Although there is every reason to escape to New York City for a weekend of fun, I could not have anticipated the superior enjoyment of all who attended the Mad Decent Block Party (NYC) this past Saturday. For all of the hype that has surrounded the Mad Decent Block Parties since their inception, bred from internet fan videos and stories of debauchery, you would think that the exposure may have caused the product to dry up. I assure you that it was wet. Really wet.

The Block Party began at high noon at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan, a restored historic district filled with trendy shops and tourists. We decided to chill on some brunch and drinks in the area before heading over to the pier where the block party was, but already I was getting tweets from @Maddecent about people getting wild at the Party before it even got rolling.

To my surprise, when we arrived we walked right into the concert area. No search, no cops. Just kids in neon clothing, and not much of it. Chris Baio of Vampire Weekend was onstage when we arrived, spinning an eclectic mix of Summer flavored Indie Rock and Dance, perfect for lubing up the hardcore hipsters who arrived there specifically for his set. With the Sun just pressing down on you like shoe sole on an insect, seeking shade was a must. We checked out the free swag from big name sponsors like WESC clothing and NAITVE shoes then hit up an air conditioned brewery in the area before returning to the site to catch the end of POPO and the beginning of the Hood Internet. POPO is rocking and funny and kind of sloppy all in one, but it works. His shaggy attitude and careless chords are very hip to the scene, but it broke up the dance party, which then had to be re-built by the Hood Internet.

After being disappointed by Girl Talk’s performance at Bonnaroo earlier this Summer, my love for mash-ups was somewhat soured. I would like to thank the Hood Internet for re-igniting that fire in my loins. The mash-ups they played were fresh, original, and got the crowd going absolutely freaking bonkers. Full of energy and flossing uncontrollably the boys from the Hood Internet would make any party the best party ever. To follow that was solo artist Maluca, star of the Dillon Francis massive Summer Moombahton track “Que Que.” I kind of anticipated that she would be weak-sauce, but she came out and sang over herself in that amazing song, and for that five minutes her performance was great. The rest, well all ten minutes of it, was forgettable.

Added to the schedule, at apparently the last minute (we didn’t realize this until we arrived at the party) was DJ Mehdi! Yeah, the famous french House/Electro DJ just thrown on the bill at the las second. No biggie. He absolutely demolished that pier. I was confused as to how hard kids were getting down to Tech House! What a great site. Bringing it back to the old school before all of the bass crazies got their Dubstep fix soon to come. When Zed’s Dead came onstage there was a short lull which DJ Sega filled with some MC banter, which slowly looped into their Intro, increasing in volume and tempo, and when the bass dropped, the absolute climax of the Mad Decent Block Party had occurred. The played with strait fire in the beginning, and then pulled back just a tad by playing a few more safe and poppy choices. Then like a wall of tsunami water, they hit that pier again with killer drops from their unreleased Neo-Dubstep songs. This included two new tracks that were nearly pure Drum and Bass laden with strong influences of the scene and artists in their beautiful home City of Toronto. It was such a relief to hear two popular Dubstep producers returning to their roots and not being swayed by the approval of the masses.

For the short amount of time I spent in the City this weekend I have to say it was well worth it, because not only was I able to experience the Mad Decent Block Party for the first time, but I was able to share and enjoy it with great old and new friends! If the opportunity presents itself, Mad Decent will be holding free block parties in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles, for which you can find all information HERE. Mad Decent is truly the epitome of what is cool and relevant in the Electronic and Dance music scene today. Try them on for size.

The Hood Internet - All Of The Lights (Ellie Goulding x Portland Cello Project x Kanye West) by hoodinternet

Rinse FM with Plastician - Zeds Dead Mix by zedsdead

VonStroke live @ dirtybird 5 year birthday, San Francisco - Feb 2010 by Claude VonStroke