Summersesh 2021 with Steve Aoki: an EDM lovers dream

The party people at Relentless Beats have started the summer off right this past 4th of July weekend, in total 2021 fashion. A whole new stage setup, with elevated sounds and visuals, graced the warm desert under the Rawhide Event Center in Chandler, Arizona. Desert ravers found themselves surrounded by a whole new experience, with immersive bars for VIP and incredible food and drink options alongside a vast array of beautiful light-up merch for purchase.

Ah… it’s good to be back!

To top this all off, Relentless has brought in a crazy lineup to welcome the world back to live music. Starting the night off right, Cali local girl Wenzday. Hailing from the Bay Area, Wenzday got the crowd steppin’ and groovin’ from the very first drop. It was a step into Wenzday world done right, with a vast arrangement of deep house and bass that literally took over every part of your body. In between her incredible mixes, we heard some popular songs, such as “Bright Lights”, “Break (My Heart)” and her newest release “Actin’ Up”. Before we knew it, the artists switched and the Lost Kings set began. It was a slight transformation in electronic genre that also transformed the mood of the night: stompers and shufflers slowed down and embraced a ‘dance under the stars’ moment, with sounds that just made you want to hug your neighbor. Los Angeles locals Robert Abisi and Nick Shanholtz of Lost Boys created a soulful moment of melodic house and happy electronic music, truly mimicking the joyous ‘live is back’ vibe.

Up next, the legend himself, Steve Aoki put Summersesh in full effect.

With an earlier set than expected, ravers were more than pleased to see Steve Aoki take the stage at 10pm (rather than in the middle of the morning). As the proclaimed king of EDM, Aoki played all the hits to touch on all eras of his career. Every song of Neon Future was sliced in, plus “Boneless”, “Do It Again” and “Crash Into Me”… just to name a few! All of these, complete with unstoppable energy behind and on top of the deck… and then even in front, with large sheet cakes, decorated with Aoki’s signature logos and artwork — all for the purposes of nailing the crowd with them! Everyone got at least a taste of the cake if you were in that crowd (really good cake, I might add), all set to his hit song “Cake Me”. The crowd was entertained, fed and — thanks to our good friends at Relentless and Rawhide — given cold water if you needed it. And, there was more! With a back-to-back set to follow… boy, I’m glad we had that cake!

If you have heard SAYMYNAME and 4B, you’d know that whatever they had planned for this set was going to be full of bass, super grimy and not something you want to miss. Confidently, they delivered and then some. A B2B made in heaven, the insane visuals matched a hardcore bass style that had the entire front row of rail-riders head-banging in unison. Honestly, it was the most beautiful sight ever seen. It was a set so dirty that I’m sure the crowd had to check their balance afterwards. A cherry on top of the night? Our good friend Jauz brought back the house vibes to round off Summersesh 2021. Kicking his set off with bass house was the perfect transformation the audience needed. We got a liftoff into space and then back to earth just in time. His hits in techno and trance were captivating, with a beautiful visual show to match. All in all, it was a perfect summer kickoff. Thank you, Summersesh!

Photography by Franny Kovacs

Share this article

or