Deep Tropics 2024 is back in Nashville: Here's the full line up for the August dance music fest

Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean
·4 min read

For the sixth time in eight years, on Aug. 16-17, over three dozen critically acclaimed and globally renowned dance music acts will descend upon Nashville's Bicentennial State Park for Music City's award-nominated 2024 Deep Tropics Music Festival.

Already-announced headliners for the event include deep house sets from two-time America's Best DJ award-winner Kaskade and International Dance Music Awards-winning DJ Nora En Pure, as well as appearances by chart-topping trap and bass DJ RL Grime, Grammy-nominated house act Sofi Tukker and rising dubstep stars PEEKABOO, Tape B and Zingara.

KREAM performs DJ set at Bicentennial State Park, Nashville, Tennessee, at Deep Tropics 2023
KREAM performs DJ set at Bicentennial State Park, Nashville, Tennessee, at Deep Tropics 2023

Multiple levels of tickets ranging from $115-$440 are available at deeptropics.org.

Deep Tropics and sustainability

Deep Tropics is an offshoot of event booker and venue operator Full Circle Presents and Nashville's sustainability-driven Deep Culture non-profit, which as their website states, is aimed at "caring for the Earth via curated experiences that activate transformation of self, community and planet."

Over the past seven years of Deep Culture and Deep Tropics' existence, the group has engaged in renewable energy initiatives, reusable cup programs, tree-planting endeavors and zero-waste initiatives that have diverted nearly all of the festival's waste from landfills.

A press statement adds, "Deep Tropics sets the stage for an unforgettable experience that's as good for the planet as it is for the soul."

EDM in Music City? It's growing.

Full Circle Presents' engagement in Nashville's burgeoning dance music scene now includes the classic Chicago house-adoring family trio of Austin Knight, his parents Jim and Allison Knight and Full Circle Presents founder Blake Atchison. Atchison co-founded Deep Tropics with his brother Joel Atchison and John Hanna, a DJ, producer, and Full Circle Presents co-owner.

"Nashville is changing culturally as a city," Knight told The Tennessean in March 2024. "It's growing at an accelerated pace and house music is bigger than ever in the U.S. More people are being exposed to this type of music."

Deep Tropics Festival 2024 lineup, Aug. 16-17, 2024 at Nashville's Bicentennial State Park
Deep Tropics Festival 2024 lineup, Aug. 16-17, 2024 at Nashville's Bicentennial State Park

"I think in the South, we can be a destination for electronic dance music."

It's not just happening at Deep Tropics and Night We Met, either.

Twenty percent of the newly renovated multi-space venue Cannery Hall (with a 1200-person standing-room main space) and recently enlarged (to nearly 2,000-person standing capacity)Assembly Food Hall Skydeck (where Shaquille O'Neal recently played dubstep and heavy bass as DJ Diesel) bookings through October are of the DJ-friendly variety.

As well, add the lower bowl of Nashville's Municipal Auditorium to the spaces booking dance acts by Sept. 10, when decade-long veteran EDM DJ, producer and singer-songwriter Porter Robinson brings his "SMILE! World Tour" to Music City.

What will Bicentennial State Park look like during Deep Tropics 2024?

2024's festival will also include three different stage activations at Bicentennial State Park.

  • The Meru Stage

    • A temple "enveloped in saturated greens and warm fire accents" to symbolize house music's roots in communal unity and the spiritual journey of its attendees will feature Grammy-winning melodic house artist Cassian, UK-based deep house DJ Marsh, Cuban house DJ & Space Miami resident Maloné and singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Elderbrook, among many.

Attendees at Bicentennial State Park, Nashville, Tennessee, at Deep Tropics 2023
Attendees at Bicentennial State Park, Nashville, Tennessee, at Deep Tropics 2023

  • The Lotus Stage

    • A tropical lagoon setting "adorned in purples, blues, and cool greens" will symbolize the "airy, yet high-energy" power of bass music and feature It will feature New York-based "ancient world rhythm" favoring duo Memba, UK garage genre-inspired Taiki Nulight, jazz and hip-hop breakbeat favoring Cool Customer and two sets from emerging superstar drum and bass artist Rohaan.

  • The "Congo Soundsystem"

    • A circle of stone columns ("a mini Stonehenge feeling under a shaded tree canopy)" will mainly celebrate amapiano (a South African, bass-heavy house variant) DJ Dainty, who pairs those deep house-inspired sounds with tribal sounds from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Chicago-based acid house and techno DJ Hiroko Yamamura, global record label, fashion label and inclusive party brand He.She.They, Miami-based Art with Me Festival co-founder Matt Caines and Nashville-based deep house and techno duo Lux Velour are also among many scheduled for the area.

Deep Tropics 2024 Full Lineup

  • Ahrt

  • Airrica

  • Calussa

  • Canvas

  • Cassian

  • Cool Customer

  • DJ Dainty

  • DJ Morphonic

  • Dumb Groove B2B Dame Luz

  • Elderbrook (DJ Set)

  • He.She.They.

  • Hiroko Yamamura

  • Hotboxx

  • Jessie D

  • Kaskade (Redux)

  • Kenopsia

  • Lux Velour

  • Maloné

  • Marsh

  • Matt Caines

  • Memba

  • Merchant

  • MGR Mike

  • Nora En Pure (Sunset Set)

  • Peekaboo

  • RL Grime

  • Rohaan

  • Sintra

  • Sofi Tukker

  • Soohan

  • Subrinse

  • Taiki Nulight

  • Tape B

  • Taren Michael

  • Valleria

  • Yoko

  • Ysheso

  • Zingara

For more information on the Deep Tropics Festival, visit deeptropics.org.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Deep Tropics 2024 EDM fest in Nashville: We have the full lineup