Phyoe Thaung
Nov 3, 2026
Rain couldn't stop the Halloween festivities at Rawhide Festival Grounds, where Subtronics, INZO, ATLiens, and Excision headlined two nights of heavy bass, immersive visuals, and costumed crowds.
Halloween weekend brought a different kind of haunting to Chandler, Arizona, as HEX Music Festival returned to Rawhide Festival Grounds for two nights of bass-heavy electronic music. Despite persistent rain throughout the weekend, festivalgoers showed up in elaborate costumes, moving between stages and embracing the Halloween atmosphere. With a lineup spanning experimental bass, dubstep, and darker electronic sounds, HEX transformed the festival grounds into a gathering of ravers ready to celebrate the holiday.
Friday's opening night featured headlining performances from INZO and Subtronics, alongside sets from LINZ, Nikademis, and LAYZ. The evening offered a wide range of electronic styles, moving between melodic soundscapes and heavier, more aggressive bass music as the night progressed.
INZO brought a distinctly atmospheric approach to his performance, blending intricate synth melodies with expansive electronic arrangements. His set created a more immersive experience, with colorful lighting complementing the softer, dreamlike moments of his music. Throughout the crowd, fans swayed alongside friends and partners, taking in a performance that offered a contrast to the heavier sounds heard elsewhere throughout the festival.
As Friday's headliner, Subtronics shifted the atmosphere toward a more unpredictable mix of dubstep, experimental bass, and melodic electronic music. Known for his technical mixing and willingness to rework familiar tracks during live performances, the Philadelphia producer moved between crushing drops and more melodic passages while incorporating unexpected samples and humorous references into his set.
His performance balanced the intensity that longtime listeners have come to expect with moments of levity, giving the crowd plenty of opportunities to react to sudden transitions and recognizable sounds. With an extensive collection of remixes and original material to draw from, Subtronics closed the festival's first night with a set that kept the audience moving despite the weather.
Saturday brought another round of Halloween celebrations as festivalgoers returned to Rawhide in costumes ranging from traditional horror characters to elaborate rave-inspired creations. The rain continued, but the weather did little to discourage attendees from making their way between stages, taking photos, and gathering for the evening's performances.
The second night's lineup included DEATHBEAT, PROXXXY, and yvm3, building toward headlining sets from ATLiens and Excision. With darker sounds taking center stage, Saturday leaned further into the festival's horror-inspired identity.
ATLiens delivered a performance that matched the Halloween setting. Recognizable by their signature masks and glowing red eyes, the electronic duo brought their ominous visual identity to the stage alongside a set built around deep bass, distorted electronic textures, and hard-hitting drops.
Their music's darker atmosphere fit naturally with the festival's production, as lasers and lighting effects cut through the rainy night. Fans remained engaged throughout the performance, dancing and singing along to familiar tracks and remixes while the duo maintained a steady stream of heavy electronic music.
Closing out Saturday and the festival itself, Excision brought his signature brand of high-impact dubstep to Rawhide Festival Grounds. The Canadian producer has built a reputation for combining powerful bass production with elaborate visual presentations, and his HEX appearance brought those elements together for a Halloween finale.
Excision's set leaned into darker, dystopian sounds, with thunderous drops accompanied by lasers, pyrotechnics, and large-scale lighting effects. The production amplified the music's intensity, creating a fitting conclusion to a weekend centered on horror-inspired imagery and bass-heavy performances.
Drawing from an extensive discography of original releases and collaborations, Excision incorporated material connected to artists including deadmau5, Wooli, and NGHTMRE. His set reflected the range of sounds that have helped establish him as one of dubstep's most recognizable names, balancing aggressive bass with melodic elements and cinematic production.
Throughout the performance, fans could be seen wearing Excision merchandise and custom outfits inspired by the producer's music and visual identity. The crowd's enthusiasm continued through the festival's final moments, bringing two nights of Halloween celebrations to a close.
Beyond the headlining performances, HEX offered an opportunity for Arizona's electronic music community to come together around a shared interest in bass music. The costumes, elaborate stage designs, and contrasting musical styles gave each night its own identity, while the persistent rain became another part of the weekend's experience.
From INZO's atmospheric production and Subtronics' unpredictable mixing on Friday to ATLiens' darker sound and Excision's thunderous finale on Saturday, HEX brought together several distinct approaches to electronic music under one Halloween-themed event.
With plans to return to Rawhide Festival Grounds next year, HEX continues to establish itself as a Halloween destination for Arizona's bass music fans. For those who spent the weekend dancing through the rain, the festival offered two nights of music, elaborate production, and a community willing to brave the elements for another round of Halloween festivities.