Daisy Chain welcomed TRUTH, Distinct Motive, Chef Boyarbeatz, and more for their milestone 15th show in San Diego.
When people talk about the dance music scene in San Diego, they usually point out that house and techno reign supreme. After all, that’s what America’s Finest City has become known for over the years, having birthed Desert Hearts, FNGRS CRSSD, and more over the past decade. Yet there’s so much more to what the scene offers in this city that resides just below the surface. While brands like Lucent have thrown trance shows, others like SD Union and Daisy Chain have helped foster dynamic sounds in the bass realm, and the latter of those three just hit a massive milestone.
Founded in 2022, Daisy Chain has been throwing shows in San Diego with forward-thinking lineups filled with artists who otherwise might not have stopped here. The likes of Tsuruda, Chee, Potions, and A Hundred Drums graced the stage for their first show in March of that year, with Kumarion headlining a renegade show two nights later under the freeway.
That second show, which saw them team up with Atlanta-based promoters DEF, is where I got my first taste of what Daisy Chain had to offer – quality curation, solid vibes, and a shake-up to the norm of San Diego’s scene. After attending, I knew that if I wanted proper sets from artists that our Bass Editor, Abby, would appreciate, a show thrown by them was where I needed to be.
Nearly two years later, Daisy Chain has grown exponentially. Not only did they team up with other promoters to help bring Doomtown to life in Las Vegas, but they’ve continued to bring some of the brightest artists in the bass realm to their new home at Wicked West. And with the 15th show on the horizon offering a lineup that featured TRUTH, Distinct Motive, Chef Boyarbeatz, LYQD, and Avalon… there was no better time for me to check them out once again.
Beyond their lineup curation, Daisy Chain has defined itself by putting the community at the forefront, and it showed with the crowd’s energy all night long.
Admittedly, I am not a huge bass music aficionado, but my appreciation for much of that realm runs pretty deep. That said, attending a show featuring dubstep artists is fairly alien to me at this point in time, and when I have in the past, the crowds have been less than desirable. Within moments of walking into Wicked West, I could feel like something was entirely different.
The crowd was still filling in during LYQD’s set, but everyone was bouncing around, having a great time with smiles on their faces. Flow artists were showing off their moves, strangers were talkative with each other, and I was sitting there doing double-takes because it was so starkly different than what I’ve experienced lately at shows. The proper rave vibes were out in full force, and when paired with some fantastic tunes from LYQD, the night was off to a great start.
Chef Boyarbeatz kicked the crowd into another gear with his set.
Chef Boyarbeatz took the stage next and absolutely crushed his set. I can’t believe I had only seen him for the first time just a few months ago at Apocalypse Zombieland, but catching him in my hometown was just as sweet. He ran through a flurry of originals and remixes that kept the energy alive, with everyone gobbling up whatever he decided to cook up from behind the decks.
It felt fitting that a pang of hunger struck me during Chef’s performance, but this led to one of the best surprises of the night. Nestled near the entrance of the venue was a bar that served food. While the options were limited to pizza or chicken tenders, I took the bartender’s suggestion that the tenders were well worth the wait, and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.
In fact, those chicken tenders and fries were the best I’ve had in years, if not ever. Their chef slices them up by hand, batters and seasons them, and cooks them to order – they absolutely stole the show, and I crave more of them to this day.
While waiting for those chicken tenders to come out, Chef Boyarbeatz passed off the decks to Distinct Motive.
I didn’t quite know what to expect from Distinct Motive, having only heard stories from my team about how great his sets have been, but I was pleasantly surprised by how fantastic that set ended up being. Both he and Chef Boyarbeatz ran through so many IDs and tunes I had never heard before that I would be doing their sets an injustice by trying to identify any of them.
TRUTH took the stage with the crowd ready to explode, and the set was littered with even more IDs and classics that lit up Wicked West.
Another artist I have never recalled catching was TRUTH, the night’s headliner. Perhaps it was due to timing on my end, a lack of appearances at events I attended, or some other reason, but it’s safe to say that I’ve become a bigger fan of them and fully understand why they’ve caught the attention of so many bass lovers in the States.
Some of the highlights included hearing P Money’s vocal dub of “Skanka,” Skream’s classic “Filth,” and another throwback gem, Caspa & The Others Police Takeover remix of Breakage’s “Hard.” I also pretty much lost my mind when he mixed Chase & Status’ “Eastern Jam” with “The Ark,” two tracks that I listened to years ago when I was more immersed in the dubstep side of the scene.
The Deep, Dark & Dangerous Takeover was a success for Daisy Chain, making it even clearer that the future is bright for this collective.
In just two years’ time, Daisy Chain has gone from small underground renegade to having a stranglehold on much of the bass scene in San Diego at a proper home that fits their vibe. This show only further proved that passionate people in the scene who want to foster change can make a huge impact. From the crowd to the curation to those damn chicken tenders, everything about my experience that night at Wicked West was memorable.
I hope that the Daisy Chain crew will continue to bring this energy well into the future, and with a show featuring Nosaj Thing and Jacques Greene on the horizon, it seems that they’re expanding their horizons beyond their bass-fueled roots, too.
