Last Night: Zeds Dead, Bass Science Trees November 15
Better than: Season 7 of Weeds
Whether or not you were looking for bass Tuesday night, Trees had your back. The venue in Deep Ellum hosted two of the most nationally renowned dubstep artists for what could be a preview to just how crazy Light All Night at the Dallas Convention Center will be over New Year's.
Toronto-based duo Zeds Dead and Italian producer Bass Science passed through Dallas and didn't leave without a bang, a head bang that is. The night began with local producer w i Z a r d throwing down hard beats as he strummed the guitar over prerecorded tracks. By the time he closed with a groovy original entitled "Hands," Trees was packed to the brim, 'x'es on most hands in the air.
Bass Science took the stage seamlessly as w i Z a r d finished his set, laying down a thick layer of soul-rattling bass through the best sound system in Deep Ellum. As uncharacteristic as it was for this glitch-hop native, Bass Science thrashed heads and swayed bodies to a more raw sound than shows in the past. The man behind the behind the hardware, Matt B, said he enjoys keeping his sets dope boy fresh.
"There are just so many shit glitch-hop artists out there now," he said from the patio as Zeds Dead entered the stage inconspicuously to a roaring sell-out crowd. "I played glitch-hop for five years. I'm ready to move on."
What happened next was inevitable when you mix dub-step with drugs. (Though the venue was checking for drugs at the door and even confiscated my daily prescription until the show ended, obviously many in the audience had taken something.) Whether it was the beat or the chemicals, from where the patio door met the main music area, all that was visible were open palms slamming a million invisible heads against a wall of frequency. Zeds Dead welcomed the Dallas audience with spinning lights and a few favorable hip hop remixes, including a womp-tastic version of "I'm On One" by Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. Audience members took the reins for an nontraditional sing-along to Dead Prez's "It's Bigger Than Hip Hop," rapping the lyrics over spontaneous drops in the melody and all the while bumping side to side in unison.
The vibe was undeniably overwhelming: The show at Trees literally shook the foundation of the entire block. Even when Zeds mixed in a bit of techno at 130 bpm, the crowd never failed to miss a wobble.
But 2 o'clock came too soon for Dallasites, who had barely thinned in number by the time Zeds Dead announced their last song. Bass thumping, booty dropping, and under-raging aside, this show lived up to its title as a Lights All Night pre-party, leaving the sound of modern-day dubstep dripping from everyone's ears. The party people parted ways into the humid autumn night, but not without a sweaty hug from the last bit of sanity they had left.
Critic's Notebook
Personal bias: The movers and shakers at Banjos to Beats Promotions, who brought through Zeds Dead, have really outdone themselves with their latest run of shows.
Random note: My ears are still ringing four hours after the show's end.
