Ringing in the New Year in true Texas fashion was Lights All Night, which could not have been bigger or better. With a 5th consecutive sold out year, Disco Presents threw one incredible end-of-year festival located at Dallas’ Market Hall.
Unlike a camping festival in the woods or at a remote beach, LAN is conveniently situated right off Interstate 35, leading into downtown. For my wife and I, it was about a 40-minute commute to the venue, so we drove there and back each night. For traveling concertgoers, there are many other options. There is also the Airbnb option, as my wife’s cousin and his group chose to do. Lastly, the Renaissance Hotel was literally in the parking lot of LAN and the Hilton Anatole across the street, making for great after party vibes.
Arrival
Doors and parking opened at 5 pm, with the first act starting at 6 pm. After enjoying a nice meal at a quaint Spanish restaurant in Bishop Arts, we arrived at the venue around 5:30 or so. Parking was super easy and efficient, requiring only a 5-minute walk to the main entrance. After snagging our wristbands, we were off and quickly made our way through the line. The first artist had just begun, so we scurried to the main stage to catch house queen LASPOOKY.
Hailing from Houston, her Latina vibes threw a dash of spice into her set. Only having a 35-minute time slot truly didn’t do her justice. She warmed the crowd nicely with thumping house beats and deep techy vibes. My wife couldn’t stop staring at her curvy figure dancing behind dark, thick-rimmed glasses. Her vivacious smile illuminated the stage as the crowd began to thicken and more and more festival goers poured into the building.
After a set change, we moseyed around a bit, checking out all the cool installations and everything LAN had to offer. We wandered outside before getting in touch with my wife’s cousin, who was in town from Waco with his group for the festival. Being a huge DnB fan, we made our way back to Metroplex Stage to check out MUZZ with him.
MUZZ’s set was so sick! It really kicked things into high gear. Hailing from London, UK, his thick accent dominated the mic and caught my attention. MUZZ’s performance took me back, bringing that early 2000s drum and bass feel to the forefront. I felt like I was in a time warp, in the best way possible. His gritty uptempo beats blasted through the speakers as the thick crowd began to move. One of the coolest things about LAN is the diversity of the lineup. You get House, DnB, Bass, Dubstep, Melodic—you name it—all on one stage. It truly was an amazing concert experience.
Lost in the sauce
After MUZZ’s insanely dope nostalgic set, we hung around for a bit of William Black before stepping outside on a side quest. William Black was quite unique, blending delicate melodic vocals with a smashing headbanging drop that will have you flying off the rails. Although you might think those two genres wouldn’t go together, Black does an amazing job of perfectly merging them. After about 20 minutes or so, we embarked on our Side Quest…and no, not that kind of side quest. The group SideQuest brah.
Starting at 7:45, these youthful goofballs brought all the energy to the streets. Playing at the Lonestar stage underneath the pavilion, these two were all over the place. With a bit of frat boy vibes and dancing around with no shirts on, their set was still rather enjoyable for my old self. Full of energy and pizzazz, these guys played a mix of everything genre-wise. Although they were only allowed 30 minutes of my time, because at 8:15 it was all about Barclay, baby!
After losing track of time, we made a mad dash back inside to the Metroplex stage for Barclay Crenshaw. I WAS NOT ABOUT TO MISS HIS SET! After blowing my mind at Wakaan, I was in need of a second dose of Mr. Crenshaw this year. You can almost sniff out those veteran DJs whenever they take the stage and begin to perform. Their sets are perfectly crafted and multilayered with a thickness of perfection. Barclay is most definitely one of them.
His gritty jungle garage beats transported me to a dark alley with fire-lit trash cans on either side of me. Tromping around in my Tims and baggy clothing, I didn’t know whether I was blasting off into outer space or in an early 90s Wu-Tang video. Barclay is a mastermind at blending so many genres and taking you on a musical journey within the allotted amount of time you give him. When the raspy beat of “Tiramisu” came on, the bumper kit began to drag, and things started to get a little wavy. His LAN set was a force to be reckoned with among the lineup of heavy hitters. Plus, his dancers on either side of him were super cool to watch as he performed.
In through the out door
I don’t know how it happened, but after Barclays set, we decided to step outside and see what was going on for a moment. Man, were we in for a treat! CHYL had been performing for about 10 or 15 minutes as we made our way to the side of the stage for a closer look. Her uplifting dance style was exactly what we needed. Exuding nothing but good vibes, we all began to groove along to her set as she commanded the stage. A bit of pop and a dash of dance, CHYL’s mix was unlike anything we had witnessed that evening. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she flipped us all on our heads with a wavy rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock,” and the crowd went wild! It was so freaking awesome singing along in unison as we wiggled together in the crisp night air.
Sadly, her set finally came to an end, and we trudged inside once again towards the Metroplex stage. The general consensus of the group was, “Damn, I’m glad we went outside for that.” As we barged through the ever-growing crowd, we managed to catch the tail end of Marauda’s set before Black Tiger Sex Machine came on. To finish the night, we were able to get into VIP with Rachel’s cousin, Geoff, and his group. Sliding our way up to the left side of the stage, we found ourselves in a good position
This is the good part
Waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the lights finally went completely black as the masked veterans entered the stage. Adorning their LED black tiger cat helmets, the two super producers took command of the Metroplex stage. As I mentioned earlier, those perfectly crafted sets stand out like a sore thumb among the vast array of other artists. Known for their heavy headbanger style of bass music, my wife was worried it would be a bit too much for her, but to her surprise, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Black Tiger Sex Machine was very well balanced in that sense, taking you on a hard and heavy ride while knowing when to ease up and groove along at the drop of a dime. Their hour-plus set seemed to fly by; with super cool visuals on the HUGE screen behind them, it was easy to get lost in the sauce of BTSM’s musical journey. At the end of their set, they ripped off their giant helmets and began to talk to the crowd. After a huge chant of ‘BTSM,’ they played one more tune to close out the evening.
…And then came the Ganja…Holy shit! A large dose of the Ganja White Night was exactly what the doctor ordered. My wife and I sat perched at a stand-up table in VIP as Geoff and his group began to disperse. He’s not a big fan of the Riddim stuff, so they went to watch Ray Volpe on the disco rodeo stage…but oh, how he was missing out. Playing numerous hits off their most recent Unity LP, this Belgium duo took control of the night and sent us straight to Jamrock. Their reggae-infused collaboration “Burnin’” with Boogie T sent the crowd into a peaceful sway. I couldn’t seem to get the chorus out of my head for the remainder of the evening.
“And if the world’s still turnin’, I tell the people, “Watch what you be concerned with” (Yeah).”
The icing on the cake was the animated Boogie T sliding all over the place in the background. Then, of course, came the Ganja Tape collaboration with Mr. Tape B, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Cell phones took to the sky and smoke filled the room as the chorus rang loudly amongst the crowd. Ganja grooved us into the headlining act with immaculate style and stage presence. As their last tune rang out from the speakers, we stood there for a second just to soak it all in, then proceeded out the side exit to the Lonestar stage one last time to catch San Pacho in the frigid night air.
The home stretch
Sitting perched beneath a giant oak tree named Gallah, my wife and I enjoyed the pleasant sounds of San Pacho for the remainder of the event. After discovering him on SoundCloud, he was definitely on our list to check out on the first day. Depleted and tired, we slumped against the massive tree and rested for a bit. With every intention of getting up to dance, we remained glued to this enormous oak tree. The Latin flair of San Pacho rang loudly through the trees and the purple incandescent lights of the venue.
Huge horns blasted through the night sky as his recent hit “Horny” blared through the speakers and made its way toward us underneath the old oak tree. “Ahhhh, this is exactly where we’re supposed to be,” I thought as we wrapped up the evening superbly. San Pacho’s set took us home as perfectly as the night started. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the evening than slumped against a giant tree in the mud next to the most amazing person in the world.
Time to call this little lady a night
We made our way out of the building around a quarter to 2am to try to beat the parking lot traffic. Remembering to drop a pin at our parking space, we found our car with ease. Merging onto the foggy access road, we proceeded to make a U-turn and head back toward our favorite downtown taco spot, Velvet Taco. I couldn’t see a thing winding through the dense fog while trying to find our destination. Finally, after twisting and turning through Oak Lawn, we found the restaurant. Eight minutes past last call, my wife was thoroughly upset that she could not get a Paloma for her usual nightcap.
I ordered my chicken and waffle taco along with a rotisserie-style one, and my wife got her veggie taco. Munching like we hadn’t eaten in weeks, we devoured our late-night snack and headed to the car. Squinting at the road, I navigated through the city streets to the highway to embark on our long journey home…
Disco Presents and the LAN crew organized a fantastic event. I felt safe and welcomed every step of the way. From the event staff to the collaboration with the paramedics and the Dallas Police Department, everything was incredibly welcoming and inclusive. Gallivanting around and unleashing our inner child, we danced the night away to a barrage of amazing artists. We were only warming up though because we still had Night Two to tackle…
