Operation Blacklist Festival: Mission Complete
- The Filthy Beat Inspectors
- Oct 14
- 5 min read
From Denver to Düsseldorf, Dubstep FBI took over the Warlock Stage with heavy hitters like NIMDA, Virtual Riot, Code: Pandorum, Dr Donk, and more.
Alright agents, buckle up because your fellow dubstep detective just returned from one of the wildest missions yet: Blacklist Festival at Turbinenhalle Oberhausen. And yes, I may or may not need 3 - 5 business days (minimum) to recover.
When the invite first hit our inbox for a Dubstep FBI takeover at the Warlock Stage, I almost spit out my coffee. The biggest bass festival in Germany? Us?
Say less.
It was one of those moments where you just sit there in disbelief before immediately texting the group chat in all caps. We were truly honored... like, “pinch me, am I dreaming?” honored. This was no small mission. Only catch? My partner in crime, Chrissy, couldn’t make the trip. So this time, I went solo on the investigation.
I hopped on a flight from the bass capital, Denver, and landed in Düsseldorf Friday morning feeling like a walking corpse powered purely by crappy airplane coffee and adrenaline. And not to mention: I may have slept until 2 p.m. on Saturday... Jet lag hits hard, don’t give me a citation please.
Since Chrissy couldn’t join, I teamed up with Marvin from Bassbox to back me up on the ground.
We kicked things off with some good ol’ high knees in the parking lot for the pop-up bass takeover, the perfect cardio for the chaos to come.
Had to grab a quick photo with the girlies repping the “Hot Girls <3 Dubstep” stickers too because, priorities.
Shoutout to all the legends who threw down during the pop-up bass takeover: FINNINGHAM, KRISCHVN, GELLOTY, YOINK, Kumozo, Mafium, JNSD, OGER, and SVD KITTY. Y’all set the tone perfectly.
Once inside, I took a quick lap to scope the venue. Four stages, each packed with killer production and crisp sound. There was even a tattoo artist doing pieces on a first-come, first-serve basis. I contemplated getting "FILTHY BASS INSPECTOR" tatted across my chest but then I remembered my entire family follows me on Instagram.
The Warlock Stage though... wow. Easily one of the most impressive setups of the entire fest. You could rage in the pit or scope out the chaos from the balcony above. (10/10 for strategic crowd surveillance.)
AUTODRIVE b2b Red Hood Squad kicked things off with some filthy dubstep that may have permanently rearranged my facial muscles (bass face status: locked).
Then BORN GLOBAL came through with some DnB, and listen... I never know how to dance to drum & bass, so I just end up flicking my wrists like I’m feeding the chickens. No shame.
Next up, KEEL from Mexico absolutely tore it up. Love seeing representation from my own country and women holding it down in the scene. Viva México, and shoutout to my friends over at Bass Department for always being so welcoming.
After that, it was time for our Dubstep FBI fam meetup at the Health Plaza, and wow did y’all show out. Seeing so many of you repping our tactical bags, or even just stopping to say hi meant the world.
Whether you’ve bought merch, followed our playlists, or just shared our posts, your support fuels this entire mission.
As the meetup came to an end, NIMDA was up next... Oh. My. God. Every time this man presses play, I lose all self-control and realize halfway through that maybe I should’ve done more exercise before flying out. Feral levels: maxed.
The lineup this year was absolutely stacked, so I had to hop around. LAYZ brought complete mayhem, pits nonstop and chaos everywhere. She doesn’t bring the storm, she is the storm.
Then over at the Black Hole stage, Explorers of the Internet delivered the most unhinged set I've ever witnessed to date. There were chairs in the moshpit, people playing twister, and they were feeding cheese and bananas to the crowd like it was part of their setlist!
Don’t worry, I finally issued them a citation after they dodged us back at Rampage Open Air. Justice served.
Then came, Dr.Ushūu delivered back-to-back bangers. I've seen him more times than I can count on one hand but his sets get better and better. When he dropped El Sonidito into Quasar VIP, my latina instincts fully activated. I lost all control and couldn't stop dancing!
Back at Warlock, things got seriously unhinged with The Resistance and HURTBOX. The Resistance had me questioning reality... that set was straight-up feral mode unlocked.
When HURTBOX took the stage, if I got a dollar every time someone asked, “Wait, is that HOL!?”, I could retire tomorrow. Newsflash, it wasn’t, but he dropped so many bangers. He also brought out Shiverz to do a b2b for the last 15 minutes.
After HURTBOX, I had to sneak over to the Black Hole Stage to catch our brother roi*. And let’s just say, this man never disappoints. He brought the craziest energy of the night and the crowd was absolutely losing their minds. This man could literally take a nap on stage and people would go crazy.
After that, I sprinted back to the Warlock Stage for Code: Pandorum, who turned the venue into straight carnage. The man brought pure destruction and the rail was barely holding on. When he debuted his rebrand in the last 15 minutes, it legitimately scared the sh*t out of me... but in the best possible way. Consider me terrorized and healed simultaneously.
Then, at 3:30 a.m., the doctor clocked in. Dr Donk’s Zaagstep Live set was a full-blown fever dream of dubstep and obnoxious uptempo, and I was absolutely here for it.
“Doctor, I’m sick!”
“Say less, here’s 200 BPM and a kickdrum to the face.”
I left that set cured from jet lag, exhaustion, and probably my seasonal depression.
He even brought out Ricky West for their collab “Revenge of the Nerds.” When Dr Donk dropped the VIP version without warning, you could literally see Ricky’s soul leave his body.
Naturally, I had to issue Dr Donk a citation for illegal Zaagstep activity and informed him that all donk basslines would be confiscated until further notice.
Finally, Red Hood Squad closed out the Warlock Stage with a relentless hard techno set that left no survivors. My neck was gone, my legs were noodles, and my spirit was somewhere floating above Turbinenhalle watching the chaos unfold.
Blacklist Festival gets a 10/10 — would absolutely investigate again. Massive love to the Blacklist crew for the hospitality and for letting us go feral on German soil.
To every single fan who stopped by, headbanged with me, or screamed “FBI OPEN UP!” from the pit, you’re the real MVPs.
We definitely hit our monthly quota of bass and madness, and something tells me we’ll be back for round two next year. Until then, stay hydrated, stretch your necks, and remember… the case is closed, but the investigation never truly ends.
Dubstep FBI Co-Founder Yesi can be found on insta.
PEEP OUR MERCH: dubstepfbi.com/shop [use code FBI2025 for free shipping]
Follow DUBSTEP FBI on socials:
PEEP OUR PLAYLISTS ON SPOTIFY:
