Transmission Received: Zeds Dead Throw Down At Armory

Deadheads rejoiced this Saturday at a late night banger - Zeds Dead brought a mountain of gnarly beats and throaty wobbles as their Return To The Spectrum Of Intergalactic Happiness tour rolled through the Armory and absolutely packed it front to back. The dubstep stalwarts brought a sizzling production and sizzling setlist to give the local twin cities EDM crowd that transmission that’s been missing from their life sinze ZD’s last set all the way back at the end of 2023.

Support came in the way of a wave of local/touring DJs, with Don Jamal, Skellytn, Sippy, Cool Customer and finally Barclay Crenshaw all bringing their own takes on EDM to the stage, getting the crowd buzzing and ready to go well before the dynamic duo would hit the stage around Midnight. Barclay Crenshaw in particular brought a pair of dancers with him, letting them groove and zen out to his smooth, deep tunes, turned into riveting silhouttes against the constantly rotating massive panel behind them, it was impossible to not get lost in their captivating movements.

Zeds Dead went on (right around) the crack of midnight - the two venerated DJs dressed to the nines in suit and tie approaching the stage over the top of a building climax. You knew with the energy already set that night and with a build-up like that, the drop was going to be an incredible one. With a blast of lazers and a wave of sound that seemed to erupt from the depths of the ocean itself, the night was finally full off to the races.

Leaning into the theme of tranmissions from outer space, the stage was absolutely decked with old CRTVs, all part of the mesmerizing production that DC & Hooks are well known for. This evening leaned heavily towards the bright, sharp lasers, with a massive panel complimenting a huge compressed air machine and an entourage of panels. The sizeable lighting rig brought just the right amount of vibes and energy to the equally dynamic set.

What made this set the most magical - and you had to be there to appreciate it - was that every song had its very own bespoke visual accompaniment at least partially drawn from its source material. While the presence of live visuals that ever-change is certainly not new to the scene or new to Zeds Dead, the focus on playing some footage that directly related to music sampled created this unifying, grounding experience that made the night feel just a little bit more real.