Exclusive | I saw Zeds Dead at the Brooklyn Mirage — they turned me into a bass head

Some might disagree, but I argue there’s something irrevocably therapeutic about raving in Brooklyn.

Maybe it’s the way Manhattan stares back at you from the top of Avant Gardener’s open-air sanctuary — stars, sky, and high-rises in the not-so-far-away distance.

I’d pay for that sight alone, and it costs less than a session with a shrink, but even general admission at the Brooklyn Mirage gets you a bird’s-eye-view of the stage and the skyline if you can find the right staircase.

It could also be the liberation of losing yourself in a mess of energetic strangers; Wall Street guys burning off steam, lightly-dressed ravers, and silver-haired hippies reliving their glory days. At one point, we even observed someone swinging around on crutches. The commitment to this music is unmatched.

Or, it may have something to do with the pace of Zeds Dead’s style. The Canadian EDM buddies, properly named Dylan Mamid and Zachary Rapp-Rovan, favor a rhythm that barges between 140 and 150 BPM — bypassing most other speeds in the dance music genre (depending on who you ask).

My more experienced raver friend explains that there’s a civil war between bass heads and house heads for this exact reason. “House is too slow for some, and bass is too fast for others… it’s dividing.”

All I know is that staying still isn’t an option. And, movement is medicine, so long as you don’t pass out from exhaustion. Take it from me when I say you’re going to want to stay hydrated.

Fortunately, there are full bars in almost every corner of this multi-room, multi-level courtyard venue. Just remember to load up your wristband at a kiosk before entering. They don’t take Apple Pay.

Why go to an EDM show? Our review of Zeds Dead at the Brooklyn Mirage

When it comes down to it, I think the healing properties of EDM are mysteriously neurological.

Zeds Dead synthesizes beats that crack open your core, or as my friend puts it, “help you rediscover your inner child.” It turns off part of the brain that feels overworked and lights up something more playful in the buried subconscious.

The work begins before they take the stage. The opener, British DJ Rusko, jousts everyone along to Beethoven’s tender “Fleur Des Lis” piano ballad before turning it into a hedonistic bass banger. Beside us, people tap their toes like ballerinas while pumping their fists.

If you thought classical music had no place in a rave, think again.

It starts slow, melancholy, tickly, and sweetly airy, before hurdling into something dynamically dubstep, slightly harsh, and haunting; an unexpected transition that makes us wonder whether contemporary DJs have more in common with Tchaikovsky or Faulkner than we think.

I’m nearly worried that Rusko’s mix has set my expectations too high. But, my fears evaporate when Mamid and Rapp-Rovan take the stage around 1:30 AM, and I see Laurie Anderson’s electric stare slide across the stadium screen. “This is about to be unreal,” someone whispers.

The entire crowd falls silent for a second that stretches into minutes. We’re allowing the sound of Anderson’s avant-garde masterpiece to echo off the walls: “Well, you don’t know me, but I know you/And I’ve got a message to give to you.”

“The fact they just did that is genius,” my friend confirms.

The original “O-superman” was released in 1982, but the stirring lyrics have scored a second life in pop culture with appearances on Netflix’s “Black Mirror” series and TikTok’s For You Page — where people use it as a backdrop for posts about supernatural experiences, the invisible string theory, and past lives. 

As one person comments on the official music video, it “should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,” and I find myself somewhat concerned as I sway in solace as the EDM duo remaster and reimagine the classic. 

Spookiness certainly has its place in this set, with ambiguous floating objects and animated visuals of Casper the Ghost dancing between lasers. I’m told that every time a DJ cues an effect, it comes out of their pockets, and this show feels like a wallet-drainer.

But there were lighthearted moments, too — like when a groovy hip-hop departure folded into the War jam “Low Rider” aka “The George Lopez Show” theme song and when a smart-mouthed track weaved in lines from Annie’s “It’s The Hard Knock Life.” And, then some others, where I had to think… ‘Where am I hearing this from?’

They play plenty of their own hits, too. I was torn up in regret as “Lost You” and “Gassed Up” came on while my friends and I slumped over the speaker in the back of the room to catch our breath and stretch our feet. Another essential piece of advice — don’t wear heels.

The final verdict: Is it worth it?

At these sorts of shows, it’s easy to wonder what you have in common with these people who are wildly shaking their sweaty bodies till sunrise. But, then to realize you are one of them — existing in the stamp in time where George Lopez, Annie, Laurie Anderson and TikTok tie us together. 

It’s cultural communion on the dance floor.

And, it’s the same reason why you shouldn’t expect an exact setlist. Zeds Dead experiments with shows designed on-demand, unique to the place and the people, and I can’t help but feel that this task is all the more challenging in New York City.

In a place where we’re always hustling and bustling, moving through crowds, swarming traffic, and beneath billboards. Are we harder to impress? Overstimulated? Desensitized?

We might be, but there are some things we can agree on. Good lyrics are one and our love for the city that never sleeps — but loves to party — is another, and when a bouncing beat topples into Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” before dropping into a cloud of gray smoke and ​seismic bass, I knew the duo had done it.

The whole floor rumbled in unison: “I wanna wake up in that city, that doesn’t sleep/And find your king of the hill, top of the heap/Your small town blues, they’re melting away… it’s up to you, New York, New York.”

That was the moment I decided — I love house music, but I think I might be more of a bass head. 

More about the Brooklyn Mirage and upcoming events

Upon entering the venue, the walls are lined with kiosks to connect your credit card to a QR code on your wristband, for a completely cashless experience. No need to rummage through your bag and risk losing valuable possessions. 

There are three different rooms with stages, multiple bars, a food area, an upstairs viewing space, and a VIP section with tables and bottle service.

Sound like the place to be?

Check out the upcoming events at the Brooklyn Mirage to find the show for you.