Day 2 of Body Language Kept The Beats Bumpin’ and the Bodies Groovin’
My goodness, my goodness. Where do I even begin with day 2 of Body Language Festival, Arizona’s latest and greatest underground techno and house music festival? While day 1 proved that the Arizona scene has been craving a tech-house festival, day 2 solidified the fact that Relentless Beats is growing something amazing and making history this very weekend. Yesterday was absolutely one for the techno lovers. Across all three stages, there was excitement and enchantment from the minute gates opened up until the very last beat drop by none other than Carl Cox, who also curated the main stage.
Day 1 already exceeded expectations, being that this is a first-time festival, but really…day 2 easily blew those out of the water. I’m not sure if it was due to a lack of sleep or because I felt more comfortable within the new environment or something else, but everything seemed intensified yesterday as compared to Friday – the dancing, the lighting, the overall energy…it all felt magnified, and I have no complaints about it. Also, a lot of birthdays were being celebrated yesterday so if you’re reading this…happy birthday!
Anatta opened up the Labyrinth stage, providing attendees with pulsating beats that weaved into the breeze that blessed the dance-your-heart-out fans, of which there was plenty. World-famous and -toured duo Teenage Mutants took on opening the Mirage stage, playing a nearly 2-hour set that entertained not only fans but also themselves from the looks of it – there was a ton of laughter on stage and the joyfulness was certainly contagious. Set times were more staggered compared to the first day, which gave people an opportunity to fully immerse themselves into one stage without the fear of missing out on too much of another stage.
Nicholas William kicked things off on the Abyss stage, which stayed true to its name throughout the day, as it did on Friday – darker, underground rave-like vibes. Kody Black lead into Hitta b2b Swave, and the duo spiced things up by mixing in dancehall beats, which really spiked up the energy levels inside. Meanwhile, Township Rebellion dug deep into techno vibes, which would end up underlining the majority of the day on Mirage. Even though Marlon had to rock solo this time around, he kept the spirits high. Eats Everything kept the crowd on its toes – switching flawlessly between all kinds of sub-genres and adjacent.
Westend was a new discovery for me, and even though I’m disappointed I am only now hearing of him, I’m beyond happy that I experienced a set of his. There was a hypnotic sway to his mixing. The crowd moved at the switch of a beat and it had a magnetic charm that just kept pulling me back in. He set the stage up nicely for Drezo, who surprised everyone by bringing out AZ-native BIJOU for a b2b. The friends joked with each other through song drops and fed into the friendly atmosphere of Body Language. Shiba San took over with a powerful display of lasers alongside his hip-hop-influenced twist on house music. His thumping set moved into a highly-anticipated b2b with Dombresky and Noizu. The crowd was thick for that set and people were moving.
Abyss served as a nice escape from the crowds, but that didn’t mean people weren’t enjoying themselves all the same. In fact, some of the hardest shufflers I saw throughout the day could be found at that stage. Disco Zombie and Ico Soundz, along with their stage predecessors, made sure to keep the party going indoors while the crowd began to swell at Mirage outdoors. Adam Beyer did as he does best – pumping up the crowd with some delectable techno tunes. At this point, there was still a palpable readiness within the crowd, even though there were many people who had been there for several hours now.
Of course, closing out his curated lineup was dance music OG Carl Cox. I’m not entirely sure what I expected from his set, but I was floored by what he delivered. He really hit it hard with techno for a good two hours, elevating the already high levels of energy that swept throughout the crowd. I was one red bull in and close to hitting a wall, but that set definitely revived me. It was certainly one of those “you had to be there” moments that will forever be engrained in my memory, and I’m sure it will be in many others’ minds as well.
Two days down, one to go. Let’s close it out with a bang, Body Language! Set times are below and tickets are available online.
[…] DJ openers to tech-house OG closers. While each day had an outstanding lineup, I have to say that Saturday was probably my favorite of the three days because Carl Cox curated the entire lineup for this […]