Dusk '24: Recap and Review

Over this past year, I’ve been dipping my toes into the EDM and rave scene, both in large festivals and local raves. I got the opportunity to go to Dusk 2024 this year and was stoked at the chance! I was able to go to the latter half of both days, and experienced what Dusk had to offer.

The Festival:

Dusk is set in the heart of Tucson, in Jácome Plaza. The venue is surrounded by the tall downtown buildings, next to the Pima County Historic Courthouse and Joel D. Valdez Main Library. It’s fun to see the typical downtown environment become a festival venue and the location makes transportation a breeze. The walkable nature of downtown and convenient streetcar allows you to wander over to the festival on foot- or grab a delicious slice of Empire pizza on your way out, like we did.

Inside the festival, you see the plaza transformed into a technicolor playground. From the main box office, we saw a duck-shaped disco ball, wacky inflatable-arm tube guys, and vendors galore. The vendors offered a selection of ravewear, accessories, and art, and there were stalls to get a new hairstyle or makeup for the event. I smelled some enticing food vendors as well. There were even Dippin’ Dots!

There was also:

2 bracelet-making stations

A free play arcade hosted by Cobra Arcade. I played a lot of Pac-man!

A lounge area with couches next to the courthouse entrance. My group and I spent a lot of time here. This was a really nice place to take a break from the high energy of the festival, while still being able to hear the music playing from Alameda.

A VR lounge/experience.

A rubber duck pond. I think the festival should’ve been called DUCKS

The Sets:

Emorfik:

I had never heard of this artist beforehand, but his set was one of the most fun of both nights! His style is absolutely made for headbanging.  I loved the scary visuals in the background- it looked like he was being controlled by a skeleton that was making him DJ. Though dubstep isn’t a genre I usually go for, I couldn’t help but stay and headbang for all of his set. There was so much energy both from the crowd and from Emorfik.

Kaskade:

Kaskade was amazing. His visuals were a psychedelic dream to watch, and his mix of house classics and his own songs, like “Tears don’t Fall”, was so so amazing to explore in person. The energy in the crowd was electric during this last set of the night. I went home sore from dancing and ready for Day 2.

Disco Lines:

On Day 2, we arrived right on time to catch Disco Lines in action! This was easily my favorite of both nights. The bouncy beat he kept going made it impossible not to dance, and he mixed in his hit “Baby Girl” along with other songs like Tame Impala’s “Let it Happen”, which made me absolutely ascend. Disco Lines’ set was a great start to the night, and one of my personal highlights.

Masego:

Masego brought a very different, but very welcome vibe to Dusk. His performance was a silky-smooth retro groove that reminded me of Silk Sonic. His vibe, visuals, and style reminded me of a late-night bar in a movie, retro yet futuristic at the same time. A downtempo shift from some of the other performers at Dusk, Masego had people swaying to his jazzy rhythms. After performing his setlist, he made a beat and started freestyling on the spot. I realized even though I didn’t know him by name before Dusk, I recognized his song Navajo right away!

Steve Aoki:

I was so excited to see Steve Aoki, and of course he didn’t disappoint! A few things that stuck out to me about his set were the variety of genres and the crowd work. I noticed he mixed in a lot of different EDM genres- there was something for everyone. He would go from one genre, then back to house, then switch it up again. I heard DNB, techno, dubstep, and other styles, but he always shifted back to his signature sound. Next, the crowd work Steve Aoki incorporated made the show so interactive! For one song, he had us all move to the left, then right, and the whole crowd followed along! He had us wave our phone lights, put up hand hearts, and took a selfie with the crowd. I wish I had stayed for the cake throw! His set also included Latin hits, anime (One Piece) and movie references and his new singles. Seeing Steve Aoki was such a blast, and a great way to wrap up the final night of Dusk.

Dusk was a bucket list event for me and, I’m so glad I got to go! I wish I had gone earlier, so I could have experienced more artist’s shows, but unfortunately wasn’t able to due to time constraints. I’m glad I got to see the artists I did and explore what the festival had to offer. What I really enjoyed was the opportunity to find new artists and explore new genres in such a welcoming and friendly space. If you decide to go next year- see you there!