RAIN or Shine: HEX Halloween Recap
Sheeeeeesh, HEX Fest really said RAIN or shine! How many of my fellow bass-loving, riddim rats were running around in the rain with me for Halloweekend?! Even though it was a weekend full of being muddy and wet, that didn’t stop us from having the best time. If you weren’t able to attend- boo for you- but that’s okay. Come along with me as I recap the two days of spooky fun we had.
Day one started off a bit rocky for us. The weather was looking somewhat promising, and we had high hopes going into the night. We were running fashionably late, per usual, but we definitely weren’t expecting the fest to get evacuated. As soon as we got there and started walking toward the entrance, BOOM, we were hit with an evacuation and saw so many people flooding out of the venue. We still headed to the front and waited it out. We had just gotten there, so we weren’t ready to give up yet. Everyone was saying different things, with some saying it was fully canceled and others saying you could stay inside the venue to wait it out. It was clear no one really knew what was going on. But we stuck around, and thankfully we did, because about 45 minutes later, they let us in! They also extended the show until 2 a.m. instead of ending at 1 a.m., so set times were adjusted, and we were ready to rock.
We caught some of Layz and Badklaat, who were both throwing down, but the two sets we fully saw were Izzy Vadim and Subtronics. Subtronics always throws a good set, of course, and every time I see him, I’m entertained. He was great, per usual, and closed out day one with a bang. However, the highlight of the night for me was Izzy Vadim. This was my first time seeing him, and just wow, wow, WOW. His sound is so unique and cool. It was bouncy, it was fun, it was different. I will say I don’t think the speakers they had did his sound justice, so I hope Relentless Beats continues to bring these awesome riddim DJs, but also improves the sound system for these smaller stages and artists! All in all, day one was cut short for us, but we still made the most of it and had a blast. My friend and I dressed up as riddim rats, which was very fitting for the vibes. Sometimes all you need to do to have a good time is dress up as a rat and listen to some riddim with your bestie!
Coming off day one and not getting to spend as much time at the show as we had hoped, we were prepared for day two. We gave ourselves plenty of time to get ready and planned to arrive early in case the weather acted up again. The spooky, high-energy Halloween vibes were lingering in the air, and we were ready for a night of heavy bass, crunchy riddim, and good vibes. My bestie and I were dressed up as clowns, so clownin’ around came naturally, of course. It was already raining when we first arrived, so we decided to take some pictures and get those out of the way before we got too wet. Afterward, we headed to the Catacombs stage and caught the end of Proxxxy. Next up was Xaebor, and I already had a feeling he was about to be insanely good. As I suspected, he was. I might even go as far as saying he was my favorite set of the weekend. Just like Izzy Vadim, he has a very unique sound. It’s wobbly and wonky and to me, sounded like some good old-school dubstep mixed with riddim. I hope to see him on more lineups in the future because he really blew my mind and had the whole crowd absolutely bouncin’.
After Xaebor, we hopped over to the main stage (The Altar) to see Hurtbox, which was super exciting because riddim doesn’t normally tend to make its way onto the main stage at festivals. This was also the first time Hurtbox had ever played on a main stage, so it was a big deal and an exciting moment for everyone. He even shared his gratitude and excitement on Instagram, saying, “MY FIRST MAIN STAGE… still trying to process this weekend at HEX Festival. Seeing that many people show up and go absolutely insane with us, even through the rain, is something I’ll never forget.” And he was absolutely right- we were all rocking with him, rain and all. Arizona usually doesn’t seem to get much rain, but of course, for Halloween, it decided to pour all night long. It didn’t let up once. By the end of the night, I was completely soaked after raving in the rain for eight hours straight, but that sure made the experience even more unforgettable.
After Hurtbox, we bounced back to the Catacombs stage to see Modal Nodes- another set I was beyond excited for. Since they’re relatively new and upcoming in the US riddim and music scene, I hadn’t had the opportunity to catch one of their sets before. I loved their heavy riddim and bass and thought their sci-fi/outer-space vibe was super cool. Seeing them in the pouring rain just made sense. It was nonstop good music and nonstop fun. It’s safe to say they were almost tied with Xaebor for my favorite set of the weekend. I love that even though these artists are on the smaller side stages, they still go unbelievably hard. They don’t even need all the crazy visuals and lasers to grab our attention- their music does the talking for them. I would 100% love to see them at more shows and on more lineups in the upcoming year. Give me all the nasty riddim mixed with those sci-fi, Star Wars vibes, please!
After Modal Nodes, it was time for more celestial energy as ATLiens took over the main stage, and let me tell you, it was a full-on alien abduction! This was actually my first time catching a full set from them, and it was honestly better than I expected. They transformed the main stage into an outer-space takeover and gave us a cinematic set that was beyond perfect for Halloween. The vibes were truly unmatched. My favorite part of their set was when they played Griz and Tape B’s “Light You Up” while “ALIENS ARE REAL” flashed across the screen, and the lights looked like laser beams shooting out of a spaceship onstage.
For the last set of the weekend, Excision closed us out with a bang. I’ve seen Excision multiple times, and I will say this was one of my favorite sets I’ve seen from him. It was full of power and energy, and everyone was on the same wavelength. Even though we had just spent the entire night raving in the rain, everyone was still having a great time. Excision brought the heavy music while keeping the party going throughout the entire set. We were all dancing and yelling along to the music under a sea of glitter lasers- it was as magical as it gets. Shoutout to Excision for always providing us with a great time, no matter the conditions.
All in all, the weekend was full of good times and good vibes, and even though it was wet and muddy, we didn’t let that stop us. If anything, I think the rain was very fitting for a Halloween rave. Something about the vibes, the energy the artists brought, and the crowd’s excitement was just IT. A major shoutout to each and every artist who was part of HEX and gave us insane sets, allowing us to have fun and rave in the rain to some good freakin’ music. I saw multiple artists for the first time, and they definitely left me hungry for more. I hope Relentless Beats continues to bring talent like this and provide us riddim and bass lovers with insanely good lineups. Rain or shine baby, I’m beyond hyped I was there to experience all this Halloween madness. Till next time, HEX. You sure did put a spell on us 😉
