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[Event Review] Mad Decent Block Party – San Diego – 9/13

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(PC: LED Presents & Fixation Photography)

The tradition never stops! TMN has attended Mad Decent Block Party for the second year straight here in San Diego, and we’re here to tell you how it went and what we think about it. Switching to The Park at Petco Park, the new venue provided a more refreshing and intimate setting. Despite no-shows from ATL producer Metro Boomin and up and coming rapper Travi$ Scott, MDBP has once again wowed us with a lineup filled with electrifying acts that managed to turn up the heat even more here in San Diego.

Sam Vogel a.k.a Jauz, is a newly emerging superstar who helped fuel the whole bass house movement with tracks like “Feel The Volume”. Following his amazing performance at Hard Summer, he once again won the hearts of the fans here. With an hour of non-stop bass action, the crowd went crazy the whole time. To our surprise, he brought out producer Ookay as a special guest and hypeman, which you can watch here. He also played a whole bunch of new unreleased tracks that got the crowd super excited, one of which is his collaboration with Ghastly titled “Ghosts N Sharks”.

Thomas Jack, who is the father of tropical house, took the stage soon after Jauz. It was intriguing to see the crowd transitioning to melodic house music after an adrenaline-invoking set. It gave everyone time to relax a bit but kept them vibing to the music still. And when Netsky came on, it was a whole different story. Talk about somebody who combined some good ol’ drum and bass with trap, house, hip-hop and just about everything else in a set. With so much energy and finesse, he’s definitely one of the true OGs in the game.

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What’s a block party without Dillon Francis? Another powerhouse in big room music, the social media-active producer put in some of the most current bangers in his set, combined with his signature hilarious visuals, which took the crowd on a crazy ride as dusk approached.

Closing out the night was none other than Major Lazer, which is Diplo‘s side project together with Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. With so much radio exposure, many would critique Diplo for caving into mainstream music; however, just like Jack U, Major Lazer’s music speaks otherwise. It was the perfect headlining set, as the three gave every bit of their energy to hype up the crowd and took turns DJing. There was no denying that Diplo helped popularize bounce and moonbahton music and gave them the electronic change-up they needed.

With such a great channel like Mad Decent Block Party, which had 22 shows in 19 cities during this year’s tour, there’s no wonder it just keeps getting better and better each year. Diplo gave MDBP the perfect identity as the chillest and most intimate turn-up fest around, unlike the usual electronic festivals filled with rave culture. We are excited to see what else the Mad Decent crew has to bring to San Diego next year.

If you’re interested in experiencing the party for yourself, we’re giving away a pair of tickets to the Chicago leg of the tour this weekend.

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(Pics or it didn’t happen, right? The photos in this article are to help relive some of the most memorable moments from Mad Decent Block Party. Shouts out to LED Presents and Felicia from Fixation Photography for the pictures!)

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[Event Review] Mad Decent Block Party – San Diego

(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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