UTG PHOTOS: Zeds Dead in Big Rapids, MI (04/08/16)

April 19th, 2016

Benjamin Howell

zeds dead feature

The time has come once again for Turn Up The Good at Ferris State University! Once a year the students in the Music Industry Management Program host an EDM-based concert for the community and this year they really outdid themselves. In the past, we were entertained by artists such as Griz and The Glitch Mob; this year was the highly anticipated duo, Zeds Dead, with supporting acts DJ Choff, Hans Play and Nato Feelz.

Turn Up The Good returned to the Wink Arena this year after experimenting with using The Gate last year as an alternative venue. While The Gate made for a much more personal experience, The Wink makes for a much more comfortable environment and gives people the freedom and space they need to really enjoy an EDM show.

Walking into the venue, the first thing many people notice is the overabundance of security that always shows up. To ensure the safety of the students and the campus, a much more rigorous search is performed on all attendees before they’re admitted entry to the event. It can be intimidating at first, but everyone is friendly and the main purpose is to make sure everyone can get through in a safe and timely manner.

Once you make it through the security, you’ll find yourself in one of the most welcoming and accommodating EDM shows you’ll ever have the privilege of attending. This year BL Visuals offered free arm dips to the first 200 people to visit their booth and Monster Energy drinks were available for free in every shape and color. As I finally made it to the stage I was in awe to see the quality of the production. There was not only a full LED backdrop, but the DJ booth also had an LED screen that created some awesome visuals. The time and effort put forward by the students in preparation for this event led to the execution of one of the most impressive EDM shows I have been to.

DJ CHöFF & Hans Play-7

First up was a raw B2B performance featuring DJ Choff and Hans Play representing the Bass WHLF collective, a rapidly growing EDM alliance out of Detroit. With a wide array of grimy distortion and heart-stopping time delay effects, these two are living proof that just because you were booked as an opener doesn’t mean you can’t own it like a headliner. These guys clearly love what they do and their talent reflects their passion.

Nato Feelz-11

Next up was Nato Feelz spinning a wide variety of trap, dubstep, hip-hop and must-have remixes. Nato Feelz is the type of artist that can walk into any type of EDM show, read the energy level in the room, and amplify it by one hundred percent. His ability to reach everyone in the room with so much variety was key in getting the remaining wallflowers out onto the dance floor. By the end of the performance everyone was packed in nice and tight while riding a very chill wave into the Zeds Dead set.

Zeds Dead-8

Zeds Dead, the legendary duo out of Toronto, deserve every bit of hype they are getting from the media lately. After launching their own label, Deadbeats, in March, they dropped “Back Home” with Freddie Gibbs to announce their forthcoming full-length album which should be available later this year through the new label. Taking the stage in a Ferris State University bulldog jersey, they quickly won the hearts of the FSU die-hards before they even had a chance to blow their minds.

Zeds Dead-14

Zeds Dead’s performance was remarkable and an overall a blast to be a part of. The mere mention of their name filled the room with a vibrant energy and to see them live was unlike anything I have been a part of in the EDM world so far. Within ten minutes DC was doing acrobatics off the booth and they were extremely interactive with both the crowd and the media; they really made it a fun show for everyone involved. Zeds Dead have already been announced for a ton of major festivals this year and their upcoming album, Back Home, is going to be on a whole new level. This will be the year of Zeds Dead. If you have the opportunity to get out and catch this show, I cannot recommend it enough.

Enjoy our full gallery of images below.