(PC: Fixation Photography)
Last Sunday, following the recent heat wave that everybody would soon forget about, Mad Decent took their members and friends to sunny San Diego. The venue is located at Park Boulevard and Imperial Avenue near Petco Park and downtown SD. With only one giant stage put in the parking lot area, the artists definitely brought down the house with their high-energy performances and star power. Participating in this year’s lineup, we have artists like Cashmere Cat, Diplo, Flosstradamus, Laidback Luke, STRFKR, Thurz, TJR and Zeds Dead. It was a great mix of music, showing off their roster and connections with diversity.
With Kaytranada‘s set being cancelled due to personal reasons, STRFKR started off the one-day festival with some of their indie psych rock music to get the crowd in the mood. They put on a great show as people were just starting to roll into the venue and vibing their way into the crowd. Their mellow and enjoyable tunes are the epitome of a great band performing at a great festival.
Next up we have Thurz, a member of the underground hip-hop duo U-N-I. It was a smart choice for him to come on after an indie band. His high-energy performance definitely got the crowd going by playing some familiar rap songs and some of his own. At this point there was already a good amount of people in the audience, slowly and reluctantly making their way into the front of the stage even though the immense heat was getting onto everybody. Cashmere Cat, who was the next act, warmed up the crowd even more with his clever remixes of trap and hip hop tracks. His music covers a wide range of genres and sub-genres which take everybody on a fun and exciting joyride of both hype and chill music.
TJR was definitely the dark house of the festival. For those who weren’t familiar with who he is, the crowd referred him as “the mysterious bald guy who stole the show at Mad Decent”. The talented producer from Connecticut showcased his skillset with a variety of turn-up jams spanning the trap, house and funk genres. He incorporated funky drops and fast-paced trap beats into remixes of popular songs, which got the crowd pumped up like no other. His jaw-dropping performance definitely left the crowd in awe.
As the sun set and the heat gradually submerged into the horizon, the crowd was all warmed up and ready to get crazy. From the moment Laidback Luke got on stage, that’s when the real block party started. The Dutch DJ/producer got everybody on their feet and bobbing their head left and right with his incredible electro/deep house goodness. It is difficult as a house DJ to channel the right energy into a crowd at an open stage/venue, but Laidback Luke did just that. With lasers shining at your eyeballs, you just couldn’t help but dance your pants off to these hard-hitting house beats.
One amazing act following another, the artist introduced and welcomed Flosstradamus on stage. This is what the crowd came here to see, and what Floss were the best at doing. Needless to say, the Chicago-based duo delivered and killed it with style. The crowd was super loud and riled up, especially when they dropped a song like “Mosh Pit”, that there were a good amount of moshing going on throughout his set. To bring up the energy even more, the two hype men brought out special guest Waka Flocka, who gave his 110% at pumping up the stage with his anger and aggressiveness.
The headliner of the festival and Mad Decent’s frontman, Diplo, was undoubtedly the best act of the night. With so much energy and creativeness in his performance, Diplo always brings the most entertaining and trendiest electronic music to the stage. Mixing hip-hop with trap and electronica, the 35-year-old veteran never ceases to amaze everyone and never stops the innovation of his music. From taking off his shirt to bringing girls on stage for a twerk contest, Diplo sure knows what the crowd wants to hear and see. There was never a dull moment in the entire duration of Diplo’s set, and the crowd got about as loud and turnt up as they could be.
Amongst the shuffling pits, dance circles, exchange of kandies and fist pumping, the celebration never stopped for the Mad Decent crowd. Ending the night with a bang, Zeds Dead provided everyone with some hardcore drum & bass and dubstep. At this point, the lasers and lights were in full throttle. And with the heavy bass shaking the whole place down, you just couldn’t help but viciously headbang back and forth.
By assembling their roster and inviting friends and fellow artists to perform at their shows, Mad Decent has done it once again. With that said, our Ninja crew will be back for next year’s block party. We can’t wait to see what these talented performers have in store for us in the near future.
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