I’ve always cared more for those in the electronic music scene whose work goes beyond playing great sets. Advancing a cultural movement takes effort beyond the decks. Between building new lanes, hosting unique shows, giving opportunities to your community members are all ways to make your scene stronger than it was before. ULTRA is someone who is doing just that.
She brings force, precision, and purpose to everything she touches. While primarily known for her DnB, her sets are also covering high-impact Trap, Dubstep, and Hip-Hop energies, and often moves between 174 and 140 with explosive and intentional confidence. She’s built strong momentum through major support slots, including shows tied to well-known names like Rusko, Reaper, Dirt Monkey, Aeon Mode, Smoakland, Bear Grillz, Habstrakt, Flava D & Hybrid Minds. That rise continues with more bookings and a scheduled performance at Big Dub Festival.
The first time I had a chance to see her play, she ripped an all-Vinyl jungle set at her DNB vs JUNGLE daytime event held last summer at Meadows Brooklyn. But beyond being extremely impressed with the set – she took the time to introduce herself (I was completely new to the community and didn’t know a single person there), which I think illustrates her role as a welcoming community builder.
Beyond performing, she runs ULTRA DNB, her own NYC-based production company pushing the DNB & Bass movement forward. What stands out most is the combination of power and vision. ULTRA clearly understands that strong scenes do not appear on their own. Representation, community, and curation all shape the health of a scene. That mindset comes through in the way she talks about lineups, opportunity, and the future of bass music culture.
At Mugic.us, this is the kind of work I always want to spotlight (and emulate myself). We had a chance to catch up with ULTRA, where she talks about her roots in New York rave culture, the mission behind ULTRA DNB, and her perspective on representation in the scene:
Interview with ULTRA DNB:
Q: Talk about how you first started to become part of the community early on. Were there any artists or shows you went to that inspired or influenced you?
A: “My love of electronic dance music traces back to the late 80s when I started listening to influences like Subarcubes/ Bjork, Deee-Lite and Hip-Hop like Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets. In 1993 I started going to raves and clubs like the Tunnel, Palladium, Limelight and Wetlands in NYC.
This was right at the beginning of the Drum and Bass music in New York City. Shortly after, in 1995 I started my own musical journey buying my first pair of Technic 1200s on Canal Street in Manhattan and building my HIP-HOP & DRUM AND BASS record collection from Fat Beats and Liquid Sky in NYC.”
Q: Talk about your inspiration for the Ultra DNB event project. Is there anything you can share you’re most excited about?
A: “Growing up in the New York Drum and Bass and RAVE SCENES and having the opportunity to move all over the US through my career has given me a lot of inspiration. Having recently moved back to NYC from the LA market gave me the opportunity to gather some exciting things I’ve experienced at festivals on the west coast and in LA to NYC.
We saw a gap between the DNB and dubstep communities in NYC and that provided us a very exciting opportunity to bring the two together in a meaningful way that’s never been done before. We’re also very passionate about bringing exciting LA artists to NYC.
Prime showcase of that is our annual 420 i LOVE NY X I LOVE LA EVENT, TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR SATURDAY 4/18 4-10PM AT THE BROOKLYN MEADOWS. We’re partnering with APX1 in LOS ANGELES for a day under the sun and massive annual 420 friendly drum and bass & dubstep party.
So far we’ve been fortunate enough to have artists from LA like Machete, Skellytn, Reid Speed, Airglo, Anna Morgan, APX1, Nightstalker, Roxanne, Whys, Lush & we’ll be announcing some massive events with more of our LA friends shortly that we know are going to make a MASSIVE impact in NYC this year.”
Q: You’ve been vocal about advancing representation for women in the scene. For you, what does that look like in practice, and has this come into focus or changed over your career?
A: “Being part of the first generation of females to be able to work professionally in EDM is a meaningful gift and comes with a great responsibility to the community and culture. There were very few female DJS in the early ’90s to look up to for inspiration.
For me personally, advancing representation looks like equal representation and diversity on the dancefloor and behind the decks. 50/50. Females on lineups are like potato chips, one isn’t enough. We know having females and queer and diverse lineups provide a lot of inspiration to others to become artists and creates an inclusive vibe.
As a female artist, there’s been a real magic in connecting with my female fans and inspiring other women to make music and start DJing and creating. We feel the excitement and magic around this and feel like our efforts have contributed to making an impact on NYC Drum and Bass & Dubstep nightlife culture as a whole, which helps us all. ✌🏼🖤👭 “
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About ULTRA:
ULTRA is a NYC-based producer known for fusing high-energy heavy dancefloor-driven Drum & Bass effortlessly with Hip-Hop, Trap and Dubstep. Her sound hits hard — rapid-fire doubles, explosive drops and seamless switches between 174 and 140 pressure. She’s known for commanding the decks with fast high-impact mixing. Recently featured by Insane EDM and The Drum and Bass Bible for her Times Square performance, ULTRA has been making serious waves
2025 appearances include shows with Avant Gardner and Bowery Presents in NYC supporting Rusko, Subdocta, REAPER, Kumarion, Bear Grillz, Stellar, Georgie Riot, Reid Speed, Dirt Monkey, Smoakland, Skellytn, and RESPECT Los Angeles. 2026 continues strong with support slots with Aeon Mode, Zero, Habstrakt, Hybrid Minds, Flava D, World of Drum and Bass NYC and a scheduled performance at Big Dub Festival 2026. Beyond performing, she runs ULTRA DNB, her own NYC-based production company pushing the DNB & Bass movement forward.