Produced and promoted by Relentless Beats, the two-day extravaganza saw ravers descend on Phoenix Raceway for its fourth consecutive iteration at the venue and Decadence Arizona’s 11th New Year’s celebration dubbed the “Portal Of I11usions”.

This year, Relentless promised more unique experiences that have been missing from the event in years past. This saw the arrival of more food options, carnival rides, brand activations and even a full size pickleball court at this year's Decadence Arizona to create a sidequesters paradise.  

Fans were also excited for a less jam-packed festival as pathways between stages were widened, and the stages themselves were made slightly larger to accommodate for the influx of over 30,000 ravers. The Conservatory Dome was a fifth stage added to the middle of the festival grounds for Decadence 2025 offering more opportunities to explore and get lost in the music. 

Even with the increased attendance, there was plenty of space to move throughout the festival and dance into the New Year.

Day One

Adventure Club found themselves with an uncharacteristic earlier time slot than their normal performances, with their highly anticipated throwback set kicking Day 1 off at 8pm at the Grand Palace Stage.  The Canadian duo brought heavy doses of nostalgia, playing remixes of 2010s hits like “Pompeii”, “Cinema” and "Somebody That I Used to Know".  They concluded their set with their fan-favorite 2011 Melodic Bass Remix of “Crave You” by Flight Facilities, capping off a majestic 60 minutes.

Following the sentimental trip with Adventure Club at the Grand Palace, it was time to see what the Royal Ballroom had in store. Whethan remained a rare sight on EDM lineups this year, but he delivered one of the most surprising performances of the festival.  

Despite minor technical difficulties during his set, the Chicago based producer smoothly transitioned each track and mixed in and out of multiple different genres with effortless precision  The energy in the room peaked when Whethan dropped his dubstep heavy V.I.P. of his 2023 earworm “Money On The Dash” effectively setting the tempo for the rest of the night.

Hailing from San Diego, Knock2 took the stage next, marking his highly anticipated Arizona festival  debut and first appearance in the Valley since selling out Tempe’s Darkstar Theater in early 2023. He wasted no time, igniting the crowd with his intro track “SOUND DI ALARM” and just continued from there.

For the next 90 minutes, Knock2 unleashed sheer chaos on the feral crowd. A massive apparatus of flashing lights and shooting lasers surrounded the crowd as a trap heavy sound boomed from the wall of speakers at the rail. By the time Knock2 played his 2023 smash hit “Make U SWEAT!” The energy in the room was reaching a breaking point, making it feel as though the roof of the Grand Palace was about to pop off.

Across the festival at the Royal Ballroom, dubstep heavy weights Sullivan King and Kai Wachi geared up to close out Day One. Their back 2 back performance became one of the most highly anticipated performances on the bill as soon as the Decadence “Portal Of Illusions” lineup was released, and the duo did not disappoint.  

The synergy between Sullivan King’s metal inspired drops and Kai Wachi’s melodic vocal elements was immediately apparent as the duo swapped tracks back and forth. As fireballs erupted over the stage and mosh pits broke out across the dance floor, they played fan favorite collaborations such as “Take Flight” and their new track with Excision titled “Bonebreaker.”  The neck-breaking conclusion to Day One left the exhilarated crowd hungry for the second half of The New Year’s Celebration.

Day Two

Before the action began inside the raceway, many local ravers decided to get active in the parking lot. While many small gatherings were preparing for the evening ahead, one pregame function was louder than all others and could be heard across the lot. Local DJs Curti Beats and SaintRow hosted a “riddim renegade” out of their trunk with a set of decks and ginormous subwoofer system that set the tone for the final night of 2025.

Opening the Royal Ballroom for Day 2 was Arizona Native Ronan Casey, known professionally as DeathBeat. As soon as 6 p.m. hit and the gates opened, fans raced to the rail to catch the debut of his new audio/visual performance, “Last Man Standing.” 

“My goal is to stand out in a sea of saturation, and both Callan (Creative Director) and I thought maybe I can make it (Last Man Standing) about triumph instead of consistent darkness and finish the year on top,” Casey remarked. 

Embracing the “antihero” persona of Deathbeat that he has created, Casey designed an experience centered around beating the odds and preserving through adversity. 

Halfway through his set, a mosh pit erupted in the middle of the crowd during his “Bonebreaker” flip and necks shattered when he played his new track “KEEP TELLING YOURSELF THAT.”  He also debuted his new remix of “Turn the Lights Off” by Kato before ending the set by playing out his remix of "Crystallized” by John Summit. 

“It was stressful preparing, but this Decadence was probably the biggest one we’ve done in a very long time,” Casey said. “So, I’m very grateful for having the Relentless team and this opportunity to give the people a show.”  

As the sun set over the raceway, LEVEL UP took the stage for an uncharacteristically early time slot. Her signature green and purple visuals illuminated the increasingly crowded Royal Ballroom. She teased an unreleased remix with Wooli of Florence + The Machine’s “Spectrum (Say My Name).” Blurring the line between invigorating and hypnotizing, LEVEL UP’s infectious energy got the Day 2 crowd bouncing early, moving to the rhythm with every bass drop. She left the stage with an original remix of “Since You Been Gone” that had the crowd wanting more. 

While the clock continued to tick closer to midnight, SVDDEN DEATH was gearing up for the Arizona debut of his highly regarded “VOYD” set.  The popularity of the VOYD project is reaching peaks that SVDDEN DEATH’s main project has not even seen.  

A fully cinematic experience, “VOYD” offers a new perspective on the role of the alter ego in bass music. His Decadence performance looked more similar to an episode of Stranger Things than what would normally be seen at an EDM show.  Following a demonic 60 minutes that left the crowd entranced, it was time for one final set before the Decadence “Portal Of I11usions” opened up into the New Year.

As the bass genre shifted from the Royal Ballroom over to the Grand Palace stage, so too did the energy for the evening.  Rail space became prime real estate as fans who came to see Mike Posner cleared out in preparation for Green Velvet and the Bassheads swiftly took their places.  Everyone was making their way zig-zagging through the crowd to find the place they would celebrate the New Year.  

Anticipation defined Tape B’s Grand Palace set. He ramped the energy up with high intensity doubles and basslines that shook the stage as the anxious crowd geared up for the final moments of 2025.

Briefly after curating his own festival in Flagstaff, GRiZ entered a hiatus and stepped away from public life in late 2023. Then, in mid-2025 and with very little notice, he was back to releasing music, playing shows and engaging with the community.  When the Decadence “Portal of I11usions” lineup first released, it was an absolute no-brainer that GRiZ was going to receive the main stage role to count down 2025. However, no one knew just how much of a spectacle GRiZ’s return to Arizona would be.

As the clock struck 11:40 p.m., a massive rush of sound and lights greeted the crowd at the Grand Palace. Then came the instruments. Immediately, a trumpet and trombone player were present on stage accompanied by GRiZ himself playing a saxophone in between mixing tracks.  

Those in attendance at the Grand Palace descended into absolute pandemonium celebrating the return of GRiZ and final moments of 2025 while his smash hit “SAXORiDDiM” rang out across the raceway, paired with a dancing saxophone visual on the big LED screen behind him. The next 10 minutes provided a rush of bass, fire and lasers which all soared over the activated audience eagerly waiting for the clock to hit midnight.  With every transition, GRiZ found a way to continue to heighten the energy with his funky song selection and colorful visuals.

Suddenly, the tempo changed. A ticking clock appeared on stage accompanied with melodies from “Innerbloom” over the speakers and an announcement of “One Last Song for 2025.”  When the clock struck midnight and the countdown hit zero, balloons fell from the rafters and the familiar tune of “If You Need Me, I’m Yours” rang out before dropping into a melodic saxophone solo and laser show.  

After midnight, GRiZ kept the energy at a maximum, inviting rapper and fellow DJ ProbCause to the stage for their collaboration “Rainbow Brain.” He also brought vocalist Kaleena Zanders up to sing their new collab track “Nobody Else.” He continued dropping a combination of new ids and fan favorites such as “Chaos Theory” with Wooli alongside colorful visuals and intricate laser projections. His performance was a unique blend of EDM and classical elements to create a show unlike any other.

To close out Decadence, the biggest name in dubstep, Subtronics headlined.  As usual, he delivered a heartstopping performance featuring nonstop energy and a breathtaking laser production. A standout moment came when he brought his wife, LEVEL UP, on stage to celebrate her birthday and play their tandem track “Power.”  He also teased new music with Zeds Dead and Tape B, including an unreleased remix of “Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey.  

As is customary with Subtronics sets, the culminating moments of the festival came when he reminded the crowd to drink water, be nice to each other and get home safely.  With that, the Portal of Illusions was closed and is awaiting New Years Eve to open once again.