Tramps Like Us is/was a electronic dance marathon. The 7 hour event started at 9pm last Friday and ended at 4am that Saturday morning. This non-stop dance party was not for the faint of heart, with heavy hitter Wax Motif as the opening act, majority of attendees came early, a rarity at raves. Tramps Like Us was held at the Old Sport Arena (The Valley View Casino Center) filling almost to capacity. There was no easing into the night, no testing the waters; it was a plunge into an ocean of bass, beats, and bodies.

Wax motif and Hero Bust opened the event with some heavy trap for all the Tramps; they both mixed a sultry blend of Hip-Hop and EDM. Wax Motif is also set to display his talents at CRSSD Festival being held at the San Diego- Waterfront Park this Fall.

Branchez was little less hip-hop and a little more dance; staying true to his typical form. Branchez performed his most acclaimed remix of What So Not’s “How High You Are”, a crowd favorite. Kryder was a DJ name unrecognized by many of the TLU attendees prior to the show, but his ability to work the crowd was crystal. The UK DJ is seasoned and was a notable set at TLU.

Martin Solveig performed as a special guest DJ and was the highlight of the night. Starting off with his 2011 hit The Night Out, Martin Solveig’s set was nothing less than impressive. The French DJ and producer mixed a variety of artists from Azalea Banks to Tupac. The blend of tracks within his set was so smooth, no one questioned why he chose to leave out his hit “Hello” featuring Dragonette, his most successful track to date. Solveig did perform his two most recent singles: “Intoxicated” – released in January 2015, and “+1″ which came out this past July. Both tracks were well received by the tramps who danced all the way through Martin Solveig’s eclectic disco house set.

DJ Blau stylized 3lau announced the beginning of his set with the very distinct introductory theme to Spongebob Squarepants, “Are you ready Kids? I can’t hear you! ”. This playful phrase dropped into some heavy bass, a creative & clever use of sampling. 3lau mixed “Of The Night”, a mash-up of two 90’s dance hits that were covered by the indie-rock group Bastille. 3lau also performed his new track “Runaway” featuring the vocals of Pretty Light. The song will be officially released on Pretty Lights upcoming album scheduled to come out later this month through Dim Mak.

Adventure Club is a Canadian DJ duo that has graced the stages of EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival) and Ultra Music Festival (Miami, USA and Seoul, Korea). During their prime-time set at Tramps Like Us they played hit after hit, sampling artists such as Galantis, Zedd, Flume, and Calvin Harris. The two-man group performed their fan-favorite remix of Flight Facilities’s “Crave You”, and ended the night with “Love at Last” their newest single they just released the day before performing it at San Diego’s Tramps Like Us.

The night ended the way it started with great enthusiasm for trap from the tramps of Tramps Like Us. Brillz closed out the night spinning a blend of trapped out beats and hip-hop fleeks. The EDM producer is no stranger to the dance scene, originally being in a dance collective himself before making music.

The production was designed by San Diego based company LED- Life Everyday, and they lived up to their reputation. Each DJ set at Tramps Like Us had its own intricate light show equipped with fog, LED panels, and on occasion “laser titties”. Each show was uniquely characterized towards the artist performing from latest album designs to the DJs’ personal personas. The production was visually stimulating; the magnitude of lights and lasers cannot be compared to anything found in nature. In addition to the stage lights, attendees were gifted LED glow-foam sticks and a handful of attendees were able to sneak in glow gloves to put on their own personal light shows.

The crowd was gorgeous and half-naked. Most attendees neared the younger side of this 18+ event, being between barely legal and finally able to drink. Body heat and dancing kept the Sport Arena steamy throughout the night. The crowd glistened with sweat, unfazed by usual insecurities. There definitely was an unspoken consensus that everyone would be a hot mess by morning — and that was okay. With the satisfaction of a full night and a full moon setting for morning, TLU attendees walked to their rides smiling & exhausted, fully aware that they gave half their day to last night.

What more details on Tramps Like Us? Checkout:

Website: www.trampslike.us

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LEDpresentsTrampsLikeUs

Photos & Article // Susan Bystrom

10/04/2015