Mercedes-Benz has long been a reflection of its premium status and loyal mature audience, but it seems like the German automotive manufacturer is now striving to get out of its comfort zone by reaching out to a younger generation — the ones who are redefining the rules and living life on their own terms.
For the second year in a row, the automaker has become one of the major sponsors for Ultra Music Festival Singapore, a 2-day event boasting the world’s top EDM DJs including Steve Aoki, Tiesto, Hardwell as well as Indonesian sensation Rich Chigga and Singapore’s very own future bass powerhouse, Myrne.
More than 120 car units were deployed from Mercedes Benz’s finest models to lead media members through an exciting press test trip named ‘Star Drive: Urban Hunting x Ultra Singapore’.
Since Mercedes only offers the best for its consumers, we were presented with a perfectly polished black C 200 AMG for our trip to Singapore — one of the best looking models that’s also perfect for hypermilers and long trips.
The interior is incredibly classy and laden with kit, including sunroof, sports suspension, body-hugging sports seats as well as an AMG bodykit. Satellite navigation, cruise control and dual-zone climate control are also thrown in, which made our ride feel lavishly equipped.
We collected our car from Wisma Mercedes Benz Bandar Kinrara on Friday, and made our move to Ultra on Saturday morning. The AMG C 200 proved that beauty is more than just skin deep, as it offered a smooth-sailing ride despite the fact that it was raining cats and dogs throughout our journey from Kuala Lumpur to the Lion City.
As soon as we arrived at Ritz-Carlton Singapore, the hotel instantly won our hearts with its luxe features, magnificent panoramic bay view and personalized service. If you’re an art enthusiast, the hallways display many art collections, including paintings by Andy Warhol.
We were so hyped up when we first stepped into the room as it is very spacious, almost one and a half size bigger than a typical hotel room. There is even a walk-in closet just beside the entrance, and their large marble bathroom has a separate shower stall with rainshower features, accompanied with a large hexagonal window next to the bathtub.
The Ultra Singapore Main Stage grew in size, showcasing more screens, fireworks, laser lights and giant elephant speakers which only failed once due to the heavy rain.
Meanwhile, situated at the heart of Ultra Park with stellar view of Ultra’s Main Stage, the two-storey Mercedes-Benz suite pampered guests with dedicated full-service bars, plush lounge seating, free popsicles of five different eclectic flavours, while we soaked in the atmospheric melodies and stunning LED displays within the luxury and comfort of the tristar suite.
Although the main stage at Ultra Singapore played host to some of the biggest names in the EDM world, it was the smaller Live Stage that was a true showcase of talent and showmanship in the form of millennial sound by Rich Chigga and DJ-producers Myrne and KSHMR.
Rich Chigga played ‘Dat Stick’ twice in a row, because the song simply deserved that much respect, while Myrne dropped Travis Scott’s chart-topping single ‘Goosebumps’ which instantly made the crowd go crazy.
Day 2 saw Knife Party performing a surprise set which he took over from Don Diablo’s set, whose original timeslot of 4:15PM to 5:45PM was cut short and given to Knife Party instead. The update was announced via Ultra Singapore’s app and Instagram just half an hour before it was due to begin.
Unsurprisingly, the Dutch DJ immediately posted a three-minute long video on Facebook to announce that he will no longer perform at any Ultra events in the future, since he wasn’t even paid for this show. Just how much do DJs make for a set at a festival as large as Ultra? On popular community site Quora, one user ballparked a range of “anywhere from $30k – $400k”.
On another note, after receiving criticism last year over issues of crowd control and queueing, the team behind Ultra has introduced a new measure — the RFID system which truly reduced waiting time and made transactions even more seamless.
Ultra Singapore also added a designated food village for both General Admission and Premium General Admission ticket holders. From pizza to $5 curry puffs, the centralised food hub served the hordes of ravenous guests without making us wait for too long.
After checking out from Ritz Carlton on Monday, of course, we had to visit Lush Cosmetics to get some bath essentials before leaving to Kuala Lumpur. Our team left Singapore around 2pm in Mercedes Benz’s gorgeous Metallic Grey GLA AMG, which instantly made our ride home even more epic.
