Mad Decent Block Party Johannesburg! [Review]

You know, limping down a grungy, deserted Newtown street at 2am, bathed in the orange glow of scattered streetlights, with your t-shirt slung around your neck, clutching an inflatable dolphin and a wad of fake dollar bills as you follow a group of girls clad in inflatable angel wings while dragging along a giant cut out of Dillon Francis’ head to a parking lot two blocks away, nothing but tired laughter and an indistinguishable drum ‘n bass song echoing in the distance to accompany you, could very well be the only logical conclusion to what was the very first Mad Decent Block Party in South Africa.

The entire journey from first seeing Diplo posting his Mad Decent Block Party plans for South Africa on Reddit, to eventually getting my “Twerker” wristband put on my arm at the gate, was one of stifled excitement and anxiety. Diplo’s Instagram posts of his attempts at drifting in the Cape Flats and Dillon Francis’ hilarious reactions to our lack of Pepsi in South Africa in the days before the event, only served to bring home the fact that Mad Decent Block Party was indeed happening in our backyard. Something that has garnered “legendary” status on YouTube comment threads and the odd braai conversation, Mad Decent Block Party has held up its reputation for being an all-inclusive, community oriented festival experience for left-field electronic music fans. Rapidly expanding from a single city festival, to a nationwide tour in the US, Mad Decent’s undeniably fun formula proved successful, with the next logical step being to export this unique package to the rest of the world in 2014.

Mary Fitzgerald square was a hub of activity, with fire dancers, roller skaters, beach balls, inflatable animals, bright coloured water guns being pumped and even stilt walkers dressed as Super Mario, it was a clear indication to check all logic at the door. Paul Devro had the dance floor alight with his wonderfully curated Hip Hop set as the crowds began filing in. Das Kapital, a sure bet to get any crowd hyped up, delivered a strong, high energy set that could very well stand toe to toe with any of the other headlining sets on the night. Matching the adrenaline pumping soundtrack, was the outrageous visuals that were plastered all over the LED screens, with Dragonball Z, Power Rangers and Looney Tunes forming a somewhat unexpected throwback to 90s upbringing, nostalgic images from our childhood being paired with the sounds of today.

By the time our very own masked wonder, Sibot, assisted by Toyota on visuals, concluded his set, the entire venue was perfectly primed for the onslaught that was Flosstradamus. The Chicagoan duo brought their EDM/Trap crossover sound and brought it hard, playing everything from crowd favourites, Pillz and Roll Up, to Westcoast rap classics both old and new, ranging from Snoop and Dre’s The Next Episode to Kendrick Lamar’s Maad City, with their set peaking at the eruption of a monstrously chaotic mosh pit from which I’m still recovering.

With the crowd in full-on rage mode, Dillon Francis delivered a very aesthetically different set that in many ways only Dillon could pull off, everything from Blur’s Song 2, his collaboration with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Without You to Gesaffelstein with calls from Josh from Flosstradamus (stepping in as impromptu MC during Dillon’s set) for a house party as Dillon slipped in R Kelly’s iconic, family get-together anthem, Ignition. It was a set that burst with colour and tongue-in-cheek personality, complemented wonderfully with the various kaleidoscopes of iPhone emoji as his visual backdrop.

I frequented some of the familiar Neighbourgoods food trucks, with a selection ranging from frozen yoghurt to seafood paella. It was a rather refreshing divergence from the often mass-produced event food in the region of boerewors rolls and bland burgers.

The entirety of Mary Fitzgerald Square was decked out in Mad Decent Block Party banners and branding, also adding a distinct and rather genius South African feel in using beer crates as chairs in the food stall area.

Whether it was one too many tequila shots or pure hallucination, I could’ve sworn I saw Die Antwoord’s Ninja lurking around in a pair of inflatable angel wings, as well as JR and AKA.

What followed next was without a doubt, the best live performance I’ve ever had the privilege of witnessing. Major Lazer’s performance was the perfect balance between dizzying energy levels, crowd participation and sheer absurdity. There were giant hamster balls, Major Lazer branded dollar bills falling from the sky, confetti, smoke machines and a point in the show where they had managed to get a crowd of thousands to remove their shirts and throw them into the night sky. Their unique mix of dancehall and big room electro only eclipsed by their onstage dancers, Lafayette Bless and Mela Murder who completely stole the show. They twerked while doing handstands, while crowdsurfing and even rode a blow up kiddie raft over two male crowd members laid out over the stage, which was met by gasps  from the crowd. I don’t think I’ve needed a squirt from a water gun more in my life.

We were treated to a number of Major Lazer hits, including Bubble Butt, Jah No Partial, Get Free and most surprisingly a local ringtone favourite straight from 2006, Township Funk by DJ Mujava.

Added to the various crowd activities, everyone was given whistles which added a sense of being a part of the music, rather than just being an observer. The atmosphere bordered on something inclusive and communal with a shot of whatever it is Miley is taking these days. There were twerking girls in beanies grinding off each other, Kendrick Lamar fans moving to dancehall and Skrillex, introverted stoners in pyjama pants passing around a half-limp, inflatable sex doll in the crowd and even a wheelchair-bound fan getting to crowdsurf.

It was a block party in the heart of Johannesburg, without the exclusivity of your usual electronic crowd and without the pretension of “high class” nightlife. In every respect, Mad Decent Block Party lived up to its reputation of being a celebration of community, fun and good music. 

A big thank you to Jade and the Seed Experiences crew :)

Review done by: @G1no