11 Years of Decadence: A Look At “Portal of I11usions”

A Decade Plus One

Relentless Beats returned for their 11th year to ring in the new year with Decadence: Portal of I11usions. For EDM fans in the valley, Decadence is always a marquee event to look forward to, and this year proved to be no exception. Beyond the bombastic performances, the festival offered an upbeat community atmosphere that welcomed ravers of all types. The grounds were massive, featuring six distinct stages, an arcade, thrill rides, and even a pickleball court.

Night One: Entering The Portal

The main attraction of Decadence is always the lineup, and night one started strong. Darren Styles kicked things off, bringing high energy early in the evening with a hardstyle set. Adventure Club followed, transporting the crowd back to 2015 with a nostalgic set of dubstep classics. Meanwhile, on the secondary stage, MEDVSA kept the crowd swaying with catchy house beats.

UK Garage and Trance Highlights

The energy spiked when Sammy Virji took the main stage. His infectious UK Garage and enthusiastic performance on the decks made him one of the biggest highlights of the first night. Keeping with the UK vibes, Hamdi delivered wobbly dubstep tracks on the other stage.

Sara Landry then captivated the audience with a trance set. She displayed true “girl boss” swagger. Sullivan King even surprised the crowd by controlling her pyrotechnics.

However, the standout performance of the night was arguably Knock2. Bringing an energy reminiscent of Skrillex sets from days past, his explosive performance had the crowd headbanging from the moment he walked out. It wasn’t just a highlight of the night; it was one of the best live DJ sets I’ve witnessed to date. Night one concluded with world-famous DJ Zedd, who took the crowd back in time with his signature nostalgic EDM pop. On the other stage Kai Wachi and Sullivan King were bringing the bass with an explosive dubstep set. The high energy left everyone excited for what night two would bring.

Night Two: New Year, New Illusions

Night two fell on New Year’s Eve, and the venue was packed from the start. The evening began with early bangers from heavy-hitters like Level Up, who delivered an explosive dubstep set filled with wubby bass and hard kicks. Simultaneously, the legendary Kaskade spun timeless house tracks to keep the vibes upbeat.

As the night deepened, SVDDEN DEATH brought a darker tone with heavy dubstep, mixing extremely low bass with alien synths for an unforgettable experience. Shifting gears, Mike Posner uplifted the main stage crowd with nostalgic tracks and a spirited performance. While the main stages were packed, attendees also explored four other stages, ranging from a silent disco to a dome blasting house music, ensuring there was something for every type of EDM fan.

The variety continued with Tape B bringing low-end vibey dubstep to the main stage, while SG Lewis hosted a party on the other stage with exotic, groovy house tracks.

New Year New Vibes

The Countdown and Finale For the New Year’s Countdown, Griz took over the main stage and absolutely killed it with a mix of live instrumentation and heavy drops. He was joined by guests Kaleena Zanders and ProbCause, making the countdown to the new year a truly memorable experience.

To close out the festival, Subtronics took the main stage, delivering boisterous and explosive drops. In a special surprise, he brought out his wife, Level Up, for a B2B set. Meanwhile, Odd Mob tore up the dance floor on the other side of the festival with pounding tech house beats. Overall, the second night of Decadence was an exciting conclusion to 2025 and a perfect welcome to 2026.