Deep Tropics 2025 Lights Up Music City
Deep Tropics 2025 Lights Up Music City: A Celebration of Electronic Music, Live Art, and Sustainability in the Southern Summer Heat by Joanna Pat Basile
On August 15 & 16 under a heat advisory, Deep Tropics transformed what is usually a country-centric town into a true Music City. Nashville, Tennessee was teeming with premier house, techno, and bass within the most sustainable festival in North America. For two days, with the state capitol in view, festivalgoers took over Bicentennial State Park, united by a love of electronic music, eclectic art, and this vibrant community. Pre-parties and afterparties went into the morning hours at venues like the recently revamped Cannery Hall. It seems Deep Tropics has cemented its reputation as a success in EDM as well as a beacon for inclusive culture, environmental stewardship, and creative innovation.
Origins and Vision
Started in 2017, Deep Tropics was initially a free event, born from a desire to bring global sounds to Middle Tennessee, while transcending the ordinary music festival experience. Collaboration and community seemed to be a goal of the innovators, as they dared to go outside the norm of Nashville. Deep Tropics has grown from a local curiosity to one of the most anticipated events in the city’s summer schedule, drawing fans from across the US and beyond.
Everett Torpey of Nashville has attended every Deep Tropics since the conception. “The EDM community here started small with barely any presence compared to Broadway, with everyone coming here for the honky tonks and the more prevalent country music. We looked around and saw a core of like-minded people and said ‘hey, you like this too?’ and that seed slowly grew and spread, and here we are. It’s not only exciting to watch but to be a part of what this has become year after year, and all the while they have stayed true to their original vision.”
Global DJ AMÉMÉ had fans of all ages dancing happily in the heat. As the sun set behind Nashville’s skyline, other international acts took the stage. TroyBoi was a standout with his unique style blending trap, house, and world music. Chris Lorenzo and Dusky were anticipated favorites. Gentlemen’s Club, Maddy O’Neal, and Liquid Stranger brought it. Headliners Chris Lake, Subtronics, Disco Lines, Cloonee, and Alison Wonderland drew the largest crowds and delivered high energy sets that inspired a great turn out at the afterparty.
Perhaps the most relevant aspect of Deep Tropics is the musical diversity. The festival provides the opportunity for new music discovery, which was the original concept on which the first festivals were founded. The most magical part is the shared joy of the musical experience by everyone for everyone.
Experiential Environment
Music is only one aspect of the Deep Tropics experience. The festival grounds were transformed into a gallery of live art, movement, and expression. International and local visual artists provided real time creation of substantial works. Artists included Raven Armstead, Ola Subomi, Mobe Oner, Gregmike, and WOKE3.
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There were light installations and sculptures throughout the interior of the fest. On the perimeter you could find wellness options for respite from the dancefloor, including a grounding tent with mental wellness professionals and a Healing Sanctuary with everything from chiropractic care from The Finetune Clinic to herbal consultations. You could find Yoga, sound baths, and group meditations throughout the day.
The food options included a variety from Southern cooking with a twist, vegan jambalaya, plant-based barbeque and a meat lovers’ slice of pizza. There was a local kombucha truck that had a hibiscus tea that hit the spot in addition to the usual cocktails.
Deep Culture and Community
The heart of Deep Tropics mission is inclusivity, and the sense of safety and community is undeniable. It is a wonder to any local Nashvillian that this exists on this level. It feels less like a concert or even a party, but more like a 2-day long experience with strangers that are destined to become friends. Deep Tropics feels like it is an exploration of new people as well as new sounds. Self-expression is abundant in the costumes and dress throughout the festival, where sequins and bare cheeks are not sexualized but celebrated.
Deep Tropics provides resources for peer support and harm reduction. Volunteers and staff roam the festival site to ensure everyone’s safety as well as their good time.
Workshops and panels were also held, bringing awareness to social justice, sustainability, and creative entrepreneurship. Dialogs continued and action inspired, with the festival organizers hoping the messaging would continue to resonate and grow.
Sustainability is a pillar of the culture and purpose of Deep Tropics. Organizers report that 90% of the waste created is diverted from landfills through the on-site composting, reusing, and recycling programs. The festival partnered with local non-profits to not only spread their messages but to plant trees in the city and decrease the carbon footprint left behind.
Clean up starts before the festival even begins.
The Afterglow
As the sun rose on Sunday, many Deepers could still be found fast asleep. The afterparties went well into the night, with even more DJ’s providing the heartbeat for even more dancing – and communing. Locally people are still talking about their favorite set as if it weren’t just a set but an experience. Local businesses and artists report a surge in collaboration and interest, inspired by the festival’s spirit of innovation and community.
Studies show that we humans innately need connection. Community. A direct line to that is music. There is a reason why music is played at the big game or in church and is featured at the most important celebrations of our lives: weddings and funerals. Studies also show that music is one of the most powerful conveners of collective joy and pain, according to research professor and author Brené Brown.
Collective assembly – like that of a festival – isn’t about people getting together to forget about life; perhaps it is more about connecting to something bigger than ourselves, to remind us how to live. In these times of uncertainty and isolation, perhaps music festivals have more impact than ever. And Deep Tropics has proven once again that Nashville is not just a city of country music, but a fertile ground for all forms of artistic expression and collective joy.
Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist, coined the term collective effervescence in his 1912 book The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. Durkheim described collective effervescence as an experience of communal emotion, connection, and a “sensation of sacredness” that happens when we are a part of something bigger. (Berkeley.edu) A collective. Perhaps this is what Jones speaks of, this living, breathing thing.
For a complete line up of Deep Tropics 2025 and upcoming info on next year’s festival visit https://www.deeptropics.org.