Ravetopia: Fate had its way of intervening, as I unexpectedly found myself in a unique situation. Despite initially declining my friends' requests to see BTSM again, given that I had already witnessed their performances multiple times within the last couple of years thanks to Lost Lands and The Armory, the Universe had other plans for me. It turns out, I ended up with a group of ten friends, occupying a VIP Club Box at The Armory. This unexpected turn of events occurred after receiving a message from Suzie at The Armory stating that there were still available boxes for Friday's show. Sadly our normal crew member GP was honoring his ancestors with his family this weekend and couldn’t make this one. I am happy to report an update after catching up with Suzie. For those that follow our Armory articles, Suzie did get her cat Merlin back. After about eighteen days of being on the run he just came home!
Kela: Paul(PLUR GRR) and I were called Thursday night by our good friends over at Ravetopia, asking what our plans were for Friday night. They tempted us to repent our sins with a VIP Booth at one of our mutually favorite venues, The Armory. After a quick discussion, we decided it was time for us to go back to Church.


We looked at the line up and it was stacked. Some people we have seen, but also, some new acts too. On the lineup was, the menacing Lords of wubs and dubs, Shanghai Doom, the pleasurable vibrations of Heyz, the female Gordon Ramsey with the beats, Canabliss, the guy who desperately tries to make the worst songs in the world but somehow always makes it sound good, Must Die, and of course, The Resistance, BTSM.
We rode up to Minneapolis with the biggest BTSM fan we know, our brother, Rob. Luckily, we left early enough to stop by and see some of the rave fam that lives close to The Armory, before the show. Right around 9, we met up with Ravetopia and the rest of the crew at the VIP entrance and headed in. The staff was great, our seating was precise, the view was amazing!
Ravetopia: As our Shorefest comrades, Rob, Kela, and PLUR GRR, set forth on their journey to the city, the rest of our crew eagerly followed suit. Our Ravetopia family united, cruising in our reliable 2020 Buick Encore, which we acquired from our homie of Midwest Dragons, Mark Dohmen, currently employed at Dixie Buick GMC. Accompanying my wife and I was Louie Fontana, an artist we frequently collaborate with and support with merchandise, as well as our beloved Shorefest official friend Blue. Meanwhile, David and Darrian, the enthusiastic Lost Lands fiancés, embarked in their own vehicle, seizing the opportunity to visit their storage unit in Wisconsin. Lastly, Shawna, a cherished member from our Electric Summer Vending team last year, joined us after making her way from just outside the cities area.
Kela: First opener of the night was Shanghai Doom. We've seen Shanghai Doom once before, at Kosmic Kingdom in Des Moines, IA a few years back. Sadly that festival is no longer operating, but it was a smaller festival with some great core memories. Shanghai Doom began lifting the mood with a lower frequency bass while maintaining their glitchy-choppy approach. As an opening act, they definitely set an incredible vibe for a wonderful night.
Ravetopia: When it comes to openers, I often find myself racking my brain to remember if I've seen them before. However, during my review of PLUR GRR and Kela's past content, I had a delightful surprise. I stumbled upon Shanghai Doom's mesmerizing set at Kosmic Kingdom, a show that six out of the ten members in attendance tonight had also experienced. Then I realized six of ten were also at Shorefest.
Shanghai Doom, the dynamic DJ duo from Central Jersey, is making waves in the world of experimental bass music. This talented pair has been captivating audiences since their inception in 2017. Their genre-defying style has garnered them recognition and support from esteemed artists including Liquid Stranger, Excision, Mr. Carmack, Protohype, and TYNAN. Their impressive discography boasts releases on renowned labels such as WAKAAN, Cyclops Recordings, Bassrush, and Wormhole. Each release showcases Shanghai Doom's meticulous attention to detail and their ability to craft spine-chilling atmospheres with their intricate sound design has earned them coveted opportunities to perform alongside LSDream and Shlump on the Universal Wub Tour, as well as gracing the stages of prestigious festivals like WAKAAN, Home Bass WAKAAN Takeover, Get Freaky, and Ubbi Dubbi. The duo's electrifying performances and unique soundscapes leave a lasting impact on audiences, ensuring an unforgettable experience.



Kela: The next act was Heyz. We've seen him before at Deadrocks (2022) and Dancefestopia (2023.) He typically plays music with longer stretched out bass while exploring other elements. I think you can tell his mindset creativity because his mix has a good, "full" sounding bass to it. He was a big highlight of my night. I enjoyed Heyz Dancefestopia set a lot last year and he did not disappoint, yet again.
Ravetopia: Heyz was another pleasant repeat opener for some of us as many of us had also seen him open for Zeds Dead at The Armory in the past. Having our homies David and Darrian was great for this set because Heyz and David have some physical similarities especially with all his fun face visuals of himself!
Hailing from Greensboro, North Carolina, Mike Hayes, known by his moniker HEYZ, is a multi-talented music producer, DJ, and internet personality making waves in the electronic music scene. With a genre focus on dubstep, HEYZ's musical journey began in 2018 when his exceptional knack for crafting music caught the attention of renowned record label mau5trap, founded by the iconic deadmau5. After establishing himself in the industry, HEYZ underwent a stylistic shift, transitioning towards a more bass-heavy sound while steering away from the techno influences prevalent in his earlier work. This shift in focus led to collaborations and releases on esteemed labels like Circus Records in the U.K., Jauz's Bite This!, Zeds Dead's Deadbeats, and more recently, Lowly. Alongside his musical endeavors, HEYZ has also cultivated a substantial following on TikTok, using his platform to spread comedic relief and positivity to his audience, fostering a sense of connection and joy in a world that craves it.


Kela: Canabliss then took the stage. Her set was surprising because I've seen her name but haven't sought out listening to her. She kept the mood up by changing up her rhythm which was music to my ears. Her music label is Wakaan, so initially I thought wonky, but instead, we got a lot of drum and bass (MY FAVORITE GENRE) and some house. Though not what I was expecting, she still had the wonks and wubs ya'll know and love.
Ravetopia: We were introduced to Canabliss as a new opener, and she absolutely crushed her set. I’ve heard a few of her tracks online but live is so different. Every track she played was a hit, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying each one. Witnessing Darrian's enthusiastic response to her performance reminded me of the artists she has previously raved about and enjoyed with us. This experience prompted me to make a mental note to include more shows featuring talented female DJs in our plans, as it is clear that Darrian's excitement and engagement are heightened when they are part of the lineup.









Kela: Must Die... Another person we have seen before thanks to his Lost Lands Set. He likes the hard, crunchy stuff but also, really enjoys hard style. I could get down to a lot of his tunes, but by the end of the set was mainly hard style. Paul loves hard style, so I can't help but smile, every time I hear this" “not so great music to me,” bring a huge grin to his face 😍.
Ravetopia: While Must Die's performance was undoubtedly well-received by the majority of the audience, it didn't quite resonate with me personally. I believe the show managers did an excellent job curating the entire lineup to cater to a broad audience. However, my personal preference leans towards a different style of music, and I tend to steer clear of the more aggressive and chaotic sounds. If Must Die's set had followed Shanghai Doom's performance, it would have perfectly aligned with mypersonal ideal lineup for the show.


Kela: Last but not least, was BTSM: time for Church. The stage and production was great. This year was based off anime. I don’t know a lot of anime, but Paul has watched a lot. We went last year, and this year was 110 times better. I love their classics, like Resistance and others, but love it when they drop hard, rolling bass. A lot of pyrotechnics this time but I could tell the crowd and ourselves was loving every minute of it. They kept the place alive and even took time for pictures and signatures after.
Black Tiger Sex Machine is a canadian-based EDM trio that is known for their heavy dubstep but also play a variety of different genres in their sets. Them and their fans believe that music is their "religion." This specific show was the anticipated "Anime Show"- this set is different than most because it had all new anime related visuals or references.
Ravetopia: For my personal beliefs The Armory makes BTSM worth it for me. Music is my religion, as BTSM claims, but The Armory is my main Church because I attend more shows here than anywhere else.
Kela: After the show, we wandered back to our car and Rob drove us home. I'm grateful to have gotten a last minute show. It was spontaneous and hanging out with our friends, made an awesome night. I even found two Kandi bracelets on the railing with BTSM logo and that was the icing on the cake. Next shows we are going to, is Deadrocks X for our honeymoon and I can't wait to write about it and share my experience with you all!
Ravetopia: Our post-event experience took a slightly different turn as my car had to make a brief stop to drop off my lovely wife at her Airbnb. She was all set to attend the Staind show at the Excel Center the following night with our good friend Ben Glanzer. After ensuring her safe drop-off, we hit the road for the four-hour journey back home to accommodate our crew's dads who needed to get back to their kids.


I must mention how much I appreciate the creativity of my friends in personalizing my name sticker and the photos, which I only discovered while working on this article. Additionally, I wanted to showcase the one merch item I treated myself to in this last photo. I adore this piece because it's a BTSM merchandise item that I can proudly wear not only at shows but also at anime events where I enjoy spending time with my wonderful children.

