[Event Review] Zeds Dead Celebrates 10 Years Of Deadrocks

Last week, Zeds Dead returned to Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado for their 10th annual two-night show, Deadrocks X. The 10th anniversary was nothing short of iconic, with a lineup featuring Torcha, Mary Droppinz, Levity, VCTRE, and Doctor P on July 2nd and SIREN, Eater, ALLEYCVT, IMANU B2B Nitepunk, and Bou ft. B Live 247 on July 3rd. The boys themselves delivered a two-hour closing set each night, and pulled out all the stops for this year’s milestone event. Read on for a detailed review of Deadrocks X.

Up and comer Torcha opened up Night 1, setting the vibes off right before Mary Droppinz took the stage with her infectious energy and entertaining dancers. Levity followed, noting their first-ever Red Rocks performance, following a monumental year for this trio. Next up was VCTRE, who showcased his guttural basslines and textured soundscapes. The legend Doctor P took the stage next, demonstrating what nearly two decades of mastery on the decks can do.

Finally, the boys took the stage to deliver their two-hour set that would stop at nothing, except for maybe a little lightning and hail. Despite a brief weather break about 30 minutes in, Zeds Dead kept the energy going until 11:45 PM playing crowd favorites like ‘Stars Tonight,’ Criminal‘ with Hamdi, and ‘God Loves Ugly‘ as well as classics like ‘Lost You,‘ ‘Shut Up & Sing,’ ‘Coffee Break,’ and ‘White Satin.’ They also showcased their newest release, ‘Mad Ting‘ with Moody Good, an instant crowd favorite that lit up the rocks.

Night 2 opened with some UK drum & bass from SIREN, followed by some crunchy bass music from Italian DJ/producer Eater. ALLEYCVT took the stage next, demonstrating why she’s quickly emerged onto everyone’s radar this past year. Next up was a B2B set from IMANU and Nitepunk, as dubstep and drum & bass merged into one during this hour-long energy-fueled set. UK drum & bass artist Bou followed, accompanied by B Live 247 keeping the vibes alive on the mic.

Zeds Dead closed out the night with another two-hour set, playing highlights like ‘Gimme Shelter,’ ‘Rude Boy,’ and ‘Collapse.’ My favorite moment of the evening (and really the entire two-day stint) was an insane multi-track edit that sampled something like 25 different songs, all blending together seamlessly into one cohesive piece. Combined with video clips from old music videos, educational videos, and films that transitioned into something entirely different within seconds, the whole experience felt like if you blinked you would miss something. These three minutes left me absolutely speechless, and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, the duo transitioned into ‘Eyes on Fire.‘

It’s clear the boys have put so much of their heart and soul into these Deadrocks shows over the years, and this year was no different. In a lengthy Instagram post, the duo explained some of their process in creating such a unique auditory and visual experience for attendees, stating: “We wanted our sets here to be a mashup of music and culture from all eras. As if aliens picked up a tv signal but it was coming in all scrambled from different moments in time.”

“The months leading up to this were basically round the clock work on new remixes and original songs, as well as digging for cool clips from old movies, ads, old instructional vhs tapes, speeches to add to the show. We watched so many old 1950s education videos that we actually learned a few things! This whole thing has been a labor of love and although stressful at times, being inspired and working towards this is an amazing gift.”

-Zeds Dead via Instagram

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Knowing the amount of work that went into creating such a unique set each night, the boys deserve every bit of kudos for Deadrocks X. Zeds Dead continues to amaze me, even after seeing them over 30 times. It’s hard to imagine how we can top this year’s Deadrocks, but I’m already counting down the days until Deadrocks XI. Hope to see you there!

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