Recap: Scenes from the Mad Decent Block Party
The traditional Philadelphia-throned Mad Decent Block Party took place this past weekend at the Great Plaza at Penns Landing. Owner of Mad Decent and DJ, Thomas Wesley Pentz (aka Diplo) began the block party in 2008 when it used to actual take place on an actual block. Now with bigger artists and more of a demand, the parties have expanded across the country (and the world, if you include Toronto). During this Mad Decent tour, headlining act for every party included Major Lazer and rotating acts like Zeds Dead, Flosstradamus, and Riff Raff, among many others on the Mad Decent label.
A sold-out Philadelphia show brought out a variety of people, and when I say variety, I mean that is the most real sense possible. Because the show was all ages, there were people there ranging from probably 15 to 40 years old.
The day was beautiful and the sun was shining as people wearing neon colors of pink and green scattered down onto the waterfront. Girls wearing less to nothing except black duct tape or handmade crop tops; people’s arms and bodies covered in beaded bracelets aka “candy”, and carrying around cartoon backpacks of characters like Lilo & Stitch or Spongebob Squarepants.
This cultural spaceship that landed at Mad Decent has emerged worldwide since the EDM (Electronic Dance music) scene became so prominent. DJ’s, rap, and electronic music that come along with dance moves like twerking and breakdancing.
Who’s to say how long this craze will last among the all of the cultural fads that seem to come and go, but EDM seems to be stepping out into the future as a definitive piece of music culture.