Mad Decent Block Party 2016 @ Club Zouk Outside Lot, Dallas, TX

Mad Decent's EDM-filled Block Party returned to Dallas for its fourth consecutive year, nestled neatly underneath the Woodall Rodgers Freeway. The location for the Block Party is hard to beat. The music and bass reverberates through the concrete, making its way to the traffic above. Vehicles crawl to a stop, windows are rolled down, folks are waving to the crowds below as they honk their horns. When the sun goes down, the lighting fills up the backside of the Dallas skyline, zooming past the American Airlines Center parking lot. As the early crowd was forming near the festival entrance, Mother Nature took over and delayed the start for a good thirty minutes with a nonstop downpour. But once the rain stopped, it never came back and the music came on.

When I first entered the grounds, the crowd was told not to come near the stage since water was still falling over the electrical equipment surrounding the stage. Just as the first artist was ending their performance, security motioned for the crowd and they gleefully ran over just in time for Unlike Pluto to take the stage. The early performers had an uphill battle as the early start times and weather made for a pretty thin crowd. D.R.A.M. was a much needed change of pace and he brought his beaming smile to the stage. His mellow but fun songs were a hit with the crowd, including his hit "Broccoli". While D.R.A.M. was chill, NGHTMRE brought the party to life. His hard-hitting set won over the crowd instantly, bringing flashbacks to last year's Block Party when Jauz and TJR were on stage. Keys N Krates kept the party rolling until GRiZ took the reigns and had one of the better sets of the day. His ability to incorporate his saxophone into EDM tracks makes for instant party music. While some left after GRiZ's set, the majority of the crowd made sure to stay for Kaskade's set. One of the larger EDM artists in the world, Kaskade was performing at his first Mad Decent Block Party. His set, along with a bottle of water and a beer, was the perfect way to end the evening. Hopefully Dallas remains a mainstay on the Mad Decent calendar, as this day is always a ton of fun.

Photos of the festival are below:

Unlike Pluto