crude plush toy; they looked about the same anyway.

As for the original opening monologue, it was lifted from the first YouTube video Deadmau5 had uploaded, serving as a form of self-introduction.

Amidst the cheers of the audience, Ray began his live PA performance, playing melodies on the square buttons of the sampler, looking much like someone playing an electronic keyboard.

Ray recited the melody in his mind; he had repeated this segment several times last night. Although he played it with sufficient proficiency, Ray could hardly be called a "composer." The original owner could at least write a song, but the current Ray, aside from plagiarizing songs brought by his sense of déjà vu, had almost zero original ability, to the point where the melody he played sounded like a middle-schooler messing around.

Boos began to emerge from the crowd.

Ray, dressed in his red suit, had beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Nervousness caused his playing to speed up, and the melody became increasingly chaotic. Just as Ray felt everything was about to collapse, the sampler suddenly "malfunctioned," unable to produce any more notes. Two seconds later, as Deadmau5 beside him pushed a button on the mixer, the sound system began playing a fixed rhythm—clearly, Deadmau5 had taken over to save the set.

Ray let out a long sigh of relief; at least he hadn't completely ruined the performance.

"Look at how nervous he is. I wonder if he wore a diaper before going on stage," a tall, blonde girl with curly hair and sunglasses, standing at the back of the crowd, said with a smirk.

Standing beside her, the more shapely Abigail, a buck-toothed girl with bronze-colored ringlets, felt for him and broke into a cold sweat on his behalf: "He doesn't have as much performance experience as you."

When it came to performance experience, Ray was indeed no match for Taylor, who had been performing at the US Open and NBA games since she was barely ten.

Just as more people began to feel it was time to go eat or check out other stages, the style of the music suddenly changed. Deadmau5's famous progressive house track "Not Exactly" quietly transitioned into a special melody.

A unique timbre that no one in the audience had ever heard before...

Backstage, a sturdy, middle-aged man was chatting with festival staff.

"I can feel the rapid development of electronic music in the US. The audience here is almost catching up to ADE." The speaker had short black hair, broad shoulders that the short sleeves couldn't hide, a deep voice, and sharp, angular facial features.

The middle-aged man standing next to the burly man wore a black shirt, had a slightly portly build, a slicked-back hairstyle that revealed a precarious hairline, and a thick beard. He said modestly, "This can't compare to ADE. We received dozens of complaints last year, and this year will only be worse. You must come to see ADE in person when you have the chance."

This man was Russell Faibisch, one of the two founders of the Ultra Music Festival.

"The downside of outdoor festivals. Whenever you're willing to come, you can contact me anytime." The burly man nodded.

Russell Faibisch bumped fists with him; for a festival founder to personally accompany someone, it was clear this burly man was no ordinary guest DJ.

Just then, the music from the front stage drifted over.

The burly man's expression suddenly froze, and he walked closer to the front stage, where he could hear more clearly.

"Who is performing on stage right now?" the burly man asked. As the music playing reached the backstage area, his expression shifted—curiosity, surprise, confusion, and admiration flickered across his face in turn.

Russell Faibisch replied, "Deadmau5, a young man who has emerged in the last two years, from Canada." He clearly forgot that Deadmau5 had brought an extra guest today.

"This timbre is fantastic," the burly man couldn't help but praise. "This is a brand-new sound."

"He is indeed quite skilled at tinkering with those sound effect plugins," Russell said, falling into thought.

"I need to have a word with him once he finishes his performance." The burly man felt increasingly curious about Deadmau5.

In the audience area, Taylor and Abigail noticed that the people around them were being drawn in by the Electronic music currently playing.

"This is completely different from the version we heard in the studio!" Taylor realized that while the melody remained the same, the timbre and details were far richer than before; quantitative changes had led to a qualitative leap, and the song had become incredibly catchy, leaving listeners craving more.

Did he really pull it off? A thought surfaced in Taylor's mind.

Immediately after, the music entered the progressive section, and with the layering of various progressive effects, the energy began to converge.

Three Two One Go!

The audience at the main stage fell into a state of frenzy as a result...