Insomniac Outdoes Itself for the Greatest and Finest Escape Halloween to Date [Event Review]

It’s been per week since Escape Halloween took over the NOS Occasions Middle for its twelfth version, and like most issues Insomniac, the competition simply obtained larger and higher. That includes mind-blowing manufacturing, sick attention-to-detail, immersive Halloween experiences, blistering units, immaculate vibes, and loads of house to maneuver and groove to; Insomniac pulled out all of the stops for the most important Halloween competition on the continent.

It was our first time again on the NOS Occasions Middle since final 12 months’s Countdown and our first Escape since 2019! One of many issues that positively stood out is how broad open and simply accessible every little thing was. Insomniac has positively taken steps to make it simpler to entry all the huge NOS Occasions Middle the place their occasions happen. At no level in any respect did I cope with bottlenecks or crowd congestion.

The opposite factor that, in fact, stands out upon coming into the Escape competition grounds is simply how immersive it’s. Aside from EDC, (the flagship competition) Escape has unquestionably the very best manufacturing values, probably the most performers, probably the most Easter Eggs to probe for. Escape is solely large, and, should you ask me, is one of the best of Insomniac’s Southern California festivals. It actually didn’t damage that the climate was completely excellent for the weekend too.

I’m not mistaken after I say that this was the most important Escape to this point, they really added a fifth stage contained in the Citrus constructing, Depraved Woods. Loopy City, which ostensibly serves as Downtown Escape, is an ideal assembly spot. Its location is definitely accessible from all levels, and its landmarks are unmistakable. The hearth organ is a sight to behold and all the time has a efficiency popping off, it’s the proper place to take a seat and take within the splendor of the competition grounds. The Loopy City fountain can also be an ideal spot to reunite along with your crew and work out the following transfer. Oh, and naturally, they’re all nice photograph ops too.

So far as the levels go, they had been all high notch. The principle stage is, in fact, The Grimm, an enormous cloaked skeleton with its two arms stretched out clutching two spherical stones. Once more, outdoors of EDC, this must be one of the best Insomniac stage round. The lasers obtained main reinforcements and the large video panels lining the ceiling of the mega-structure helped to create an much more immersive expertise. Even should you had been seated on the faux grass or on the tables outdoors of the mega-structure, you continue to felt such as you had been immersed within the stage. Sound and video manufacturing had been A+ this weekend.

The second stage was Feeding Grounds, additionally inside a mega-structure. This stage’s theme was an enormous spider internet. White canvas adorned the ceiling of the mega construction and as a substitute of a disco ball, there was an enormous black widow spider hanging above the stage as a replacement. The third stage was Sanitarium, a barely smaller mega-structure, its rectangular video panels would play macabre and disturbing photographs of a mad surgeon conducting unsound experiments.

The stage that in all probability obtained one of the best therapy of all although was Sewer District, the Manufacturing facility 93 stage. After I went to Escape prior to now this was not a stage I gave a lot thought to. I figured let the techno snobs hold within the again. Nicely, techno has now permeated the mainstream and I used to be eager to take a look at a set at Sewer District. Insomniac absolutely leaned into delivery trailers and an underground warehouse sort of vibe. The sunshine panels had been good and the sound was pitch excellent. I talked to a number of headliners who stated that Sewer District had a few of the greatest units of the weekend.

Talking of the units, let me inform you about them. Each single DJ completely introduced it this weekend. Everybody’s obtained to go a bit of bit deeper, a bit of bit darker, particularly the closers, to match that Halloween vibe, and that’s precisely what we obtained. Friday night time actually didn’t get going till I watched AFROJACK’s set on the Grimm. The Dutch legend didn’t disappoint, dropping an enormous set that ignited the gang. This was the set that really set the night time off as AFROJACK took full benefit of the Grimm’s manufacturing capabilities.

After that I caught a bit of hardstyle over at Sanitarium, then headed again to the Grimm for Above & Past. Very like AFROJACK’s set, the gang packed within the stage to overflow capability. Jono & Paavo threw down a charming set that had the gang enraptured. Above & Past all the time strives for “moments like these” and so they actually achieved it at Escape.

After A&B, I headed over to Feeding Grounds, which was hosted by Bassrush for the night time, to have my face simply melted off. ATLiens had been properly into their set of wonky dubstep, rap mashups and entice beats. It’s all the time good to see the completely different vibes at completely different levels, however other than the Grimm, the Basscon stage was bringing higher vibes than the Bassrush stage. Zomboy adopted up ATLiens and in addition proceeded to ignite the gang.

I proceeded again over to the Grimm, however I made a fast cease on the new stage, Depraved Woods. I’m all the time a sucker for an indoor stage, and Insomniac made the a lot of the house they got. Organising a mini forest behind the DJ sales space in addition to a round video board, Depraved Woods was an enormous come up should you occurred upon it. Not too crowded, however nonetheless stellar manufacturing. I watched a bit of little bit of Okay?d’s Throwback Set and I want I had caught extra.

Lastly again to the Grimm, Kaskade closed the night time with an unimaginable set that noticed him lean into the REDUX sound and switch the Escape mainstage into an underground membership. The lasers and stage manufacturing couldn’t have been extra on level.

We obtained there good and early on Sunday. As I discussed earlier than I began issues out at Sewer District and caught Charles D. Regardless of the early time slot and smaller crowd, the vibes had been on level for Sewer District. I used to be now ready for techno on Halloween weekend. I flitted between levels and units trying out TOBEHONEST at Sanitarium, Ship Wrek on the Grimm, who drew an enormous and rowdy crowd for such an early time slot, and Rossy at Feeding Grounds, who killed it together with her mix of bass home and entice.

After that, it was again to the Grimm for Matroda’s large home set. Together with the permeation of techno into the mainstream, the re-eruption of home music must be famous too. My god, folks completely love home music. I didn’t acknowledge a single track Matroda dropped, but it surely was nonetheless a dope set and the vibes had been unmatched. Tchami got here on subsequent and dropped a set for the ages. Opening with the AC Slater x Chris Lorenzo (Fly With Us) monitor “Seismic”, Tchami’s mixture of French home was completely excellent. The lasers and pyro additionally began taking up.

DJ Snake took the stage subsequent and turned the Grimm into an absolute entice home. The beats had been coming laborious and quick with DJ Snake, and the packed crowd was greater than prepared for all of his hits. “Southside”, “Belief No one”, “Lean On” and he even dropped Knock2’s “dashstar”. A memorable set certainly.

Zedd was up subsequent and he thrilled the gang by opening along with his “The place You Are” remix. The packed out crowd was chanting together with the lyrics. Zedd was additionally one of many few DJs to decorate up for Halloween as he sported a Tremendous Saiyan outfit (from Dragonball Z). Zedd dropped a masterful set consisting of his hits like “I Need You to Know” and “Keep the Night time” on high of his energetic reside edits and a few EDM classics like Eric Prydz’s “Name on Me”.

Lastly, Armin van Buuren closed out the weekend. Armin completely blended trance and techno for one of the best Halloween set conceivable. Armin maintained his signature sound whereas seamlessly mixing in some darkish techno beats that had been excellent for the spooky season.

It was an absolute pleasure to be again at Escape after three full years away, the longest drought we’ve had between Insomniac festivals. The Pandemic denied headliners festivals in 2020. I didn’t get to Escape in 2021 as a result of there was the Fall Version of EDC per week earlier than. I may have gone in 2022, however I didn’t. I’m elated to have made it again in 2023. Though no announcement has been made, I’d anticipate Escape to return for its spookiest thirteenth version subsequent 12 months.