After a long week of pretending like I’m a successful corporate clone, I devoted my Memorial Day Weekend to being anything BUT a human. A chance to shake off the stress and expectations of daily life is something I will happily seize! With Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) quickly becoming the new home base for valley ravers, Relentless Beats seems to be putting down roots. We saw a handful of production improvements since the first show at PIR. More lights and crisper sound are something I am not remotely mad about. The headlining B2B duo was none other than Chris Lake and FISHER. If you’ve never seen a FISHER set, what are you doing?! His stand-alone appearances are top quality but when you pair that with the absolute house-bangers Chris Lake has in his repertoire, the result is explosive!!
Support for the weekend included Loco Dice, Hot Since 82, and Joshwa. Eli & Fur were also present to add a dash of trance-love to the weekend’s energy. Though only half the pair graced the decks, every moment of their set was dripping in their signature cool bounce. As their sound has evolved over the years, Eli & Fur have dialed in the perfect balance between the delicate power of the trance world and the high energy bounce of the house world. My new discovery of the weekend was Anna. Donning all black and exuding pure house-queen energy, I was enamored. With minimal samples, I felt as if she had originality oozing out of the speakers. This may have been the first time I’ve seen Anna, but I am craving my next dose.
One thing you can always count on when attending a house show is the crowd showing up dressed to impress. The fits we saw were jaw-dropping!! From understated but impactful outfits to authentic works of art, the fashion statements were HEARD! The freedom of expression you can find at an EDM show will never cease to amaze and inspire people. With the constraints of societal expectations being thrown out the window, concepts like gender norms, what’s considered “fashionable”, and forced modesty have no power here.
Over the weekend Chris Lake and FISHER blessed us with SIX WHOLE HOURS OF B2B GOLD!!! They started night two with a very important question…. “Can you dance to my beat?” And holy shit did that crowd dance!! For the house heads present, they were treated to a gorgeous selection of tracks from both of the house gods. A perfect sampling, a charcuterie of bangers, if you will. My favorite moment from the whole weekend was that delicious drop in Chris Lake’s single “I Want You“. It’s like a spiraling bounce that shakes you silly! If I could, I would spend the next week gushing over all the amazingly perfect samples and reworks they dropped over their six hours. Heading into this weekend I thought, “Yeah six hours will be enough Chris Lake and FISHER.”
WRONG. You had to drag me from that stage at the end of the weekend. I wanted more, more, MORE! It was like FISHER knew I was waiting for the cherry on top. The very last song of the weekend was none other than, “Losin’ it”. Did I lose it? Absolutely. Did I still need more Chris Lake and FISHER. ABSOLUTELY. Catch me scrounging for the tiniest morsel of house gold to tide me over until the next B2B gift comes along. This wasn’t the first time the House duo brought their flavor to Phoenix and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I jump at every chance I get to catch a Chris Lake or FISHER show. Combining them?! I can’t resist!! Relentless Beats has come back swinging post-pandemic. With the insane success of Phoenix International Raceway quickly making it the new home for valley ravers, we can only dream of what RB has lined up for a hot summer!!! Go to our Facebook for a full picture recap of the weekend and check out all the upcoming shows HERE.
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[…] said it time and time again, FISHER absolutely exudes top-quality party energy. No matter the venue, the time of day, or the crowd, […]