Hometown heroes Zeds Dead have been doing it for Toronto for nearly a decade. From their early days feeding the underground with Bassmentality, to their annual concerts, to dropping in for impromtu B2Bs at The Hoxton. As their following exploded, they’ve gone from local favourites to international headliners, but they’ve never forgotten about the city that birthed their career. On Friday night Zeds Dead proved this once more on the biggest stage to date: Deadbeats Toronto. The annual event named after their record label is a shining light that combines their underground roots with their big name pull. For one night Zeds Dead and Embrace turned Echo beach into an epic gathering for bassheads that did not disappoint.
Deadbeats offered something special that few festivals still do, a unique and carefully curated line-up that saw a legend like Andy C sharing the stage with up-and-comers like Chuurch and Dillon Nathaniel. It was a perfect representation of the past, present and future of bass music, spanning generations as well as sub-genres. From drum and bass, to dubstep, heavy house, riddim and trap, each of the dimensions of the bass world were on full display.
Andy C
Furthering the impressiveness of line-up the night also saw Toronto legends Grandtheft and Hunter Siegel going back to back. Longtime friends of Zeds Dead, the two rocked the stage as we’ve come to expect, bringing Hoxton vibes to the festival stage. On top of this, Zeds Dead also brought through Belgian bass heavyweights Ganja White Night for a heavy set. Deadbeats Toronto’s curation is a perfect of example of what the festival experience should look like. This wasn’t slapped together based of social media stats but hand-picked by organizers who live and breathe the scene.
Ganja White Night
As they night progressed each artist impressed adding more energy and excitement for the finale. Zeds Dead did what they’ve been known to do, bouncing between genres and playing new smashes and classics (I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear ‘Coffee Break’). I’ve seen Zeds Dead more times than I can count and I can confidently say they’ve never played a set that’s left me anything less than impressed. A lot of people like to claim to do it for the city, but actions speak louder than words and Deadbeats Toronto definitely brought the volume.
Photos by Neil Austen.
