This year’s Deep Tropics was a level-up for the boutique festival with a carefully curated line-up, new stage designs, and more – this is a festival you must add to your list to hit if you haven’t already!
Sofi Tukker’s Pop Up Performance at Night We Met
Saturday night Sofi Tukker stepped onto Deep Tropic’s mainstage, Meru, ready to bring a world-class performance alongside their full dance crew, Bobs Dance Shop. A full audience filled the stands in anticipation of their vibrant performance. Kicking things off with high energy, the performance was forced to come to a halt abruptly as heavy rain and lightning in the area appeared. Deep Tropic’s rep announced that the remainder of the festival is now canceled, and urged fans to leave the grounds immediately – leading to a frenzy of Ubers being called for attendees to go to the next spot. Due to the weather, the planned afterparties opened doors early to provide fans a safe place to dance.
While attendees were dismayed to have missed the majority of Sofi Tukker’s performance, the duo quickly made arrangements to make-up for the canceled show. Wasting no time – they announced that they would be popping up at Nashville’s first-ever dance club, called Night We Met, to provide fans with another chance to see them play. As the news spread, festival goers RUSHED to the club to experience an intimate performance by one of the most popular duos in dance music for a wonderful performance – accompanied by the entire Bobs Dance Shop crew.
Best Performances
1. Cassian – I honestly am having trouble finding the words to praise this set, but to sum it up: Cassian is an artist that delivers consistently as a producer AND DJ. His talent in the studio and as an entertainer shines through every time, and having seen him play as an opener for Hayden James in Nashville in 2022 to now returning as a headliner of Deep Tropics felt so well deserved.
2. Nora En Pure – Known as the queen leading her label Purified Records, Nora brought a perfect sunset performance. Embodying beauty and grace, her set was a spectrum swaying from calming to exciting – giving the crowd opportunities to chill out and then take things up a notch leading into the night.
3. RL Grime – RL Grime’s performance was a statement to his legacy in dance music. It was just as good, if not better than, the last time I saw him perform, which was sometime between 2016-2018. He played hits that were fan-favorite throwbacks and new records that contributed to his set being a bold example of how his presence serves as a staple in dance music.
4. MEMBA – I discovered Memba after they released their collaboration with Alison Wonderland called “Fight or Flight” and was really excited to see them play, as I honestly didn’t know much about them (which I hate to admit). After that performance though, I will definitely be diving into their discography. It was a SICK set, that brought so much energy.
5. Malone – As one of our most anticipated acts, Malone delivered. As one of Miami’s best up-and-comers, he’s known for bringing Miami to wherever he plays – which, as someone who grew up in South Florida, I personally loved.
Deep Tropics Speakeasy
This tent is such an underrated feat. By day, there’s activities such as breathwork classes and conversations about sustainability, and at night you can find dance parties which feel like a diet-Burning Man experience – safe to say there’s always something interesting going on in there. Oh yeah, did I mention it’s fully air-conditioned with plenty of comfortable lounging options to get cozy and catch a break from the heat or let your feet rest?
Congo Soundsystem featuring local talent
Congo Soundsystem is a perfect mini-stage for this boutique festival. Nestled beneath the trees, this is where you are able to discover up-and-coming talents with the majority of them being Nashville-based – and dance in the shade, which is a great escape from the heat during the day! It feels like a space to support the local scene, which I think is really important as Nashville is a very country-dominated city – that has a rising demand for dance music. Artists like Subrinse and Sintra who played on the Meru (main) stage this year have played on Congo in previous years, and it’s amazing Deep Tropics is creating a pipeline for local DJs to reach bigger stages. This year, some of my favorite local acts to play it were: Lux Velour, HOTBOXX, Cruel Mistress, Dumb Groove B2B Dame Luz, and Merchant.
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