The Mothership Stage: Far Out Among the Stars

As gates opened and RESIDUO welcomed ravers to this intergalactic party,  they were greeted by the legendary flying saucer PHXLIGHTS sign inspiring those to snag a quick picture with their rave families, or should I say fellow space cadets? When the sun finally vanished to reveal the stars in the black sky, night 1’s special B2B performance showcased JOYRYDE B2B Habstrakt was loved to the moon and back.

Watching JOYRYDE collaborate with a friend and fellow DJ-producer Habstrakt on stage livened him to express his delight that spread to the crowd’s body language. JOYRYDE said he was grateful to be there at PHXLIGHTS with his friends and family while rainbow visuals were displayed in the background. With this masterful combination of these two heavy-hitting names, it created another flavor of bass house that felt extremely special to PHXLIGHTS.

If this set couldn't become more special for this duo, JOYRYDE asked the crowd to wish Habstrakt him a happy birthday and the crowd without hesitation proceeded. In the midst of everyone dancing themselves clean, a rave family dressed as a group of astronauts in full helmet gear! 

For the past three years in Arizona’s EDM scene, the spinning cloths, formally known as flow stars, weren't extremely popular, but they were popular in Arizona this weekend! It was eye-opening to see this new and upcoming change happening in the local flow art print paired with matching Kritter Klips and a tail!

It wasn’t exactly related to aliens but it was a space-strawberry-inspired look! Seeing this specific outfit inspired me to buy matching Kritter Klips and corresponding tail at The Dreamland Studios vending booth! One unexpected perk about this festival map: there was always a food vendor in close proximity to every stage which saved time!

On night 2, ALLEYCVT shared her space bass transcending the crowd, followed by Apashe and Dr. Oliver Tree. After, the crowd finally made it to their destination into a futuristic soundscape with Deorro B2B Valentine Khan and Kaskade. 

@olddirtyleather & @svnshine.fm

Extraterrestrial Earthlings at The Evo Silent Disco 

Two channels hosting to the sounds of house, bass, DnB, and the genre-bending combination of all of it was a perfect spot to spend time away from the main stage if you needed a break from the crowd. Plus, who doesn't like channel surfing to give support to all of the artists? By the end of the night 1, most people scattered this stage’s dance floor to see Seven Lions.

Even though PRETTYHARD’s performance was the second to last set for this stage, Sed’s Vortex was seen at the front of the stage supporting him–seeing DJ-producer-couples support one another is another form of PLUR in my book! Night 2 scheduled artists DOMINATRIX, SAFEWORD, and more to continue Arizona’s trip beyond the galaxy. 

BeatBox Invasion Stage: Abducted by the Sound

Near the outskirts of the BeatBox Invasion Stage, Weird & Wonderful cast members were dressed in chrome outfits and large green yoda ears! If you’re a stage-hopper like me, watching performers in full character on the way to the next stage deserves to be listed on the itinerary of fun at every festival!

Despite the Invasion stage being a side stage, many would think this stage wouldn’t rise to the occasion with a packed stage, but this stage was packed during SEPPI’s hardcore performance that had everyone dancing to every bass drop on night 1! District XII, a local heavy riddim DJ, still had dancers clinging to every heavy bass drop because Arizona celebrates local artists from their community like any other headliner! Night 2 carried another well-loved riddim DJ-producer BLVCKROSE, Cafe Caderas, and more to end the weekend’s excursion. 

In an effort to curate more passion and appreciation for the EDM community, artists Green Velvet, Dr. Fresch, TOBEHONEST, Kito, and BIJOU supported the mission of coming together in the name of music to enrich this Phoenician community. This special underground event attracted a collective to Warehouse 215 to celebrate an atmosphere of inspiration, connection, and hedonistic-good house music. 

Chandeliers and Bookshelves: Warehouse Meets Luxury

Veteran ravers: do you remember your first warehouse rave? Many ravers remember their first warehouse rave as an underground, one-for-the-books experience but nothing too luxurious. With your typical warehouse rave, the address on the event flier isn’t announced until 10pm, the warehouse has one A/C unit, everyone is drowning in sweat, and there’s absolutely little to no light–just music imposing as the atmosphere.

At Warehouse 215, it’s a grand, elevated experience. Eclectic yet underground, there were at least two chandeliers in every room, The Reading Room Stage had a bookshelf wall with succulents and books which embellished the ambience–it’s a warehouse-gone-glamorous! 

The Three Stages of Intimacy: The Guild, The Reading Room, & The Cathedral 

Smaller venues like Warehouse 215 are notorious for bringing people together; sometimes there can be too much anonymity at festivals as it can be harder to recognize people you may know. If you can’t recognize your friends or artists among large crowds, you can’t expect to connect with others.

Three close-knit stages were planted in the rich, elevated warehouse: The Guild, The Reading Room, and The Cathedral. Spacious and close views of the DJ, every space-turned-dance-floor opened a sense of closeness between yourself, other ravers, and the artist.

As much as all ravers love the feeling of dancing at a massive stage, there’s nothing like being able to watch your favorite DJ make every move on the mixing board. It allows ravers to see artists’ facial expressions, movement, and production methods–a look inside artists’ personalities.

Without this small setting, ravers like myself wouldn’t have been able to notice Green Velvet’s stoic demeanor during “Sheeple” and “Jolean." He doesn’t introduce himself to the crowd on the microphone or have a facial expression unless it's his signature smile widening from ear-to-ear as the last sound leaves the speaker and his set concludes.

The Ultimate Seduction: BIJOU’s Performance 

BIJOU is one of Arizona’s most prolific and cherished DJs while highly regarded among both g-house and bass house, especially after winning the 2023 Bass House Song Of The Year Award from the Electronic Dance Music Awards for “I know” featuring Marten Hørger.

Since he’s involved with his local community and EDM scene, fans were ecstatic to hear him mix “Gang Gang” and “Losing Control” by OMNOM . “Something for your mind, your body, and your soul”, BIJOU sampled “The Realm” by C’hantal and it felt like a guided meditation to “pleasures of the higher sense." 

Soon after that, Dr. Fresch couldn’t help himself from jumping on stage to play a mini B2B with his best friend and played their collaborative tracks like “Hello (Gangsta $hit)”. Biased towards loving bass house to the ends of the earth, this was my favorite performance of the weekend. 

B2B2B2B2B…

Dr. Fresch was halfway through his set when he said, “We’re not going home until we decide on a song we like” and proceeded to bring a multitude of other artists on stage for a B2B2B2B2B… If you were standing on the outskirts of the stage entrance, you could see a train of DJs at the right side of the stage approaching the decks, taking turns in an order right after the other.

Some of those DJs were No Thanks, Garrett Murphy, Burman, and BIJOU. It wasn’t until Dr. Fresch ended his set by announcing there were twenty DJs who joined him on stage–what a party! By now, you could imagine the immaculate, tastemaking yet various styles of house music emitting from those speakers simultaneously. 

The Passion in Community and Creativity

Community, art, and love were pillars of inspiration for Thomas Turner, Founder of The Phoenix Warehouse Project. The three foundational pillars of this project have one commonality: coming together. Setting the intention of celebrating music and dance, local artists like AVITAS, Peachy Keen, and other creatives were seen reconnecting and frolicking to each other’s performances; artists hopped off stage for fans or friends to shake hands and snag a quick picture.

The Weird And Wonderful Cast gave hypnotizing performances on both nights, so much that people would stop dancing to watch the coordinated dances before them. Visual artists Nonotheartist and Rami completed a live B2B painting for the VIP section for surveyors to witness the work in progress which shows warehouse raves have the potential to be immersive!

Smaller venues/events open the possibilities of meeting your new best friend or sharing kind words with your favorite artists–it keeps the PLUR and inspiration going around. Plus, who doesn’t feel more passionate about EDM, happy to connect with others, and pursuing your own passions after a memorable event?