Mission Success: Dubstation Massacre's 5th year was best yet
- The Filthy Beat Inspectors
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
The festival leveled up with venue expansion; sets from the biggest riddim & dubstep artists in the game.
Dubstation Massacre has become the premier Halloween festival for riddim and dubstep fans.
This year's edition brought a venue expansion, featuring four stages all decorated under a gorey display of Halloween-themed props.
Taking place over two days, October 31 and November 1, 2025, the fully immersive festival was hosted at the Lakehurst Event Center in Waukegan, Illinois.
Before diving in, we would like to give a huge shoutout to the team who worked tirelessly to bring this year's festival to life. Shoutout to Anakin, Andrew and Brian for spot-on advancing and roll-outs, and shoutout to the production team, security, merch team, media team and everyone else involved.
We know how much responsibility and effort goes into an event like this, and we appreciate you creating a safe space for us to celebrate in.
My mission for this trip was an important one: Cite and detain as many criminals as I could before the clocks turned back for Daylight Savings Time.
Let's begin.
Day 1: Halloween
This mission was taken solo by yours truly, so you better believe that I meant business the second I landed in Chicago. I linked up with Agent Mo, and we jumped in the rental car, beginning the drive to Waukegan.
After checking in and getting settled, we entered the venue just as TORMENT was infecting the newly relocated Mad Lab Stage. It was now upstairs on the second floor of the Lakehurst Events Center, near a small promenade with tables and a "Taco Stage."
Not even in the venue for five minutes, I had to write a citation for the first criminal of the night: KIRU.
We knew we were in for a treat as the crowd started pouring in on Halloween. The Mad Lab Stage quickly filled up when VICIOUS took over. He dropped the Midroll remix of Mr. Snazzy Jogged Dub and played pit-pleasing songs like The Act of Illusion by The Masquerade.
The Mad Lab Stage was in total chaos, as costumes like Scream, Richard Finger and Greek Gods moshed around the floor.
When we tell you the speakers were BUMPING, we mean it. Friendly reminder to wear earplugs, folks!
Mile32 was next up and threw down a set of doubles. The man was chopping it up, putting on a clinic for the crowd. At this point, it felt like a massive Halloween rager as the party kicked up.
Then, the moment we had all been waiting for happened over on the mainstage. The return of VKTM b2b Sanzu had begun.
This was a special moment for riddim fans who witnessed the historic Sanzu b2b VKTM set at the Renegades for Summoning of the Eclipse in 2023. It felt full circle to be reuniting almost exactly two years later to celebrate where this energy all began.
It wouldn't be a VKZU set without the most colorful moshpits you've ever seen in your life. All the homies were in there, including Edweeaaan with his light and the Festival Finesser.
After what was one of the craziest sets of the year, it was time to do what I came out here to do: Lock up criminals.
Mile32 was immediately cited and captured when spotted backstage after his performance. I threw him and his manager Austin in the cell, telling them that I would see them in Dubstep Court.
There was no time to spare as the crew and I ran over to Mad Lab for Changoxxxy. Proxxxango. Prango. Whatever you want to call it.
Running up to the pit, I spotted people dressed as Spiderman and a carrot dancing around the floor. This was the moment I knew that the weekend was just getting started.
The kids were loving it. It was that fun, bouncy riddm we all love to dance to. Chango was on stage with the two PROXXXYs and the room exploded, as riddim rats raged under the lasers for an hour.
It was time to hit the hardstyle stage to see our good buddys, KAMI, throw down some hard sh*t at the dubstep festival. They came out swinging as we finally saw who the true kandi kids were among the crowd of gabberers and hakkers.
Soon, Bear Grillz was on at mainstage. This was a juicy headline set, packed with Co2 and lasers, as we celebrated Halloween into the night.
I was one step closer to hitting my quota as we ran into Anakin, the talent buyer for Dubstation Massacre. It was time to cite him for his illegal talent buying (I mean, just look at the lineup). Yeah, that's a crime punishable by law.
Day 2: The Aftermath
The second day of festivals have some of the highest vibes. Everyone knows their way around. Everyone is getting into the groove of rave time.
The second day of Dubstation Massacre started with a bang, as I cited my neighbors for pregaming too loud in the hotel. One ticket closer to my final quota for the weekend, I headed to the venue to get the night started.
THRASHA thudded down mainstage with her signature bouncy dubstep-riddim combination plater.
It was a charcuterie board of sing-alongs (Last Friday Night) and iconic numbers like Menticide by Samplifire and YAKZ. She drew the crowd in for round two of mayhem, and it was one of her best sets yet.
Concurrently, WARLORD and MXRLY were throwing down on the Mad Lab Stage. I ran over there to investigate, and just as I thought — Mr. Snazzy had taken over the scene.
It wouldn't be a WARLORD set without the viral song, MR. SNAZZY JOGGED DUB, and this time, he played the "Return to Pothole City Special" that dropped on Beat Intelligence Network last month.
It was a mainstage moment where the true fans showed up in the pits. MVRDA played his higly coveted plate, Cessation, and a recent release, The Showdown at Pioneer Peak on BIN. Fans were stoked to see Badklaat, many experiencing his energy for the first time.
Things were not slowing down upstairs at Mad Lab, because VLCN had the entire floor losing their minds. I pulled up to a pit with people swinging each other in circles, aggressively shoving and causing chaos all around.
All was right in the Dubstep World, and before long, I was back at the jail cell arresting criminals.
This time, Agent Anistin and I captured THRASHA, RiddimNYC, Austin (for the second time) and some others in the highly coveted jail cell.
Whales was throwing down on mainstage and the place was slammed as inflatable whales bounced in the pit. High energy and peak production kept our stamina high into the night.
Before we knew it, THE RESISTANCE took the stage. I had high expectations for this set and they were completely shattered.
This performance was one for the books. The mosh pits had grown into their final form as CO2 sprayed from the mainstage cannons.
There was nowhere else to be except the moshpit. It was sweaty, violent and dressed up in all kinds of Halloween costumes. Jedis and Darth Vader touched tips as the filthiest riddim you've ever heard in your life blared from the PK Sound.
And, as if we needed a reminder that we were at the biggest riddim Halloween event in the country (world?), the Girl Pit flag flew high in the crowd.
There wasn't a moment of chill after that set, as Dion Timmer kept the crowd going as anticipation built for the final moments before Daylight Savings Time. Before then, I had to squeeze in my final citation of the weekend.
THE RESISTANCE had just gotten off stage, but they couldn't escape the bounds of the jail cell as I escorted them behind bars. They were issued a citation for causing violence in the pits, among other things, and had no choice but to surrender.
Immediately after detaining the biggest criminals of the night, I sprinted up to the second floor for Izzy Vadim. The room was slammed, overflowing with riddim rats making the most out of the last minutes of the festival.
I was immediately pulled on stage with five other people and we broke out in high knees, hyping up the crowd just as much as they were hyping us up. It felt like a gritty, sweaty afters where your brain is in total awe, trying to process the mayhem unfolding before your eyes.
The clock striked 2 a.m. and instantly turned back, awarding fans with an extra hour of raving that would be spent admiring a gigantic, surprise b2b for the afters.
Artists like THRASHA, HEXXA, beastboi. and Mile32 threw down until the early hours in the morning, allowing everyone to release any pent-up energy that may have been left.
It was the perfect way to end the weekend.
If you weren't there, we feel bad for you son. I got 99 problems but the rave ain't one.
Dubstep FBI Co-Founder Chrissy can be found on socials.
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