Down The Dark & Twisted Rabbit Hole of Escape Psycho Circus [Event Review]

Over two fright-filled nights, October 26-27, Southern California’s famed NOS Events Center was ruled by Insomniac’s sinister Escape Psycho Circus. The Red Ringmaster, Dolly, Tickles, and Stitches the Clown led Headliners down a dark and twisted rabbit hole, where costumed performers creeped through the night, the Asylum held all the spine-chilling fun, and dance music’s most sought after acts haunted the towering stages.

Entering Escape was like entering the unknown, never truly knowing what lie ahead. From the festival gates and beyond, contortionists, fortunetellers, magicians, ghoulish characters, and fire breathing snakes were awaiting attendees with their tricks and treats. Besides the killer musical performances that graced the hell-raising fairground, Headliners had plenty of frightening fun to choose from, whether they wanted a ride on the haunted carousel or if they dared… brave the Wonderland Asylum.

The 32,000 square-foot Wonderland Asylum is Escape’s very own house of terror. The haunting Asylum was made up of 30 horrifying rooms, all modeled after Escape’s infamous trailers from the past eight years. Headliners were asked to sign a waiver upon admittance into the ward, fitted into straitjackets and masks, and then led through the dark inner workings of the deranged Mad Hatter’s mind.

The 8th annual Escape Psycho Circus held over 70 performances across four monstrous stages, Slaughterhouse, Ghouls’ Graveyard, Chopping Block, and Cannibals’ Tea Party. Insomniac’s renowned brands, Bassrush, Basscon, Factory 93, and Audiotistic, hosted the tented megastructures providing music from across the electronic dance spectrum. Over the course of two ultra-spooky days, attendees witnessed exceptional performances from artists such as Andy C, ANNA, Camelphat, Claude VonStroke, Diplo, Excision, Galantis, Green Velvet, Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati, JOYRYDE, Kai Wachi, Kaskade, Lane 8, Martin Garrix, Seven Lions, W&W, Zeds Dead, and many more.

Insomniac’s brand of house and techno, Factory 93, took over the Cannibals’ Tea Party across the two-day sold out weekend. On day one, Hot Creations label boss, Jamie Jones kept the party alive with his Paradise hosted event. We started off Friday with Brazil-born, Barcelona-based, techno heroine, ANNA. She showcased her “Hidden Beauties” and ultimately awoke the dead with her dark pummeling techno. The underground vibes continued with seasoned techno veteran Joseph Capriati and got a little groovy with the man of the hour, Jamie Jones.

We later picked up the BPM’s at the Chopping Block, hosted by Insomniac’s Basscon, which supports the harder styles of dance music. Basscon had a stacked lineup the entire night with artists like Angerfist, Brennan Heart, Digital Punk, Lady Faith, and Wasted Penguinz taking the stage. We caught a heart-racing b2b set from hardstyle’s leading duos, Wasted Penguinz and Crisis Era. If you’re a fan of pulsating lasers and blistering tempos, then this was the place to be on Friday.

The first night of Escape was definitely for the bass-loving Headliners. Bassrush curated the Ghouls’ Graveyard and gave us a bill packed with bone-rattling bass, including Andy C, GTA, Excision, JOYRYDE, and more. JOYRYDE shook the Graveyard with his soul-shattering bass house, dropping “I WARE HOUSE” and his brand new collab with Skrillex, “AGEN WIDA.” It was PURE FIRE.

We concluded the night with a trip to the Slaughterhouse for the Grammy nominated producer, Kaskade. The Slaughterhouse’s DJ booth was nestled inside of a gaping sinister clown’s mouth, alongside beaming ghoulish eyes and decorated with hundreds of video tiles and lasers. The stage roared with insane production as his fan favorites, “Last Chance,” “Us,” “Eyes,” and “Fun” filled the complex. The flow toys were out and the crowd was vibing. It was a beautiful closing of the first night.

One serving of the Cannibals’ Tea Party was not enough so we went back for seconds. On day two, Factory 93 was still in control of the music, but this time a new leader was in charge, the legendary Green Velvet. We were taken from Paradise to a little funky town called Green Velvet’s La La Land. The legend brought more house to the mix with a roster comprised of Claude VonStroke, No Requests, Solardo, and some devilish b2b’s between Detlef & Latmun and Dubfire & Tiga. The time spent here was not only incredible, but full of surprises, especially that shocking bonus Get Real b2b performance from Claude and Green Velvet to close out the night.

The Chopping Block received a dose of trap, house, and everything in between on Saturday with another stage takeover. This time by Insomniac’s cutting-edge brand, Audiotistic. Between the musical stylings of Dombresky and Snakehips, it was an exhilarating ride between genres.

We returned to the Slaughterhouse on day two for some Amsterdam trap from Dutch duo, Yellow Claw. They packed the house and threw down an ultra hype multi-genre set. While at this stage, we took some time to explore VIP. Slaughterhouse’s VIP area was Jumanji-inspired and included panoramic views of the stage, kandi making stations, servings of hot chocolate and coffee, fully stocked bars, a Bewitched beauty bar, and a hookah lounge. We’ll be honest with you, some music festival’s VIP experience is not worth forging up the extra cash, however, that’s not the case for Escape. Escape Psycho Circus’ plentiful VIP offerings make it worth every penny.

The remainder of the night was spent at Ghouls’ Graveyard for some No Redemption from Tchami x Malaa followed by a closing set by the almighty Eric Prydz. The combined menacing beats of Tchami’s future house and Malaa’s G-house swag showed why they’re the leading French powerhouse duo.

Finally, the grand finale from Eric Prydz. Over the course of two hours, he struck us with green darting lasers and drew us in with a mind-blowing progressive/techno set. Eric Prydz’s setlist included his remix of Faithless’ “Not Going Home,” Cristoph’s “Epoch,” and in typical Prydz fashion, many unreleased ID’s. He left us awe-struck and grinning from ear to ear. Hands down, the best set of the weekend.

Here’s a short clip of the EPIC-ness that is Eric Prydz:

Between the wickedly good music, production, performers, and thrills, this event was unmatched. Insomniac once again delivered the Halloween experience of the year with Escape Psycho Circus! A big thanks to Insomniac for the opportunity to cover the festival.

Headliners, we hope to see you next year for an even spookier Escape. If you need a festival to help hold you over until next year’s Halloween festivities, check out EDC Orlando this weekend or the upcoming all trance festival, Dreamstate SoCal.

Connect with Escape Psycho Circus: 
https://www.facebook.com/EscapeHalloween
https://twitter.com/escapehalloween
https://www.instagram.com/escapehalloween
http://escapehalloween.com

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