Event Recap

Shralpin ventured back to Chandler, Arizona for the second consecutive year to attend the 2019 installment of Crush Arizona, a Valentine’s themed EDM event made possible by Relentless Beats and Insomniac. Despite both evenings being a tad bit chilly, that didn’t seem to stop thousands of attendees from dressing up in their best Valentine’s Day themed rave attire at this year’s biggest Crush event to date. Crush has become a staple Valentine’s celebration over the past decade and is an Arizonian favorite. Relentless Beats is the originator of Crush and this year’s 10-year celebration was beyond epic, being expanded into a two-day festival. The lineup showcased a plethora of diverse artists such as 3lau, Alesso, Anna Lunoe, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Joyride, Seven Lions, Slander, and Wooli.

Venue             

The Rawhide Event Center was transformed into a Valentine’s wonderland with artistic decor and decorations covering the entire venue. A glimmering Tree of Love was located outside of the venue for couples and singles alike to write love notes on and pose in front of for cute social media photos. Merch, food, drinks, and massage booths were located across the festival grounds and made this year’s event a treat. There was also an adorable photo backdrop with chic decor available for guests to capture charming photos with their crush or rave fam.

Production

The gorgeous stage layout set the them and mood for the evening. The stage consisted of massive heart-shaped LED screens behind the DJ decks. An impressive array of vibrant lights, lasers, and smoke cannons never failed to captivate the audience. The lasers were insane and plentiful this year. Heart shaped confetti shot of out cannons that produced a loving and joyous mood as it was shot into the crowd. We were impressed by the crystal-clear sound system that was able to take on every type of genre throughout each night.

Vibes

Crush has some of the most loving vibes in the festival scene. Ravers kept PLUR alive by trading kandi bracelets to those around them in exchange for cheerful smiles, gum, water, and big hugs. A wide array of creative and hilarious totems was present in the crowd that were guaranteed to put a huge grin on your face. Our favorite totem was Mistletoe Adventures, which was a portable cluster of lit mistletoe fixed onto a pole for couples to kiss under and snap a photo. Strangers turned into new friends and love connections as the night progressed. Couples and singles alike embraced each other while raging and dancing the night away.

Day 1

The festival lineup catered to a variety of tastes with genres such as house, trap, and dubstep. Day one had a great lineup that included the likes of Seven Lions, Slander, Joyryde, Spag Heddy, Wuki, Kaivon, and Bardz.

We arrived at the festival just in time to catch newcomer Kaivon who treated the crowd to some of his remarkable new tracks and remixes. Spag Heddy, Slander, and Joyryde hit the crowd with some crazy sets that shook up the venue beyond belief. Afterwards, Jeff Montalvo aka Seven Lions, hailing from Santa Barbara, California, closed out day 1 of Crush. He combines music styles as diverse as trance, melodic dubstep, drum and bass, glitch hop, and electro house into his sets. Our earbuds were graced by some of the cleanest drops and transitions known to the EDM scene. He played some of his popular tracks including “Higher Love,” “Strangers,” and “First Time” that ended the night on a loving, spirited note.

Day 2

Artists such as Alesso, 3Lau, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Anna Lunoe, Wooli, Um.. and Blossom blessed the crowd with some top-notch sets on day 2. Wooli delivered a bass heavy set that had everyone in the crowd headbanging along. Anna Lunoe got everyone’s feet to move to the beat as she bumped one of the best House sets that we have heard in a while. Black Tiger Sex Machine (BTSM) returned to Arizona with crazier set, visuals, and brand-new production that shook the crowd. Las Vegas based producer 3lau took us on a journey as he mashed together the best of each EDM genre in his animated set.

Finally, Swedish DJ Alesso put us all in our feels as he closed out the night with a sexy set. Alesso played many of his hit songs including “Heroes,” “Under Control,” and “If I Lose Myself” amongst other classic House tracks. Seeing the legend himself grace the crowd with his beautiful melodies was the perfect way to close out the festival and was the cherry on top of an amorous evening.

In conclusion…

Crush continues to be a prime representation of the rapidly expanding rave community in the Phoenix area. Shralpin would like to give a big shout out to Relentless Beats and Insomniac for once again making an unforgettable EDM Valentine’s celebration possible. We crushed on everything about Crush AZ this year and are confident that you did too. We look forward to returning for next year’s installment of Crush and hope to see you at future Relentless Beats Events!

Don’t sleep on all the exciting upcoming events put on by Relentless Beats in 2019. Visit http://relentlessbeats.com/events/ for more information.