[FESTIVAL REVIEW] Bass Drop University Returns To Miami For An Electrifying Weekend Of EDM & Rap

Connor Phillips | July 19, 2024

Even though the summer heat was in full effect this past weekend, nothing was hotter than FIU's campus, as Bass Drop University made its highly-anticipated return.

This two-day festival touched down on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, showcasing a wide spectrum of unique artists across dance music, hip-hop, and rap.

Since 2012, this festival has been exclusive to FIU students, each year growing bigger and bigger, along with the magnitude of their performing talent. On top of the stacked lineup and top-notch layout of the festival, this year was special for other reasons as well.

The main one being that BDU had finally opened its doors to the public, leading to a mix of FIU's campus and South Floridian music fans.

Delicious Food & Beverage Options

When throwing a two-day event, it can be difficult to master all components of it. Sometimes the music and stage design is incredible while the food isn't, or vice versa.

This was clearly not the case upon walking into BDU on Day 1. Food trucks were strategically laid out across the backside of the venue, with plenty of picnic tables to eat at or take a breather with your rave squad for a bit.

All the options looked solid, but La Picaña Grill was the one that got our attention. I tried the Picanha Sandwich, which was bread filled Picanha beef, grilled cheese, cilantro sauce, and chimichurri. It only took one bite to know I made the right decision.

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For attendees with a sweet tooth, Santo Dulce! Churros had everything they were looking for. They had a variety of churros that could be dipped in different toppings and served hot, cold, soft, or crunchy.

By far, the stand-out drink of the weekend has to be Sunny D's vodka seltzers. Launched last year, these gems are still one of the newer booze-infused seltzers on the market.

However, after trying them out, I think we are going to witness a massive rise from this product throughout the rest of the year. In addition to BDU, they were also a hit at Insomniac's Lost In Dreams festival in Los Angeles over the weekend.

We tried out all three of the flavors and were surprised to learn that they have no added sugars, despite being so sweet and flavorful. If I had to pick a favorite, I would go with the orange pineapple. It was a stellar combo for my taste buds.

The Layout & Amenities

BDU slammed a home run with these important festival components too. Arriving at the venue was quick and easy, along with free parking, which is a rare perk that definitely added to BDU being a great experience.

The walk from the parking lot to inside the venue was less than five minutes; for students, there were campus buses making trips to the venue.

As previously mentioned, there were a ton of food and beverage stands and trucks to choose from. The portapotties and bathrooms for VIP were spotless and there were beyond enough, making it so you never had to wait to use one.

For water, BDU has giant coolers with multiple faucets and hundreds of cups laid out near the back-half of the lot. Overall, the layout could not have been better.

The Music – Day 1

Day 1 kicked off with Sounds By Drew, one of FIU's top local DJs, from 5 to 6:15 PM. Next up was Avello, who really cranked up the energy as attendees started to pour into the venue. They were immediately drawn to the stage because of his energetic fusion of melodic bass and dubstep.

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Post-Avello, Daniel Allan brought his own one-of-a-kind vibe to the festival. This DJ-producer hybrid is at the top of the stutter house scene right now, known for anthems like “I Just Need.” Some of his tracks are more on the chill side, so Daniel caught the crowd completely off guard when he mixed in thrilling house edits across his set.

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The top candidate for best performance of the weekend, Nostalgix lit up her audience with jaw-dropping bass house flips and originals. She is currently the queen of this sound and her project has been blowing up all of 2024. Witnessing her raw energy and infectious stage presence was a spectacle.

The crowd never stopped moving throughout her set. A highlight was when she queued up a bass house remix of “Chicken Soup” that resulted in a collective roar of excitement. She also played a lethal mashup of “Toca's Miracle” lyrics or the instrumental for “Innerbloom.”

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Then, Sheck Wes took the stage and an influx of rap and hip-hop fanatics emerging into the venue. Although the energy was still insanely potent, his 30-minute performance was a great change of pace from house music's much higher BPM. Of course, he rapped his chart-topping hit “Mo Bamba,” making the crowd go bonkers.

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Closing out Day 1, legendary bass artist and Gud Vibrations label boss NGHTMRE headed center-stage. As expected, he threw down a barrage of hard-hitting bass drops, perfectly fitted for the name of this festival.

It doesn't matter how many times you see NGHTMRE live, is ability to weave in a diverse selection of genres fluently is always an impressive feat. One minute he was playing intense riddim chops and the next was filled with an underground DnB bassline.

The Music – Day 2

Even though Day 2 pulled in a sizeably smaller crowd than Day 1, the performances were consistently high-quality and loads of fun. Jean Casas and DJ.Yankaa went B2B for a groovy house set, followed by a full-throttle performance from OKAYVAL.

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Miami-based Chizzle played next, blending in some spicy remixes of catchy songs that had everyone dancing.

Electronic-live trio Łaszewo took home the crown for best performance of Day 2. With their two DJs flawlessly mixing behind the decks, the vocalist of the group delivered powerful and emotional lyrics that the crowd sang along with. If you haven't heard of them yet and are a fan of indie-electronic or future bass music, then it is mandatory to dive into their personal catalog of captivating music.

TWINSICK went up after with a set full of mashups and remixes that sparked a sense of nostalgia for big room dance and dance-pop.

Similar to Sheck Wes, Armani White was the optimal segway between TWINSICK and Day 2 headliner, Two Friends. Again, a wave of rap and hip-hop enthusiasts swarmed the gates and went off to his globally recognized anthem, “BILLIE EILISH.”

Wrapping up the festival in memorable fashion, Two Friends was simultaneously a blast for the past and representation of dance music's future. This multi-genre set bridged dance and pop classics with modern tunes from house, bass music, and more.